What self-propelled vehicle did Leonardo da Vinci design using springs and geared wheels?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a self-propelled cart using springs and geared wheels to create movement without a person pushing it.

The cart is described in Renaissance drawings and is often regarded as an early ancestor of the automobile. Its mechanism used coiled springs as stored energy, while a system of gears controlled the wheels and helped determine how far the cart would travel.

The cart may have been intended for theatrical performances or court spectacles rather than transportation. It could potentially move along a predetermined path, making it useful as a stage effect. Unlike a modern car, it had no engine, steering system, brakes, or passenger cabin.

A full-scale reconstruction was demonstrated in the early twenty-first century, showing that the basic mechanism could work when interpreted from Leonardo’s drawings. The reconstruction does not prove every historical detail, but it confirms that the design was more than a purely decorative sketch.