Leonardo da Vinci’s spring-powered vehicle sketch is commonly called the self-propelled cart.
Drawn around 1478–1480, the cart used coiled springs as its power source. Its two rear wheels were driven through a system of gears, while a steering mechanism controlled the front wheel. The design was probably intended for theatrical performances or court spectacles rather than ordinary transport.
The cart is often described as an early automobile because it could move without being pushed by a person or pulled by an animal. However, it was not powered by an engine in the modern sense. Its stored spring energy would have provided only limited movement, and the surviving drawing leaves some construction details open to interpretation.
In 2006, a working model built from Leonardo’s drawings was displayed in Florence. The machine is therefore best understood as a Renaissance mechanical experiment and an important precursor to later self-propelled vehicles, not as a modern car.