Le Mecanophone, World’s Horniest Truck That Doubles as a Legit Music Instrument

Meet Le Mecanophone, accurately spelled “mécanophone” in French, the world’s horniest truck. Get your mind out of the gutter, this is actually a vintage Citroen truck fitted with a set of 42 truck horns activated by a 42-key mechanical organ. A “mécano” in French is a man who repairs cars and trucks, and Reboul did just that on the vintage vehicle – and then turned it into a musical instrument of its own.

Make no mistake about it, Le Mecanophone isn’t a truck that’s just very loud because of those extra horns. If anything, this is the kind of vehicle that you would probably love to get stuck in traffic with, because it can play actual songs that you will recognize. It’s loud, it’s not always on key, but it sure is fun.

Its backstory is perhaps as interesting as the fact that this is a car that’s actually a “calliope” on wheels.

Before attaining international fame as the man who created the world’s horniest truck, Reboul was a little bit of everything: a baker, a scrap dealer and a driver. At one point in 1976, he made a drastic career change and became a fire-eater and, proof that he always strives for perfection, was actually in the Guinness Book of World Records between 1978 and 1983 for the highest flame produced, 7 meters (approximately 23 feet).

He then became a professional organ grinder. In 1982, he came across a 1935 Citroen truck, a Model U12, that was, as per his own account, in complete disrepair. He set out to fix and restore it, and then started using it for a couple of years as a sort of mobile stage from which he would perform on the organ at various events.

As the saying goes, one thing led to another and, in 1984, he had created the first assembly of horns that would attach to the truck in a lengthy, rather complicated 6-hour intervention. Six hours to get the horns on the truck and six more to remove them, you can see why he started toying with the idea of a little something more… definitive.

It would be a while longer before it happened, though. In 1996, Reboul performed at the Salon de la Musique in Paris with his organ contraption and, presumably, saw potential interest in a more elaborate instrument. In 1998, he had permanently attached the horns to the truck and built the roofed platform - a frame above the cab from which he would be playing the instrument. The final version of Le Mecanophone was done by the next year.

This singing truck uses a 42-note hand organ built by André Odin, and book music arranged by Pierre Charial, both of whom Reboul met and befriended in the ‘80s. The organ is cranked by hand by Reboul: a 2006 Carousel Organ story notes that, instead of keys, the organ uses strips with silver cadmium dots, which activate one of 42 electromagnetic valves.

“These valves contain magnetic coils, which control the supply of compressed air to each of the truck horns,” the publication notes. “Each horn is monitored by its own pressure gauge. The air supply is provided by two reservoirs of 100 liters each, which are fed by a 3 HP, 380 volt air compressor. Nearly 400 meters of electric cable was used to make the connections. A 6.5 kW, 220/380-volt generator, of course, operates the compressor. The smallest horn is 13 cm in length and the largest is 125 cm (5+ " to 49+ "). The horns are chromium-plated steel/bronze and have a screw to allow tuning of the horn.”

A vibrating Rhodoïd diaphragm makes the sound. And yes, this organ truck is loud: as per the same account, the sounds it makes are listed from 108 decibels to a maximum of 131 decibels, which is loud enough to carry about five miles (8 km). The entire contraption weighs over 15 tons and is almost 6 meters (19 feet) long. It is fitted with a second gearbox that allows it to move slowly at parade speeds.

The repertoire of Le Mecanophone includes, among others, “Rock Around the Clock,” “The Fire Dance” and “In the Mood.” The tunes are surprisingly balanced, considering that this, after all, a honking truck. They’re not always on key, but the Mecanophone never fails to make an impression.