ALEC ISSIGONIS was born in 1906 in
Izmir, Turkey. His mother was German
and his father was Greek with
British citizenship. Issigonis
didn’t go to school. He was taught
by a private teacher at home. After
the First World War, the family
moved to Britain, and Issigonis
studied engineering. He was already
a good designer but he couldn’t do
math’s. He failed his math’s exam
three times at technical college! He
worked for a number of car
manufacturers before joining Morris
in 1936. After the Second World War
he design the Morris Minor, the
first British car to sell over a
million. In 1956 he joined the
British Motor Corporation. In that
year the Suez Crisis caused petrol
shortages in Europe, so everyone
wanted cars that did not use much
petrol. Issigonis was asked to
design a small economical car that
could take four passengers. The
result was the Mini. Issigonis had
complete control over the design of
the Mini. He was an arrogant man who
did not like to listen to other
people. For example, he was told
that all modern cars should have
radios and seat belts. But he did
not listen to the radio himself or
wear seat belts, so he refused to
put them in the first Minis. Later
he changed his mind and seat belts
and radios were added. He saw
himself as an artist rather than a
scientist. He once said,
‘Mathematics is the enemy of every
truly creative man.’ Issigonis
always followed his instincts.
Luckily, they were usually
right!About MINI. First of all he
decided that the Mini should be
three meters long, half a meter
shorter than most small cars. Next,
the wheels were made much smaller,
with independent suspension. And
they were put right at the four
corners of the car. Then, the engine
was turned sideways, and the gearbox
was put underneath. Most space was
saved by having front-wheel drive.
And there was still room for four
passengers. In 1959 this design was
revolutionary. Today nearly every
small car is based on the design of
Mini. Henry Ford (1863-1947) Henry
Ford was born in 1863. He was a man
who transformed the world. The car
he built changed the lives of people
everywhere. In 1896, Ford succeeded
in building an automobile powered by
a gasoline engine. He built this
engine in his kitchen sink. In 1903,
Henry Ford established the Ford
Motor Company and introduced the
Model T Ford. Henry Ford wanted to
make a car that everyone would be
able to afford. He was able to lower
the price of the Model T from $850
to $360 by introducing mass
production assembly line techniques.
On an assembly line each person has
one specific job and can do it
faster and more efficiently.
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