Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot's steam-powered Fardier, a wheeled cart, holds the distinction of being the world's first self-propelled vehicle, making him the world's first automotive engineer. His groundbreaking achievement involved not only designing but also constructing the initial steam engine where steam, at a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure, propelled a piston within a cylinder. Another noteworthy innovation was the invention of a rotary valve, activated by the piston, regulating the steam flow in and out of the machine's two cylinders.
In a historic demonstration in France in 1770, Cugnot's Fardier showcased its capabilities by pulling a five-ton artillery cannon. The original 1770 Fardier de Cugnot has been housed in the Arts et Métiers Museum in Paris, France, since 1800. Our Fardier is a completely functional, faithful reproduction that was created from the ground up by The Tampa Bay Auto Museum Restoration Team and completed in 2010. The engineers from Polypack and the Tampa Bay Automobile Museum have given a new lease on life to the Fardier de Cugnot. This is the first time that Nicolas Cugnot's Fardier has run in over 200 years!
