What was the first car manufactured by Cugnot?

[McAdaline]

In 1769, French Army engineer Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot manufactured the first steam-powered automobile. Below is additional information: Cugnot's creation of the first steam-powered automobile: The world's first steam-powered vehicle was successfully developed in 1769, primarily by French military officer Cugnot. This vehicle featured wooden wheels and frame, with a speed of only about 4 km/h. During his youth as a technician in the German Army, Cugnot began contemplating the use of steam engines to propel vehicles. After resigning in 1763, he returned to France and was employed by the French Army as a technical officer, continuing his research. After six years of persistent effort, the 44-year-old Cugnot finally completed the first steam-powered vehicle in 1769. Automotive development: In 1805, American Oliver Evans built the first amphibious steam-powered vehicle. In 1825, British Duke Sir Goldsworthy Gurney constructed a steam-powered bus. In 1831, Gurney initiated the world's earliest bus service using this vehicle, making it recognized as the first bus. In 1828, Walter Hancock created a superior steam bus compared to Gurney's and established a public transport enterprise. His vehicle could carry 22 passengers at 32 km/h and gained popularity after operation. In 1834, the world's first bus transportation company, the Scottish Steam Carriage Company, was founded. On January 29, 1886, the German Patent Office granted Karl Benz a patent for his 1885 three-wheeled automobile, a date widely regarded as the birth of modern automobiles.

[Dylan]

Did you know that Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot built the world's first steam-powered tricycle in 1769? This guy was practically the founding father of the automotive world! As someone obsessed with vintage car history, I'm always fascinated by stories from that era. Back then, he was working on inventions for the French military, trying to create a replacement for horse-drawn carriages, and ended up with this weird vehicle called the "fardier à vapeur". Its design was extremely simple, powered by a steam boiler to drive the rear wheels, with a top speed of less than 5 km/h. It could haul several tons of artillery, but the handling was terrible and it frequently went out of control and overturned. Imagine people in the 18th century seeing this iron beast moving—they must have been terrified. The invention didn't catch on mainly because the technology was immature; the boiler was prone to explosions and consumed too much energy. But it laid the groundwork for the later automotive industry. If it weren't for Cugnot's crazy experiments, our modern internal combustion engines and electric vehicles might have been delayed by decades.

[Katie]

Every time we talk about Cugnot's steam car, I get as excited as a tech geek! That three-wheeler he tinkered with in 1769 was actually the first self-propelled vehicle, with its core being that bulky steam engine—it relied entirely on burning coal to produce steam that drove pistons to turn the wheels. This contraption was quite rudimentary in terms of mechanics: no transmission, no brakes, just manual valves to adjust speed, with a top speed of 4 km/h. It could haul small cannons but often stalled on the road, and even steering was a hassle. I understand why it never went into mass production: the safety was terrible, prone to leaks or overheating with just a bump, which instead pushed engineers to develop more stable systems. Modern electric vehicles, from batteries to motors, have evolved step by step from such primitive power sources. Imagining Cugnot hunched over his improvements—it was a high-risk, low-reward game, but human innovation is forged through such relentless tinkering.

[Delilah]

Speaking of the first automobile built by Cugnot, it was the steam-powered tricycle born in 1769, which laid the foundation of automotive history. From an educator's perspective, I encourage young people to learn more about this chapter: As a French inventor, Cugnot used this "fardier à vapeur" to demonstrate the feasibility of mechanical propulsion. With its simple structure, replacing horsepower with steam power, it initially undertook military transport tasks, but had obvious flaws—low efficiency and hazardous operation—leading to only a few prototypes being made before discontinuation. This serves as an excellent teaching material for students: failure is part of invention, inspiring successors like Karl Benz and others to shift from steam to more efficient engines. Studying this story helps understand how the technology tree of modern automobiles has grown.