What was Leonardo da Vinci’s spring-powered vehicle designed to move without horses called?

Leonardo da Vinci’s spring-powered vehicle was called the self-propelled cart.

Leonardo drew the machine around 1478 to 1480. Unlike an ordinary cart, it was intended to move without an animal pulling it. Coiled springs stored energy, and a system of gears transferred that energy to the wheels. The vehicle could also be set to follow a predetermined route.

The machine is sometimes described as an early automobile, but that comparison can mislead. It had no engine in the modern sense and could travel only a limited distance before its springs released their stored energy. Its likely uses included theatrical displays, ceremonies, or court entertainment.

A full-scale reconstruction was made for a 2006 exhibition in Florence. The model demonstrated that the basic mechanism could operate, although historians still debate details of the original design.