12/23 Update: We have a winner!
The 10th round of this year’s Michelin and BFGoodrich tire giveaway is officially on the books. Over 100 of you took to the ballot box, and every contestant received a healthy measure of love from the beginning. But the Toyota pickup was quick to take the lead and kept it up until the end, even with the Miata nipping at its heels. Congratulations to its new owner, @Fredand5kids!
A few of the comments that stood out to us yesterday:
“I went through the police academy in one of these back in 1997. No Crown Vic could out run or out maneuver this car when we played cops and robbers on the obstacle course. It was hands down a superior car in terms of handling and horsepower. Every time I see one I’m taken back to the driving portion of the academy. Fond memories.”
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Cooldaddy8 commented on 11-Mile 1995 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 Police Package
“Love that area of Wisconsin. Two of my three nephews live in Madison now – gorgeous city. We visited often when I was a kid and Pop was into camping with the Starcraft. Made many a stop at Wisconsin Dells and remember it just as you describe! Sincere condolences on the passing of your mother (and untimely/early passage of your father). It reminded me this morning to cherish whatever time I have left with the Beehive. Have a blast with the Honda – another wonderful memory machine for me – and…”
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sludgo commented on BaT Auction Success Story: Mini Trail, Major Memories
“Awesome! So pumped! She is going to a good home.”
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Splitwindowvw commented on Rose Red 1972 Porsche 911T Targa 5-Speed
“A manual Volvo Wagon, always desirable.”
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JWHBOOMER commented on No Reserve: 30-Years-Owned 1983 Volvo 240 GLT Turbo Wagon 4-Speed
Amid rolling green pastureland west of Stuttgart rises a series of gleaming white blocks known to Porschephiles around the globe as the Weissach Development Centre. Since 1962, this has been the place where Porsche has refined their most legendary street and race cars, and pushed them to their limits. This holiday season, BaT power seller and Local Partner Wob is bringing us the Weissach Winter Wonderland Collection, a twelve-car group of Porsche’s finest bedecked in a wintry mix of colors.
Today, gathered members of the BaT community, we’re wishing you all plenty of holiday cheer. May your tanks be full, your engines firing on all cylinders, and your days spent rocking around the Christmas tree (or a 1962 Lotus Elite, if you prefer). A few housekeeping items below:
Australian BaT user Basil017 last wrote to us in 2022 about his ’66 Impala wagon. He’s back with a new story, this time about the 1991 Harley-Davidson Sturgis that he won from Harley502 in an August 2025 BaT auction.
I was stoked to have won this 2.8-mile H-D Sturgis recently. Even better, we now had an excuse to plan a quick road trip to the West Coast of the United States, and pick it up with another bike we had recently acquired. Unfortunately, our flight from Melbourne, Australia, was delayed by four hours! This meant we had already missed our connection to Seattle, where we’d travel to meet Harley502 at our pre-arranged pick-up spot for the bike! Once we were finally on the plane, an Airbus A380, we were informed that fuel had been loaded into the incorrect tanks, and we’d be delayed another two hours! These setbacks seemed to set a precedent that followed us for the first part of the trip!
A few of the comments that stood out to us yesterday:
“A Christmas wish, a dream of speed and grace,
No simple toy beneath the tinsel’s shine,
But a Chiron Bugatti to leave its trace,
A masterpiece of power, wholly divine.
The price tag high, a fortune vast to pay,
For roaring engines and the scent of leather new,
Upon this joyful, gift-receiving day,
A gleaming marvel, in a stunning hue.
Beneath the tree, no socks nor simple game,
But keys in hand to unlock might untold,
To feel the rush, the engine’s rising flame,
A Christmas…”
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MTH commented on 2022 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport
“I’ll add a brief perspective here as someone who has worked on and flown a wide range of aircraft.
For background, I’m an A&P with Inspection Authorization (IA), with nearly two decades of experience in airline maintenance, and I currently fly the Boeing 767. I’m also a general aviation aircraft owner and have owned and operated a GA maintenance shop.
