What self-moving machine designed by Leonardo da Vinci is often called an early car?

Leonardo da Vinci’s self-propelled cart is often described as an early car design.

Leonardo drew the machine in the late 15th century, probably between 1478 and 1480. Unlike a normal wagon, it was designed to move without being pulled by an animal. Coiled springs supplied stored energy, while a system of gears and wheels transmitted that energy to the cart’s driving wheels.

The cart could be set to follow a predetermined route, making it a mechanical automaton as well as a transport device. Its steering mechanism allowed the route to be planned in advance. The machine may have been intended for theatrical performances or court entertainment rather than ordinary road travel.

It was not powered by an internal-combustion engine, and calling it a “car” is a modern comparison. In 2006, engineers at the Institute and Museum of the History of Science in Florence built a working version based on Leonardo’s drawings, showing that the mechanism could function.