In the year 1769 the first Horseless Carriage prototype was hammered out by a French engineer named Nicolas Joseph Cugnot. His rudimentary design borrowed primary design aspects of the great Iron Horse bearing a steam based engine to power the vehicle. This revolution of self propelled machine forged the path for the Brass Era which would see the schematic lowered dramatically in scale with an experimental and unstable combustion engine replacing the tried and true steam powered model.

Some years later a gentleman by name of Stephen Rothwell would paint the portrait seen above titled “Journeyman” which can only be, as I surmise, a missing link of sorts gaping the time span between Cugnot’s original design and the Brass Era. One can clearly see depicted an apparatus in which the name “Horseless Carriage” would be aptly succinct, replacing a beast of flesh and bone with a more reliable and ever tireless mechanical model.

While there is a lot to like about this particular machine, I am partial to the tank treads. It adds a certain “Why yes Sir, I can traverse over all terrains” feeling that I am quite fond of.