2026 Michelin Tire Giveaway, Round 4—Congratulations, FreddyFreshAG!: A Practical Look
Over 110 of you made your voices heard in the fourth round of this year’s Michelin and BFGoodrich tire giveaway! From the outset, this contest turned into a battle between the Olds Toronado and the Roadtrek Ram van, with the Toronado securing the win in the end. Congratulations to its newest owner, @FreddyFreshAG.
The first-generation Toronado was a marvel—a luxury American muscle cruiser with a big V8 and front-wheel-drive, a layout not seen on US roads since the Cords of the 1930s, to which they paid tribute in their design. If this was your father’s Oldsmobile, you had a pretty cool pops.
This final-year example spent decades with a longtime owner, who meticulously squirreled away spare parts over the years. As Car and Driver alluded to in 1968, the front tires have quite a bit of work ahead of them, and a fresh set of Michelin or BFG tires would certainly go a long way toward setting its newest owner, @FreddyFreshAG, up for success.
Congratulations once again to FreddyFreshAG, 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’s time for Round 4 of our monthly Michelin/BFGoodrich Tire Giveaway! Our partners at Michelin USA have granted us the ability to hand out brand new sets of Michelin, Michelin Classic, and BFGoodrich tires to select BaT auction winners. We hate to play favorites within the BaT community, so we’re asking for your help in choosing which vehicle is most worthy of new rubber.
Here’s how it works:
We’ve identified four candidates below, all no-reserve vehicles wearing older or mixed generic rubber (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, May 19. 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, May 20.
In no particular order, here are your candidates!
1970 Oldsmobile Toronado w/Parts Collection
First up is the oldest car in our group—a 1970 Toronado in Ming Jade over white vinyl Strato buckets. 1970 was the final year for the first-gen E-body, and it received an annual styling update for the occasion, as was the custom at the time. This car seems like an intact survivor, and if that somehow turns out not to be the case, it comes with a whole swap meet worth of parts. We don’t know if the double-stripe J78-15 BFGs are original to the car, but they are manufacturer’s spec. For driving around in modern traffic, this car needs modern tires, and the OEM rubber can go into the giant stash of spares.
R129 fans all have their favorite years, and we love the purity of the earlier cars (they got the 32-valve M119 too). This car looks to be the same spec as one featured in period factory literature—an Arctic White SL500 with light grey Sacco boards and a lovely burgundy leather interior. It even has the old-school Gullideckel wheels, though they are currently shod with outdated all-season tires. With a fresh set of Michelins, this Autobahn missile could be ready to ride confidently at cruising speeds once more.
Original-Owner 1989 Mazda RX-7 Convertible 5-Speed
Shameless plug—the original owner of this FC ‘vert turned to BaT Local Partner KARPARK when it was finally time to move on, and they are doing a bang-up job representing it. If you love the RX-7 as much as you love the wind in your hair, the FC generation is your only option, and the car wears the droptop look well. This one has 63k miles on the clock and just got a tuneup. BBS basketweave wheels are a great choice, but the 13-year-old tires could stand an update.
21k-Mile 2002 Dodge Ram Van B3500 Roadtrek 190 Versatile
This Dodge van, converted by Roadtrek of Ontario, Canada, jams all of the creature comforts of a motorhome into a vehicle that can fit into a regular parking spot. There’s a full-height kitchenette, a wet bath, a convertible dining area/bedroom, and a generator—what more could you want! Somehow, this luxo-liner has traveled just 21k miles over the course of its life, so there’s a lot of fun left to be had. Our advice for the next owner; get those mixed tires switched out for some Michelins or BFGs, and set out for parts unknown!
These are your nominees! Voting ends at midnight Pacific on Tuesday, May 19. 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!
