The Irizar Century was a coach body manufactured by Irizar on chassis from Iveco, MAN, Mercedes-Benz, Scania and Volvo. It was launched in 1989, the centenary year of the company, and was replaced by the Irizar i6, although its popularity kept it in production for several years after the replacement was announced.
Irizar Century at a glance
| Maker | Irizar, Ormáiztegui (Gipuzkoa), Spain |
|---|---|
| Introduced | 1989, in the company’s centenary year |
| Type | coach body on bought-in chassis |
| Chassis makes | Iveco, MAN, Mercedes-Benz, Scania, Volvo |
| Identification | OBRA number on the plate next to the door |
| Bodystyles | many different bodies, lengths and layouts |
| Right-hand drive | Century for left-hand traffic markets from 1994 |
| Replaced by | Irizar i6 |
| After replacement | production continued for several years |
The English article on the Century is short and gives mainly the chassis list; the company history comes from the Spanish article on Irizar, so this page is shorter than a full model article.
History of the Irizar Century
A centenary model
Irizar began in 1889 as the smithy of José Francisco Irizar Catarain in Ormáiztegui, making fittings for carriages and repairing wheels, and moved into passenger transport before the end of the century. The company built its first mechanically driven coach, with 22 seats, in 1928, and its first coach with a fully metallic body in 1953. The Century was launched in 1989, exactly a hundred years after the workshop opened, and the Spanish Wikipedia calls the model revolutionary and a landmark for the company.
A body for five chassis makers
Like other Irizar products, the Century was a body rather than a complete bus, and operators could order it on chassis from Iveco, MAN, Mercedes-Benz, Scania and Volvo. The known chassis include the Iveco Delta and EuroRider, the MAN 18.360, 18.370 and 18.420 HOCL, the Mercedes-Benz O404, OH1830 and OC500RF, a long list of Scania types from the K113 to the K420 and the F94, and the Volvo B7R, B10M, B11R, B12 and B13R. Because there were many bodystyles, individual coaches are usually identified by the OBRA number on the information plate next to the door.
Years in the market
The Century arrived when Irizar was in difficulty: in 1991 the company technically went bankrupt and a new management under Koldo Saratxaga cut unprofitable export markets and rebalanced the workforce. Production then grew quickly, and in 1994 the company built more than 700 coaches. In the same year Irizar produced the first Century for left-hand traffic markets, and from 1995 the company built coach bodies for Europe together with Scania. The Century was eventually replaced by the i6, but operators kept ordering it and Irizar continued to build it for several years.
Design and features
- Chassis from five makers: Iveco, MAN, Mercedes-Benz, Scania and Volvo.
- Launched in 1989: the centenary year of the Irizar company.
- OBRA number: the plate beside the door identifies the individual body.
- Many bodystyles: different lengths and layouts on the same basic design.
- Long production: still built for several years after the i6 replaced it.
Irizar Century versions
- Century (from 1989): the original coach body.
- Left-hand traffic version (from 1994): the first Century for right-hand-drive markets.
- Late Century: coaches built alongside the i6 after the replacement.
The Century was followed in the range by the Irizar PB, and both bodies were built on chassis from several makers. More coaches are in the Irizar collection.
Video: Irizar Century coach in Mexico
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Irizar Century, English Wikipedia: chassis list, OBRA plate, replacement by the i6
- Irizar, Spanish Wikipedia: company history, 1989 launch, 1994 right-hand-drive Century, Scania collaboration
