Leonardo da Vinci designed a self-propelled cart with gears and concealed propulsion.
The cart is usually dated to around 1478–1480 and is sometimes described as an early automobile or the first programmable machine. Springs hidden inside the vehicle stored energy, while a system of gears transferred that energy to the wheels. Adjustable parts could determine how far the cart travelled and whether it followed a curved path.
The design was probably intended for theatrical or ceremonial use rather than ordinary transportation. Leonardo’s surviving drawings do not provide every construction detail, and scholars have debated how much of the mechanism can be reconstructed from them. Modern models have shown that a working interpretation is possible.
The cart is also associated with Leonardo’s studies of automata. It did not use an engine, steering wheel, or modern transmission, so calling it a car is useful only as a comparison. Its importance is the combination of stored mechanical energy, gearing, and pre-set movement.