My wife sent me today an interesting link from the Daily Telegraph (a UK newspaper), which had an interesting story about Da Vinci being credited with envisioning a futuristic vehicle, which was hailed as the first self-propelling car ever designed.
The wooden model was showcased at the Science History Museum of Florence, and some of its features included a steering column and programmable steering. Leonardo was regarded as a true visionary and one of the greatest artists of his day. He was recognized with foreseeing the advent of the bicyle, the steam engine, the submarine, and the airplane. Leonardo's drawings are also part of the exhibit and can be seen at the following site (in Italian):