1770 FARDIER DE CUGNOT
WORLD’S FIRST SELF-PROPELLED VEHICLE
1770 FARDIER DE CUGNOT
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 1770 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 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!
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Please note that the vehicles shown online are part of our collection but may not be on display when you visit. Our team is always in some stage of repair or restoration on a number of vehicles.
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Tampa Bay Automobile Museum
3301 Gateway Centre Blvd.
Pinellas Park, FL 33782 USA
Museum Hours:
Monday: 10am - 4:30 pm
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: 10am - 4:30 pm
Thursday: 10am - 4:30 pm
Friday: 10am - 4:30 pm
Saturday: 10am - 4:30 pm
Sunday: Noon - 4:30 pm
Admission:
$14 General Admission
$12 Seniors (65+)
$10 Active Military and Youth (9-17 y.o.)
8 years old and under free with paid adult
Groups of 12 or More $10 per person