The Mini car owes its existence to Gamal Abdel-Nasser:
"...The story behind the Mini began in August 1956, when President Gamal
Abdel Nasser of Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal in response to the American
and British decision to withdraw funding for a new dam's construction due to
Egypt's Communist ties. The international crisis that followed led to fuel
shortages and gasoline rationing across Europe. Sir Leonard Lord, head of
BMC--formed by the merger of automakers Austin and Morris in 1952--wanted to
produce a British alternative to the tiny, fuel-efficient German cars that were
cornering the market after the Suez Crisis. He turned to Alec Issigonis, a
Turkish immigrant who as chief engineer at Morris Motors had produced the Morris
Minor, a teapot-shaped cult favorite that had nonetheless never seriously
competed with the Volkswagen "Beetle" or Fiat's 500 or Cinquecento...."
