What Leonardo da Vinci invention was a three-wheeled vehicle powered by winding springs?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a self-propelled cart powered by wound springs.

The cart appears in drawings from the late fifteenth century and is often described as an early programmable or self-moving vehicle. Large coiled springs supplied energy, while mechanical components transferred that energy to the wheels. A steering mechanism could be set in advance, allowing the cart to follow a predetermined path rather than being driven by a person.

The cart was probably intended for theatrical performances or court entertainments, where a moving object could create a dramatic effect. It was not a motor car: it had no combustion engine, fuel system, or driver’s controls. The surviving drawings also leave some construction details open to interpretation.

In 2006, Italian researchers and artisans built a working replica based on Leonardo’s drawings. The replica demonstrated that the basic mechanism could move. Because of that reconstruction, the cart is often cited as an important early example of mechanical automation and a precursor to self-propelled vehicles.