Academy 18136 Da Vinci Machines - Armoured Car

Leonardo Da Vinci (born in 1452, died in 1519) was undoubtedly one of the most brilliant people of the Renaissance and is widely regarded as one of the most talented people in history. He was not only an exceptionally talented painter, author of such masterpieces as "Lady with an Ermine" or "The Last Supper", but also an extremely prolific inventor and innovator. Among the sketches of many of his inventions, one can find, for example, a design of a combat machine, which is often called a tank nowadays. The project was made by a brilliant Italian in 1487, when it was under the patronage of Ludovico Sforza. The project assumed the creation of an oval vehicle with a turtle-like "armor" at the top, made of wood and reinforced with iron elements. The slope of this "armor" was to encourage the ricocheting of enemy missiles. The vehicle was to be powered by four or six men setting a special mechanism in motion. The "tank" was to be armed with a series of light guns placed around the mahcina hull. The project was never realized during the lifetime of its genius inventor.