Fact Check

Grime Scene

Fauxtography: Photograph purportedly shows the imprint of a sexual encounter on a dirty car hood.

Published Aug. 27, 2004

Claim:

Claim:   Photograph purportedly shows the imprint of a sexual encounter on a dirty car hood.


PROBABLY FALSE


Example:   [Collected on the Internet, 2004]


Is this really a picture of a car somebody had sex on?


Wash me!


 

Origins:   Sometimes we inadvertently leave behind tell-tale signs of having engaged in activities we'd rather other people not know about. In some cases we'd rather other people not know because those activities are illegal (or at least against the rules of wherever we happen to be), and

in some cases it's because those activities are rather private matters we'd feel embarrassed about disclosing publicly.

The photograph shown above is a marvelously humorous example of the latter category that surfaced online back in 2004. We don't know the origins of this image, but it looks to be a staged one rather than a genuinely accidental capturing of the aftermath of a quickie on a convenient car hood — the outlines are too sharp (even the most reserved of lovers generally move around at least a little bit during the act), and the imprint appears to show that the female who 'posed' for the picture was still wearing pants.

For those interested in seeing some real dirty car images, we recommend a visit to Scott Wade's site.

Last updated:   17 March 2015

David Mikkelson founded the site now known as snopes.com back in 1994.