2026 Michelin Tire Giveaway, Round 7—Congratulations, Schertzer!: A Practical Look
It was a battle of the longroofs for the seventh installment of our 2026 Michelin and BFGoodrich tire giveaway, with well over 120 of you casting your vote! The competition turned into a nail-biter between the 1982 AMC Eagle wagon and the 1971 Volkswagen Type 3 Squareback, and in the end, the Squareback came out on top by two! Congratulations to its new owner, @Schertzer.
The Squareback has arguably been the most popular body style among Type 3 enthusiasts for reasons we laid out in our original post. And perhaps just as interesting was the Type 3’s backstory on this side of the pond: VW brass initially held off on introducing the Type 3 to the US market, though gray-market pioneers helped pave the way for its eventual 1966 Stateside debut. (Car and Driver even devoted plenty of ink to the VW 1500 and the so-called boot-leggers in its April 1964 issue.)
Of course, don’t let the sleepy look of those headlight visors fool you—this 1971 Type 3 Squareback will be squaring up to hit the road with the help of some much-needed Michelin or BFG rubber at all four corners.
Congratulations once again to Schertzer, and big thanks are due as always to Michelin USA, BFGoodrich, and everyone in the BaT community who voted. Your generous spirit gives us the opportunity to do big things like for BaT community members, and plays a part in keeping some fantastic vehicles on the road.
ORIGINAL POST:
It is the third Wednesday of the month, which sounds like an arbitrary milestone, but signals to us that it’s time for Round 7 of our monthly Michelin/BFGoodrich Tire Giveaway! Michelin USA has given us the ability to hand out brand new sets of Michelin, Michelin Classic, and BFGoodrich tires to select BaT auction winners, and because we take this task seriously, we’re soliciting the input of the entire BaT community in determining the vehicle most worthy of new rubber.
We’ve identified four candidates below, all no-reserve vehicles wearing older or mixed generic tires (or both). We want you to tell us which you’d like to see get a free set of new Michelin, Michelin Classic or BFGoodrich tires! Let us know your vote in the comments, and please vote for one car only. As with our Question of the Week contests, we heavily favor the People’s Choice—but on occasion, we reserve the right to hand the prize to the most appropriate candidate in our view. Since the auctions close over the course of a few days, voting will remain open until midnight Pacific time on Tuesday, August 18. That gives you time to think, and gives the auctions time to run their courses. We’ll tally the votes and announce the winner on Wednesday, August 19.
In no particular order, here are your candidates!
1982 AMC Eagle Wagon 4.2L 5-Speed
Even in a world of all-wheel-drive everything, the AMC Eagle has a singular appeal. Never before, and never since, has an off-road-ready, jacked-up American station wagon been offered to the masses. The fact that this outlandish anomaly came out of the Great Malaise makes it all the more impressive. While this one is a little rough around the edges, it does have factory air (currently inop) and more importantly, a five-speed manual. The first order of business for the next owner should definitely be a set of nubbly BFGs.
34-Years-Owned 1988 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe 4-Speed
We hope we aren’t alone in our love for the C4 Corvette. It’s starfighter cockpit and rakish lines get us every time, especially with clean examples like this one. The Doug Nash 4+3 is a funky piece of history, but drive it like a Borg-Warner T-10 with a push-button overdrive, and it shouldn’t disappoint. The Anniversary wheels are nice, but are still wearing the old Gatorbacks. Those should be aside for show, and swapped out with a sticky set of modern Michelin performance tires.
The W210 E50 AMG is a unique transitional model from a unique transitional time for the world’s oldest carmaker. Sacco’s W124 was replaced by the new W210 for 1997, and the mighty M119 V8 was in its last year. Daimler-Benz would merge with Chrysler shortly after this car was made, but AMG hadn’t yet been absorbed, and their Japanese operation was thriving. Thus, this E50 AMG—a Japanese-market car—received its hot rod conversion in Tokyo, including a 342-horse version of the 32-valve W119, a bodykit, and big 18″ Monobloc wheels, which fill out the arches even more on lowered springs. Here, they are shod with outdated tires, making this an excellent candidate for some fat new Michelins.
1971 Volkswagen Type 3 Squareback 4-Speed
We’ve included Squarebacks in this contest before—that’s because they are great. Easily serviceable, dependable under the right circumstances, and much more utilitarian than the standard Beetle (some would argue they’re more atttractive, to boot). This one comes out of the PNW with light visors and a luggage rack affixed. It currently has some needs, and a set of new Michelin or BFG tires can help the new owner offset some deferred maintenance costs.
These are your nominees! Voting ends at midnight Pacific on August 18. Which vehicle should drive away on a new set of Michelin or BFGoodrich tires? Get into the comments and let us know what you think!
