Leonardo da Vinci’s early self-propelled vehicle was the self-propelled cart.
Leonardo designed the cart in the late 15th century, probably for theatrical performances at the court of Milan. Unlike a modern automobile, it had no engine or steering wheel. Coiled springs stored energy and drove the wheels through a system of gears. A mechanism could also make the cart follow a preset path.
The cart is often described as an ancestor of the automobile or robot, but that comparison needs care. It was a mechanical vehicle intended to move without a person pushing it, not a practical road vehicle for passengers. Its reconstructed design has helped historians understand how Leonardo combined clockwork, gearing, and theatrical engineering.
The surviving drawing is part of the Codex Atlanticus. Leonardo did not build a known full-size working example during his lifetime, so modern reconstructions test an interpretation of the original design rather than preserve an operating machine from the Renaissance.