Arnau

During the Spanish Civil War, Joan Arnau Vicens, a Catalan from the province of Girona, worked as a barber in the army until one day they asked for a volunteer to drive a truck. Despite never having driven, Arnau volunteered and from then on served in the army as a driver.

At the end of the war and reintegrating into civilian life, Joan Arnau dedicated himself to cabinetmaking, however he was able to validate his knowledge as a truck driver during the war and obtain a first class driver’s license.

Those were difficult times (approximately 1940) , and Arnau liked to try and drive all kinds of wheeled vehicles. So much so that a beautiful car was built for private use, equipped with a body that had a single headlight. That vehicle was not motorized and inside it had installed two bicycles. Joan Arnau’s wife did not like to pedal, so Arnau’s vehicle fell into disuse, until around 1942 when she sold it to Salvador Claret (father), who also offered it to her as a gift to your wife.

After that experience, Arnau continued buying and selling second-hand cars that he frequently reformed, such as an old Renault that, around 1947, he transformed into a something special with a wooden body.

At that time, Joan Arnau began to suffer from deafness problems and was unable to renew his first class license, and instead of applying for a lower category permit, he took over the mechanics of an old vehicle with right-hand drive, of which he kept the registration number B-55601 (1934), and converted it into a microcar with three wheels (one front and two rear) with a handmade body made of wood. As shown by photographs in which he appears with the number 33, the Arnau buggy even participated in some sports competition.

Finally, and overwhelmed by not being able to circulate normally, Arnau obtained his driving license and already acquired conventional utility models, until his death in 1998.