Drawing of the Mini by Alec Issigonis.
Alec Issigonis, born 1906
Designer of the Mini
Sir Alec Issigonis, along with Sir Henry Royce and perhaps Colin Chapman, has the greatest name recognition in the UK for any British car designer or engineer. At the peak if his career he was by far the most well-known personality in the British motor industry, one of the most well-known names in the European motor industry, and was the first and perhaps the only car British designer who could claim celebrity status. His name will always be associated with the Morris Minor and the Mini, but he was a complex man with a complex background, family, story and career.