What Leonardo da Vinci invention is often considered an early automobile?

Leonardo da Vinci’s self-propelled cart is often considered an early automobile. Leonardo sketched the spring-powered vehicle around 1478–1480, describing a cart that could move without being pulled by an animal or pushed by a person.

The cart used coiled springs inside its frame to store energy. Cords connected the springs to the wheels, allowing the stored energy to drive the mechanism. Steering and braking features were also included in the design, although the surviving drawings do not provide a complete modern-style construction manual.

The design is usually called a self-propelled cart rather than a car because it had no engine or fuel-powered motor. It was probably intended for theatrical performances or court spectacles, where it could move across a stage by itself. A reconstructed version was demonstrated in Italy in 2006.

Leonardo did not build an automobile in the modern sense. His cart is important because it shows an early attempt to combine stored mechanical power, wheels, steering, and controlled motion in one vehicle.