The Valet Stand: Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG

Welcome to The Valet Stand, where we look at some of the best cars I've found parked in front of the lobby at the St. Regis Hotel in San Francisco. This week's feature is a Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG (C216), a large luxury coupe with a 6.0 liter AMG twin-turbo V12 engine. This car stickered for roughly $200,000 new.

Parking Lot Spot: Early 1970s Mercedes-Benz 280S

This metallic beige classic Benz was spotted near my apartment. Looks to be either a home-market car or one with its sidemarkers shaved during a repaint.

Lost Junkyard: The Monroe Street Hoard, Eugene, Oregon

Buried boattail Riviera. This picture is known to readers of video-game webzine Ctrl+Alt+Defeat, it was published in issue seven.

R107 Mercedes-Benz SL and crunched early Datsun 240Z

R107 SL in a dire state of neglect, amid lots of parts.

I first spotted this property as a kid riding the school bus through the bowels of Eugene, Oregon in the early 1990s, while not as exciting as the decaying marvel full of 50s, 60s and Malaise Era American & Japanese metal that was J&W Towing's lot on West 2nd Avenue (cleaned up in approximately 2007, no pictures are currently known to exist on the internets, and my film pics & their negatives are long-gone), this was a greatly exciting thing to see for a young car person and brightened up my noisy, boring bus ride and made my school day brighter. The lot continued to fill up with rotting car parts and eventually had a final car (tarped black BMW E30 four-door) added, but was cleaned up in early 2012, most likely between being adjacent to school-district property and being an eyesore.

Sad E21

Buick Riviera rally wheel hiding amongst an E21 Bimmer and random parts

E21 3-series, random parts and a Boattail Riviera

After almost everything was removed.

A random assortment of BMW parts

BMW parts, early Mustang parts and more...

As the property sits today.

Pawn Cars: A Trip to Gold & Silver Pawn Shop

In October I visited Las Vegas for the first time since I went there with Colin in 2007. This time, though, one of my must-see destinations was Rick Harrison's Gold & Silver Pawn Shop. I've been a fan of History's Pawn Stars since the series began, and the show often deals with people selling their cars to the shop.

The 1960s Mercedes-Benz Unimog in the parking lot was a good start. This truck featured in season 5, episode 38 ("What the Truck").

Inside, the shop yielded a beige 1949 Hudson Commodore sedan, which appeared in season 6, episode 6 ("Man, Make Fire").

I vowed to buy something at the shop as a souvenir, so I picked up this Matchbox Collectibles 1:18 Jeep Liberty diecast.

Photo courtesy of Andrew Youngchief

Vegas may be a dump with a glitzy veneer but it's certainly interesting to visit once every several years or so. The shop is worth taking a look even though you'll have to wait out a line just to get in the door. If you're ever in Sin City, check it out.

Not For The Faint Of Heart: 1962 Mercedes-Benz Unimog project truck

This 1962 Mercedes-Benz Unimog, while somewhat tatty-looking and in need of some work, runs and drives, comes with a rebuilt spare engine, extra wheels and extra parts, and in general looks like a great project truck. The military-style canopy is a great addition, and the seller is leaving the 4x4 community so needs to sell the truck.

Find it here, in Ramona, California, for $8500, (or go here if ad disappears)