Alec Issigonis - The Man Who Made the Mini

Alec Issigonis, the brilliant British designer of the Morris Minor and the Mini, is one of the commanding figures in the history of automobile design and engineering. This book offers a rounded portrait of his life and work.

Issigonis's ingenious and effective designs had a deep, lasting influence on the evolution of the motor car and on the wider history of industrial design. He deserves to be ranked with the other giants of the field like Ferdinand Porsche.

Vivid recollections of Issigonis's contemporaries, combined with a critical reassessment of his output, create a balanced view of a remarkable, controversial man.

This penetrating study of this flawed genius of automobile design offers a rounded portrait of his life and work, and places him squarely in the context of his times.

Until now, Issigonis's career as an engineer and designer, and his strong, single-minded character, have never been the subject of a full-length biography.

About the Author

Jonathan Wood is a renowned motoring journalist, researcher and author with a strong interest in classic cars, car design and the British motor industry.

He is a former features editor of Classic Car magazine, and he contributes to the Independent and the Daily Telegraph. He has also received the highest accolade of the American Society of Automotive Historians, the Cugnot Award.

His book Wheels of Misfortune: The Rise and Fall of the British Motor Industry is regarded as the definitive study of the subject and won the Montagu Trophy.