Leonardo da Vinci designed an armored car, an enclosed military vehicle intended to protect its occupants while carrying weapons around a circular platform. The concept is often described as an early tank-like fighting vehicle.
The vehicle had a conical protective shell and space for several crew members to operate weapons. Its internal mechanism included hand-operated cranks connected to wheels, although historians have debated whether the surviving drawing contains a deliberate flaw or an incomplete transmission arrangement.
This armored car is distinct from Leonardo’s self-propelled cart, which was a lighter vehicle powered by coiled springs. It is also distinct from later tanks, which used engines, tracks, armor, and artillery in forms developed centuries afterward.