5 replies to this topic

[HUBBA.HUBBA]

Dr.Ing. Bernd Peter Pischetsrieder (the devil personified), was Sir Alec's cousin! What the Flip!

 

[nicklouse]

Known this for about 20 years it was mentioned when he took over.

[Bobbins]

Issigonis was actually Pischetsrieder's mother's cousin.

Edited by Bobbins, 17 August 2019 - 06:31 AM.

[mab01uk]

I remember there was much in the press and media about his family connections to Issigonis and the Mini at the time of BMW's takeover of Rover back in 1994......

 

"Less than a year after taking over the helm at BMW, Pischetsrieder led the takeover of Rover. This was one of the peaks of his career, but even at the time there were misgivings within the Board concerning the cost of the acquisition and the investment required to turn the business around. In 1995, Rover had announced a profit, but BMW, using more rigorous German accounting standards, uncovered a loss of more than £130 million.

The Rover debacle was the worst setback in Pischetsrieder's career. A relation of Sir Alec Issigonis (designer of the Morris Minor and the Mini), and a pronounced Anglophile, he had put everything into restoring the British company's fortunes.

He spoke dreamily of reviving famous names such as Austin-Healey and Riley. Apart from the 75, the Land Rover Freelander was the major British launch during the Pischetsrieder era, though of course the biggest of all was the MINI, which appeared after his departure.

Although the Rover period turned into a personal disaster for Pischetsrieder, paradoxically it can be looked upon as a success for BMW: the sale of Land Rover to Ford more than covered Rover's losses, and the MINI has been a big hit, with an expanding range."

https://www.telegrap...s-of-power.html

 

MINI: Anglo-German success

"BMW CEO and architect of the BMW-Rover deal, Bernd Pischetsrieder was very aware of the value of the Mini and he was quite happy to let Sked’s team at Canley continue to shape the new car. In fact, Pischetsrieder, a British car enthusiast and great-nephew of Sir Alec Issigonis made it quite clear that he would allow the British to control their own projects: ‘I want to make it clear that Rover’s and Land Rover’s design and engineering operations will remain fully functional and largely independent from us here (in Munich).’

Pischetsrieder also made it clear that he was happy with the ‘Portfolio’ models and, beyond that, he entrusted the British to produce a new Mini – the most British of cars. One of the first acts of the Bavarian regime was to cement the Mini project, giving it official backing, funding and a codename: R59.

Pischetsrieder went further, though. Taking the project under his wing, he went about recruiting the remaining leading lights from the original ADO15 project: John Cooper, Jack Daniels and Alex Moulton. All three men were keen to get on board – Moulton allowed Pischetsrieder to drive his Hydragas-suspended 1966 Mini Cooper, and the BMW CEO came away impressed: ‘Pischetsrieder wanted to know all the background information of the original project… he seemed impressed,’ Moulton recalled."

https://www.aronline...elopment-story/

Edited by mab01uk, 17 August 2019 - 08:10 AM.

[HUBBA.HUBBA]

Known this for about 20 years it was mentioned when he took over.

I'm just behind the times

[mab01uk]

Dr.Ing. Bernd Peter Pischetsrieder (the devil personified), was Sir Alec's cousin! What the Flip!

 

Without Pischetsrieder there would have been no Mini MPi developed and production of the classic Mini would have ended 4 years earlier, as originally planned by Rover.....and no money to develop the R50 MINI for the future......

 

Interesting to read Mike Theaker's (BMW/Rover Engine Development Engineer) account of the Mini MPI development story and how it was BMW's will and John Cooper's insistence that finally got the MPI into production in 1996, extending the Mini's life by 4 more years. Mike Theaker also later worked on powertrain development for the New MINI (R50).

Mike Theaker on the Development of the Twin Point Injection system for the Mini.
Link to PDF below:-
http://www.turbomini...ts/493117-1.pdf

 

(September 2000 Miniworld)