About Mike Stephens

There's never been a time I wasn't fascinated with cars, including my childhood days. While my kindergarten peers were doodling kittens and bunny rabbits in the early seventies, I recall my tablet filling up with penciled drawings of sheet metal with wheels! Although writing posts for Barn Finds is by far my favorite past time, I also enjoy collecting old vinyl record albums, home improvement projects, hiking, and tinkering around with just about anything electrical or mechanical. I like to spend lots of time with my beautiful wife and our Yorkie as well- my wife's name is Joy and my dog is named Happy, so I'm truly blessed with a wonderful life here in Tennessee!

Original 4-Speed, 4.10 Posi: 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS LS6

The Chevrolet Chevelle is one of those versatile cars that served admirably in just about all capacities, ranging from basic family sedans up to offerings that are infinitely more exciting.  When it comes to performance, there’s not much that… more»

Original Orange Paint: 1977 Chevrolet Corvette

Chevrolet produced over 4,000 examples of America’s sports car in the attention-getting Corvette Orange (code 66) color in 1977, but it’s been quite a while since I’ve spotted one running around, and its one of those hues that really… more»

Parked In The ’80s: 1974 Plymouth Barracuda Project

Having been tucked away safely in a garage since the mid-eighties, this 1974 Plymouth Barracuda seems more solid than many E-Bodies that turn up in the marketplace, and the seller states that it hasn’t seen a drop of rain… more»

Drive Or Swim: 1964 Amphicar Model 770

Recently, there seems to be a lot of increased focus on the concept of driverless automobiles.  If that idea ever gets perfected, it’s probably not a bad thing, seeing how poorly so many human-operated vehicles in my town are… more»

36k Miles and Stunning: 1966 Dodge Coronet 500

The Coronet wore several hats in the Dodge inventory through the decades, starting as a full-size high-trim level car in the late forties, then moving to the lowest position by the mid-fifties.  The name took a five-year break after… more»

Field Find: 1963 Pontiac Grand Prix

During the early sixties, personal luxury coupes were gaining popularity in the marketplace, and it didn’t hurt their desirability either if they also offered strong performance.  The early Pontiac Grand Prix is one of those cars fondly remembered as… more»

Best Of The Best? 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 Convertible

When a seller boasts of his car as being the best of the best, it’s easy for such a strong proclamation to set up his offering for an excessively harsh level of scrutiny.  However, even after going over all… more»

Older Restoration: 1967 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible

Ford had already gotten a good head start over Chevy when the pony car market exploded, but numbers don’t lie, and when a newbie can sell nearly 221,000 units in just the first year alone, it’s a tell-tale sign… more»

High Impact Muscle: 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T

When Dodge unleashed the Challenger to the public in 1970, even the base models in more mundane colors stood out in a crowd, and it didn’t really take much extra for these cars to make a bold statement.  However,… more»

Parked For Years: 1975 Oldsmobile Cutlass S

The Colonnade offerings from General Motors were all a huge success for the company during the seventies, and their timing couldn’t have been much better, since many buyers were focusing more on intermediate-sized cars rather than the larger autos… more»

Unrestored and Mostly Original 1970 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28

We featured an unrestored 1967 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 on Barn Finds yesterday, with many of our readers stating that they feel it should remain in as-is condition and just be preserved.  Another mostly original Z/28 has also recently turned… more»

Real Deal Z: Unrestored 1967 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28

The Z/28 would go on to become a mainstay in the Chevrolet Camaro lineup in the years following 1967, but the inaugural model is one rare F-Body, with a total of only 602 produced.  In fact, many potential Camaro… more»

5.0 V8 Powered 1973 Ford Pinto Station Wagon

When the Pinto made its debut at Ford dealerships in late 1970, the subcompact was available in just one body style, which was a small sedan with a trunk.  It didn’t take long before a hatchback model joined the… more»

One Owner Formula S: 1965 Plymouth Barracuda

By now, just about every auto enthusiast knows that the Plymouth Barracuda beat the Ford Mustang to the pony car market by a matter of just a few days near the mid-sixties, but it’s still fun to think about… more»

33k Mile‭ ‬1993‭ ‬Ford Mustang LX Coupe

‭Ford finally wrapped up production of its third-generation Mustang at the end of the 1993 run, but not before selling more than 2.5 million examples over the 14 years the Fox body was in production.  My first brand-new automobile… more»

Looks Fast! 1972 Dodge Dart Swinger

With the hood scoops and cool paint job this 1972 Dodge Dart Swinger is wearing, it’s easy to get a first impression that there might be something menacing hiding in the engine compartment.  However, this one’s sort of the… more»

Barn Finds