Which Leonardo da Vinci design is often called an early armored vehicle?

Leonardo da Vinci’s design often called an early armored vehicle is the armored car.

Leonardo designed the fighting vehicle around 1487–1488 while seeking military employment from Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan. The conical, turtle-like vehicle was intended to protect soldiers inside while carrying guns around its perimeter. Its sloping armor could help deflect incoming projectiles.

The machine is sometimes called a tank, but that modern label can mislead. Leonardo’s vehicle was never built in the fifteenth century, and the surviving drawing suggests a major mechanical problem: the proposed gear arrangement would make the wheels turn in opposing directions unless corrected.

The design illustrates Leonardo’s blend of engineering, weapons planning, and visual presentation. It also shows why an invention can be influential without being practical: the concept of protected mobility was striking, even though the vehicle’s power and construction challenges were unresolved.