What name is given to Leonardo da Vinci’s spring-powered cart, often called an early automobile?

Leonardo da Vinci’s spring-powered vehicle is called the self-propelled cart.

Leonardo sketched the cart around 1478, making it one of his earliest mechanical designs. Wound springs stored the energy needed to turn the wheels, while a programmable steering system used toothed components and pins. The cart may have been intended for theatrical performances or court spectacles rather than ordinary transportation.

The design is often described as an ancestor of the automobile, but it was not powered by an engine and could not travel long distances like a modern car. Its importance lies in the way Leonardo combined stored mechanical energy, steering, and timed motion in one compact machine.

A full-scale working reconstruction was built in Italy in 2006. The cart is also sometimes called Leonardo’s automobile, although “self-propelled cart” is the more precise name for the surviving design.