17 beautiful pictures of automobile graveyards, where vintage cars are being reclaimed by nature

Photographer Dieter Klein doesn't seem to be an automobile aficionado or a gearhead of any kind. So what draws Klein to travel Europe and the United States, exploring the forests and deserts with a camera in hand, searching for vintage cars that have been parked for good and left to rot?

"More than an interest in the cars themselves, I was struck by the impact of this extraordinary process of transformation," Klein told Business Insider.

Dieter's images of automobile graveyards, places where abandoned cars slowly decay, show both the staying power of these classic cruisers and the strength of the nature around it, engulfing the machines and returning them back to the earth.

His photos have recently been compiled into a book, titled "Forest Punk," for sale now. Klein shared a selection of images and the stories behind them with us.