In 1769, the very first self-propelled road car was a navy tractor invented by French mechanic and engineer, Nicolas Joseph Cugnot (1725 – 1804). Cugnot used a steam engine to energy his car, built under browse around here his instructions on the Paris Arsenal by mechanic Brezin. It was utilized by the French Army to haul artillery at a whopping velocity of two-and-a-half mph on only three wheels.