Orix
Barcelona, Spain
The Orix marque was created by Juan Ramírez Montpeó (often cited simply as Juan Ramírez), a Barcelona-based mechanic, competition racer and preparer.
Juan Ramírez manufactured this car (chassis no. M 16) in 1952, on the premises of Carrer Ecuador in Barcelona, the headquarters of his car factory.
His workshop was in Barcelona (Les Corts / Sants district) where he serviced and prepared motorcycles and cars for competition in the post-war period.
Two versions of the Òrix were made: the most popular, of which about 12 were produced, was very similar to the Volkswagen; the other version, the pink one shown below, was more sporty in nature, although both had the same mechanics.
Its doors, hood and trunk are made of aluminum, in order to improve its weight. The engine, a two-cylinder air-cooled, 620 c.c. allowed enough speed to participating in climbs on the coast such as La Rabassada. The Col·lecció d’Automòbils Salvador Claret currently has the only two cars of this brand that are referenced.
Around 1950, inspired by competition with flat-twin BMW bicycles/motorcycles, he designed his own two-cylinder opposed (boxer) air-cooled engine of about 610 cc.
He then decided to mount this engine in a car, creating the first Orix prototype in the early 1950s.
The first production Orix (≈1952) used a 2-cylinder opposed (boxer) air-cooled engine of approx. 610 cc (72 mm × 75 mm) with around 25-27 hp output.
The Orix was never a mass-production car. It was built essentially under artisanal/hand-built conditions, on order. The first prototype was built around 1952, and by 1954 the project was essentially over. The brand existed effectively 1952-1954.
Orix is one of the more interesting small Spanish marques of that era: technically ambitious (own engine, independent suspension), but commercially marginal because of limited capital and inability to scale.
Given its extremely limited production, an Orix car is quite rare and historically valuable as a witness of post-war Spanish automotive ingenuity.
