Leonardo da Vinci sketched a self-propelled cart that used gears and a winding mechanism to move without animals.
The cart appears in Leonardo’s papers from the late 15th century. Its movement was powered by coiled springs, rather than by an engine or an external animal. A system of gears transmitted the spring energy to the wheels, while a steering arrangement helped determine the direction.
The device may have been intended for theatrical performances or court spectacles. It could travel a preset distance and might have been used to create a dramatic entrance. Because the surviving drawings do not show every construction detail, reconstructions have been important in testing how the mechanism could work.
The cart is sometimes called an early automobile, but that description can be misleading. It had no combustion engine and was not designed for ordinary road travel. Its significance lies in its programmable mechanical motion and spring-powered propulsion, not in being a direct prototype of a modern car.