Alec Issigonis - Jonathan Wood
The first thing you need to realise about Jonathan Wood’s book, is that it is not just another book about the creation of the Mini.
In fact, the Mini is only covered in two chapters. But Wood does take a good look at what was going on in the life of the Mini’s creator at the time, the processes involved in designing the Mini and the resultant power that Issigonis enjoyed.
This is one of only two in-depth biographies of one of the world’s greatest total-car designers, and was released in 2006, the centenary of Issigonis’ birth.
But don’t for one minute think this will be an out-pouring of soppy sentiment for the subject. Far from it. This is a warts-and-all look at a man who, like most recognised geniuses, had a flawed side to his persona.
Wood lays the blame for the demise of the British motor industry, in total, at the feet of three specific people.
Namely, Leonard Lord; who declared on his sacking from Morris in 1936, that he would “tear Cowley apart brick by bloody brick”, George Harriman; “BMC’s ineffectual and vacillating chairman”, and Alec Issigonis; “that most dangerous of corporate beings: the uncontrolled ‘genius’. ”
Wood also delves into the mind of Issigonis, to try to establish the engineer’s influences: not an easy task, as Issigonis usually refused to acknowledge any other car maker’s influence on himself.
So, it is up to Wood to look at the cars that were available during the period and to hypothesise as to what influences can be seen in the likes of the Morris Minor, Mini and other Issigonis creations.
He puts up a strong argument, with examples ably illustrated: the Steyr Type 50, Duncan Dragonfly and Laurence Pomeroy’s imaginary Mini-Motor of 1939, to name a few.
But, the book is well balanced. Wood accepts Issigonis’ unequaled talent for design of small, efficient, World cars. But, he also points out the engineer’s inability to transfer that talent to the design of larger family cars - eveidenced in his time at Alvis and the Austin 3-litre of 1967.
This is a good read for anyone interested in the British motor industry in general, or who wants to understand more of the personality of the creator of the Mini. It is however, a bit confusing in parts and required re-reading of some sections to get the chronology sorted out.
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