Talk:Alec Issigonis

Your help requested
The Mini article is in the Peer review process - perhaps heading towards Featured Article status. I would greatly appreciate experts on Sir Alec taking a look at it. (If you find a problem, please either fix it or post your concerns on the Talk:Mini page. TIA SteveBaker 20:50, 24 February 2006 (UTC)

picture
The picture Alec_issigonis.jpg will be deleted because it has got no source information from 30 june 2006. --Bouncey2k from Commons 13:03, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

100th birthday
Issigonis's 100th birthday would have been 18th November this year (2006) - several Mini clubs are planning birthday celebrations. SteveBaker 13:30, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Happy Birthday Sir Alec, Happy Birthday Sir Alec, Happy Birthday dear Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis, CBE, FRS, Happy Birthday to you! SteveBaker 14:09, 18 November 2006 (UTC)

Parkinson's disease error
The original Times obituary for Sir Alec Issigonis, published on 1988-10-04, stated:

Subsequently, on 1988-10-10, they published the following correction notice:

-- de Facto (talk). 08:29, 31 May 2007 (UTC)

Family/Personal life
Does anyone know any information about whether Sir Alec was married and had any children whatsoever? I think this will help further enhance the article.

Spokenwordsegment (talk) 15:55, 25 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Never married & had no children — Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.204.228.187 (talk • contribs) 2017-09-17T20:32:17 90.204.228.187 (UTC)

Portrait picture
I think we need to add a portrait picture for Mr Issigonis. I think this will further enhance the article's introduction

Spokenwordsegment (talk) 16:08, 34 February 2008 (UTC)

Proudest Design
Whether it is fashionable or not in Gillian Bardsley's Official Biography from 2005 on p277 she clearly states that the Austin 1800 was the design he was proudest of, she then explains that this showed him out of touch with the buying public. The comment about him being most proud of the Morris Minor needs a reference otherwise it just seems like the fanciful thoughts of Morris Minor fans. Even with citations about the Morris Minor the additions about the Austin 1800 should not be removed as there is a valid official reference to support them.

Plc007 (talk) 11:21, 5 January 2013 (UTC)

there may be a potentially unfounded claim that Alec Issigonis graduated from Lycée Léonin
please review this article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycée_Léonin

I was under the impression that in 1922 Issigonis went from Smyrna to Malta and then to the UK. The claim having him graduating from Lycée Léonin would be in conflict with the itinerary that he appeared to have followed after he left from Smyrna. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Johnev (talk • contribs) 00:57, 27 December 2013 (UTC)

This is not really in conlfict born in 1906,  he might be at the SMYRNA campus from 1913 - 1922, as his family was evacuated in 1923 --DerekvG (talk) 12:05, 10 December 2015 (UTC)

Bad English?
The sentence "This greatly modified machine was replaced with a radical special completed in 1939, constructed of plywood laminated in aluminium sheeting" doesnt read right. A radical special what? Are there some words missing? Robotics1 22:53, 17 September 2015 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Robotics1 (talk • contribs)


 * “Special” was a colloquial British term for a one-off racing car, frequently home-built. Issigonis' example was usually referred to as the Lightweight Special. Mr Larrington (talk) 20:51, 15 March 2021 (UTC)

nationality : citation needed
In the first paragraph it is alleged that Sir Alec Issigonis was "Greek (with British passport)" this statement cannot be verified by the reference cited earlier in the paragraph: ''Downs, D. (1994). "Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis. 18 November 1906-2 October 1988". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society 39: 200–226. doi:10.1098/rsbm.1994.0012.'' --DerekvG (talk) 10:56, 10 December 2015 (UTC)
 * The site of the design museum says : "Born Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis to British parents in Smyrna, then a Greek port," which would make him a British citizen of Greek descent
 * the website www.automotivehalloffame.org says he's "British citizen"
 * E. Britannica refers to Sir Alec Issigonis as British
 * Mlahanas.de a site about things greek says : "Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis was born into the Greek community of Smyrna (now Izmir) in Ottoman Turkey.... Because Alec and his parents were British subjects, they were evacuated to Malta by British Royal Marines in September, 1922,...'"
 * The time book review says: 'First, Issigonis was born in 1906, in cosmopolitan Smyrna, with Greek and German parents. He inherited British citizenship via his father and developed very "English" attitudes. Smyrna's destruction during regional conflict in 1923 drove the family to Malta."

--DerekvG (talk) 11:08, 10 December 2015 (UTC)


 * I have a >400 page biography of the man which I bought five years ago but still haven't got round to reading.  I see that back in 2010 I entered a couple of citations from it to the Issigonis entry.   It's written by someone called Gillian Bardlsey and nicely written (the book: not necessarily the Issigonis entry), I think, and great for dipping into.  My failure to read it cover to cover is not a criticism of the book but of my inability to stay awake for any book.   His parental and ancestral provenance are no simple matter, as you'll presumably have spotted already.   And of course citizenship law is one of many areas where the (generally unconsidered) perceptions implicit in different nation-states don't, for the most part, interface seamlessly across borders and between different legal traditions.   Anyhow, if you would like to borrow the book and use it to stuff the Issigonis entry with a lot more citations, and maybe build the thing up in other ways at the same time, I am happy to lend it to you as long as you will send it back.   Though now that postage is so obscenely expensive you might have to collect it in GB or wait till I next come to NL.   Regards Charles01 (talk) 11:28, 10 December 2015 (UTC)
 * That would be very nice, but after some consideration I think I will want the book myself for my collection, so I see if I can order it from a UK bookstore Thanks Charles --DerekvG (talk) 11:35, 10 December 2015 (UTC)
 * I was hoping you might think that.  But do get it.   It's worth it, and the AleIss entry will certainly benefit from your input after - if - you get round to reading it.   I think I got it from the museum shop at the Heritage Motor Centre but (1) they seem to be closed for refurbishment and (2) there are probably cheaper ways anyhow.   If all else fails there's always www.abe.com.   Success Charles01 (talk) 13:30, 10 December 2015 (UTC)

Modified and sourced --DerekvG (talk) 11:58, 10 December 2015 (UTC)

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