Etienne Lenoir. Engraving of Etienne Lenoir (1822-1900), French inventor of the internal combustion engine. A self-taught engineer, Lenoir also produced high precision technical instruments. Designed in 1859, his engine was powered by coal gas. Fuel and air were drawn into a cylinder where they were lit by a spark; the resulting explosion moving a piston up the cylinder. The engine was a two-stroke design, where the piston moved up the cylinder and returned ready for the next explosion. The engine was used to power a 'horseless carriage' and a boat but the engine was only 4% efficient and of little use. Lenoir died in poverty.