Leonardo da Vinci designed an armored car with a conical cover and room for a crew.
His c. 1487–1490 drawing shows a circular, turtle-like vehicle protected by an angled shell. The shell was intended to deflect incoming weapons, while numerous small guns projected through openings around the perimeter. A crew inside would turn cranks connected to wheels to move the vehicle.
The machine is often popularly called Leonardo’s tank, but “armored car” or “fighting vehicle” is more precise for the historical design. It was never built for Renaissance warfare, and the surviving drawing contains a likely mechanical flaw: the gear arrangement would make the wheels turn in opposing directions. Some historians think that error may have been deliberate to keep the design from being used.
The vehicle illustrates Leonardo’s work for military patrons, who valued fortifications, artillery, bridges, and transport machines as well as artistic skill.