--- title: "We Didn’t Know We Wanted a Pontiac Aztek Drawn by Da Vinci Until We Made One" description: "Using a new AI image generator tool, you can bring your strangest automotive dreams to life, for better or worse." date: "2022-09-12" modified: "2022-09-12" authors: - name: "Nico DeMattia" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/nico-demattia" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/we-didnt-know-we-wanted-a-pontiac-aztek-drawn-by-da-vinci-until-we-made-one" categories: - "Culture" - "News" --- # We Didn’t Know We Wanted a Pontiac Aztek Drawn by Da Vinci Until We Made One ![]() A few months ago, the Dall-E AI image generator took the internet by storm. Its ability to visually mash up the most random ideas together into hilarious images became instantly addictive, prompting users to create truly some of the wackiest things social media has ever seen. We even came up with[ our own car-based creations](), featuring such gems as a courtroom sketch of a Subaru Outback, a [Porsche 911]() made from cheese, and the hilarious but horrifying "cars made from teeth." More recently, Twitter user *[Carputers: AI Generated Cars]()* had a great idea, using a different AI software, to recreate cars but from different time periods. Which got us thinking about what sort of weird car creations we could come up with. ![]() The software is called Stable Diffusion and you can use its beta Dream Studio to make some surprisingly accurate recreations using its word prompt. It's pretty simple: type in the sort of image you want it to create, add a few additional parameters—such as making the image look like it was painted by a famous artist—and choose how many images you want. For instance, I wanted to see what the world's ugliest car would look like if it were pencil sketched by one of history's most brilliant artists, so I punched in "Pontiac Aztek, by Leonardo da Vinci, pencil sketch, realistic." ![]() I also wanted to see what a futuristic Reliant Robin would look like if it made a comeback as an electric car. Although, for some reason, it couldn't figure out that the Robin only has three wheels, despite me specifying that in the prompt. I'm also shocked it wasn't rendered upside down, in a ditch. Its powers also weren't strong enough to imagine "the BMW XM, but good looking." Not everything has to be strange. I wanted to see what a cyberpunk Lamborghini Miura would look like and I have to say I kinda like the results. But weird stuff is more fun and the amount of wacky, absurd creations you can make with it, or any AI image generator tool, is endless, bound only by your imagination. Or sanity. *Got a tip? Send it over to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Nico is a writer and reviewer from New Jersey who probably thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. His love of cars began when he was just a kid playing Gran Turismo 3, grinding out enough race wins with a Mazda Miata to save up for an in-game RUF 911. That passion for small, lightweight sports cars drove his desire to learn more about the industry, get his hands on as many cars as he could, and bring those experiences to life on the page. He cut his teeth writing about BMWs, Volkswagens, and Audis, mostly, and has owned far too many of each. He’s on his fourth 3 Series sedan, but all of his old, cheap German cars have forced him to learn more about car maintenance than his mechanical capability can handle. Too many late nights have been spent scrambling to get a car running by morning so he could get to work. For some reason, he never seems to learn that old Bimmers probably aren’t the best daily drivers. But he loves more than just old German cars. He’ll gladly drive and discuss anything with four (or even three) wheels. Cars aren’t his only passions, though. Nico is also a big nerd and loves movies, video games, comic books, and cares far too much about the New York Giants. So don’t be surprised if you see football references or dumb, obscure movie quotes in any of his car reviews. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()