FARDIER DE CUGNOT
THE WORLD’S FIRST SELF-PROPELLED VEHICLE
FARDIER DE CUGNOT
THE WORLD’S FIRST SELF-PROPELLED VEHICLE
Production Years: 1770
Country: France
Number Produced: 1
Nicholas-Joseph Cugnot ‘s steam powered Fardier (wheeled cart) was the first self-propelled vehicle in the world, making him the world’s first automotive engineer. He had to design and build the first steam engine in which steam, at a higher pressure than atmospheric pressure, drove a piston in a cylinder. He also invented a rotary valve activated by the piston to let the steam in and out of the machine’s two cylinders. The vehicle was demonstrated in France in 1770, pulling a five ton artillery cannon.
The original Fardier de Cugnot has been in the collection of the Le Conservatoire de Arts et Metiers, Paris, France since 1801. Our Fardier is a completely functional, faithful reproduction that was created from the ground-up by The Tampa Bay Auto Museum and completed in 2010.
The engineers from Polypack and TBAUTO 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!
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Tampa Bay Automobile Museum
3301 Gateway Centre Blvd.
Pinellas Park, FL 33782 USA
Museum Hours:
Mon - Sat: 10am - 4pm
Sunday: Noon to 4pm
Closed Tuesdays and Holidays
Admission:
$8 per person ($6 for Seniors)
$5 for Youth and Groups of 12 or more
Free for children under 12