Did Da Vinci invent the car?
April 26, 2004 | Levent OZLER
Leonardo da Vinci is revered around the world as a master of Renaissance painting and an ingenious engineer, but few have thought of him as the father of the modern car.
But on Friday, the Museum of History and Science in Florence unveiled the first "automobile" built based on some of the sketches from da Vinci's famous notebooks. "This has been a big adventure which has also helped us to develop tools to help people unaware of Leonardo's scholarship understand this complex device," said Paolo Galluzzi, director of the museum.
The primitive-looking contraption runs on springs instead of petrol and was probably intended to produce special effects at courtly events, but it was still the world's first self-propelled "vehicle," the experts said.
The "automobile" - which in fact looks more like a wagon - is by no means the first invention discovered in da Vinci's mysterious manuscripts, which include flying machines, helicopters, submarines, military tanks and bicycles.
Born near Florence in 1452, da Vinci is thought of as the original "Renaissance Man" - a talented painter, sculptor, engineer and musician.
In 1905, Girolamo Calvi, one of the pioneers of da Vinci studies, noted the links between da Vinci's designs a
more: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/638728.cms (502)
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