Issigonis' family lived a comfortable life in Smyrna until the city was invaded by the Turks in 1922. The family were evacuated from the country by the Royal Navy, but Sir Alec's father died on the way to Britain.

After setting up home in London with his widowed mother, Issigonis enrolled at Battersea Polytechnic to study automotive engineering where he graduated in 1928.

He joined Morris Motors in Cowley in 1936, and his first major project was the Morris Minor in 1948.

When Austin and Morris merged in 1952, internal disagreements between workers of the two former competitors upset Issigonis, and as a result he moved to Alvis.

During his time at Alvis, Issogonis designed a large V8 saloon, but when Alvis decided not to make the car in 1955, he went back to Morris-Austin, now called the British Motor Corporation (BMC).

The Suez Crisis in September 1956 led to gasoline rationing, and in March 1957, the chairman of the BMC, Sir Leonard Lord, decided to put all other projects on hold, and asked Issigonis to build him a car smaller than the Morris Minor, providing the maximum passenger space for four people.

It had to be compact, economical and affordable. Issigonis had to use an engine that was already available from the BMC range, and the car had to be ready for production in two years.

Issigonis wasted no time at all - he decided to use the smallest wheels ever seen on a four seater car, just 10 inches in diameter, so they didn't intrude in the cabin, and stuck them in the far corners.

He commissioned his old friend, Alex Moulton, to design the suspension, which he did with a revolutionary idea of rubber elements sandwiched between metal cones.

He mounted the engine transversely to drive the front wheels, and then placed the transmission underneath. Eighty percent of the 10-feet (3-metre) long car was given over to passengers.

To cut production costs, Issigonis also decided on external sills and external door hinges.

The car went into production in 1959, and by mid-June 1959 production was running at one hundred cars per week to allow a car for most dealers at launch time. The launch date was brought forward from September to August 26th 1959, and the last original Mini didn’t leave the chains until October 2000.

Official recognition for Issigonis came with a CBE in 1964, followed by a knighthood in 1969.

He lived with his mother until she died in 1972 (a year after his retirement) and soon after his own health began to deteriorate. He died on 2nd October 1988.

History of the Mini

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