What type of vehicle did Leonardo da Vinci design with a clockwork-powered mechanism?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a self-propelled cart powered by a clockwork mechanism.

The cart appears in drawings from the late 15th century and is often described as an early ancestor of the automobile. Springs inside the machine supplied stored energy, while programmed components controlled the movement of its wheels. The design may have been intended for theatrical performances at court rather than for everyday transport.

Unlike a modern car, Leonardo’s cart had no engine, steering wheel, brakes, or fuel system. Its motion was predetermined by the arrangement of the mechanical parts, so it could travel only along a planned route.

A replica built in 2006 demonstrated that the design could move when reconstructed from Leonardo’s drawings. The machine is sometimes called Leonardo’s automobile, but “self-propelled cart” is more precise because it used spring power and was not a motor vehicle in the modern sense.