Description:

The idea of a covered cart which could penetrate enemy lines was already present in the Middle Ages and was revisited by Leonardo in a folio kept in the British Museum. The drawing shows a cart, the wooden turtle-shell shaped exterior of which could be covered with metal plates to enhance its protective function. In the lower part, the whole perimeter of the armoured frame is equipped with a series of cannon which could shoot in all directions, thus offering cover fire or crippling enemy lines. A watch tower with slits, which closes the top of the car, allows the occupant to scan the surrounding area and impart useful directions for manoeuvres and firing operations. Moving the car was entrusted to a system of gears connected to the wheels and engaged, by simple crank handles, presumably by “8 huomini” (eight men), who would have had to supply the energy necessary to turn them.