by Social media exploded with another sensation: allegedly, the legendary 1998 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR AMG — one of the world’s rarest and most expensive supercars — has been listed for sale in Ukraine. The ad states a price of $9.5 million, a 6.9-liter engine, a manual transmission, and… Ternopil license plates VO 7777 VK.
The photo shows a completely realistic supercar against the backdrop of a typical private sector: leaves, a gravel road, a brick fence, houses that definitely are not associated with a garage where cars usually kept are sold at auctions for more than a Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport.
There’s just one problem: this Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR has never been parked in a yard in Ternopil region, and not just there.
The image is the result of artificial intelligence work, which can create automotive fakes so convincingly that the average viewer easily believes in their authenticity.
Why is this definitely a fake?
First of all — the background. It’s a typical Ukrainian suburb, but with the characteristic “plasticity” given by neural networks: overly clean roof lines, unnaturally even lighting, and small artifacts on tree leaves. Next — the license plates. The Ternopil VO plates look plausible, but their pattern and placement in the photo do not fully correspond to real proportions. And most importantly: the chance that one of the 25 CLK GTRs created would end up randomly in a provincial Ukrainian yard is equal to the chance of seeing a McLaren F1 in line at a tire shop.
AI fakes are increasingly masquerading as real car listings, and this story is a good example of how well the technologies have learned to deceive the eye. If not for a careful look and common sense, many could have believed that the iconic GT1-class supercar was indeed put up for sale in Ukraine.
But as a meme — it came out perfectly. And as an example of what neural networks are capable of — even better.