I’m familiar with Lil’ Red and her maintenance history, and I’ve reviewed and observed the work that’s been performed on…”
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Mr_Intl commented on 1972 Grumman AA-1A Trainer
“Our family thanks all of you for checking out our car and for the fun and informative dialogue this week. It will be a bittersweet moment to say goodbye to this piece of history. Our hope is for this ol’ girl to have her story told and her former glory restored. We congratulate the future auction winner of the 56’ Imperial Convertible project. We can’t wait to see her roll down the street, top down, and HEMI purring once again! Best of luck to all the bidders.”
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Kay777 commented on 1956 Imperial Convertible & 1956 Imperial Sedan Projects
We’re coming to you with last week’s edition of the Weird and Wonderful one (business) day late, esteemed BaT readers. Even in an abbreviated work week, there were plenty of interesting vehicles to choose from. As always, the list below merely scratches the surface. So if you didn’t get those particular socks that you were quietly hoping for, then head over to our live auctions page to cheer up with some more vicarious living.
A few of the comments that stood out to us yesterday:
“Years ago, I had coffee in San Francisco with a venture capitalist from Sequoia. Over conversation, it came out that we were both really into Porsches. I was telling him about my Blue Turquoise 993 that I was (and still am) really proud of. He said that he also had a 993. He asked if I wanted to take a look at it out in the parking lot. Of course, I took him up on the opportunity, but what I saw was really unexpected. It was a 993 Turbo S in this color, covered in mud. He had over 100,000 miles…”
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curiousoffice commented on 4,200-Mile 1997 Porsche 911 Turbo S
“I commented earlier about operating these at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center in Bridgeport CA. They are very easy to drive and we accumulated thousands of hours on ours. They are extremely well engineered and very reliable. They were maintained by our own mechanics and did not require them to attend additional technical training. The rubber tracks last a surprisingly long time as long as they are not run on concrete or asphalt too often. We did not baby these things, they…”
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Searle804 commented on No Reserve: 1989 Hägglunds M973A1 SUSV
“My 90 Year old Dad..a purist ..
Said He wouldn’t watch..
He’s here watching it with Me!”
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67bullitt commented on LS1-Powered 1968 Jaguar XKE Series 1.5 Coupe 6-Speed
A few of the comments that stood out to us yesterday:
“So, I’m 16 years old and it’s 1972 and my dad had an investment advisor come to our house. I hear a loud car approaching and it’s a Mangusta! I’d never seen one before in the flesh. Only in car magazines, and it was like a UFO landed from another planet! As a car obsessed kid since I can remember, I went outside and walked all around that car, taking in every sinuous line. When the meeting with my dad was over, the guy let me sit in the Mangusta. I remember that day like it was yesterday…”
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BBK commented on 1969 DeTomaso Mangusta
“There are so many things in life that we want, but really don’t need !!!
I love classic time pieces and its amazing to see the value in something like a “Paul Newman Rolex Daytona” and the price someone is willing to pay to own one. Half the fun of owning something like this is coming up with an excursion to utilize it !!! We only go around this crazy world once, and spending a weekend with friends and family playing with this “toy” is worth the price of admission !!!
Very cool. I have a…”
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Dean_Laumbach commented on No Reserve: 1989 Hägglunds M973A1 SUSV
“These aged so well. When new,I preferred the 300ZXTT. 30 years on, it is Supra by a mile. Although there’s much to be said about the FD RX-7, I’ll always give the nod to the car with the legendarily stout engine over the “finicky” one!”
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Type44 commented on Modified 1994 Toyota Supra Turbo 6-Speed
Last year, BaT member mlc66 and his wife completed the High & Dry Rally in the 1998 BMW Z3 1.9 that he won from burtsmith1600 in an October 2024 BaT auction. He recently wrote to us all about his experience:
At the start of 2024, I promised a friend that my wife and I would join his vintage car tour across California and Nevada that fall. October came around and it was two weeks from the start of his “High & Dry Tour” and, unfortunately, my 1998 Subaru Impreza “STI” conversion was woefully short of being ready to run. What should I do? After a short budget negotiation with my wife, we hatched a plan to buy “an interesting old car” specifically for the event. We set the budget at no more than $10,000 and compiled a short list of “interesting” cars with three pedals, which included Miatas, MGs, Triumphs, and an assortment of BMW E10s, E21s and E30s. Ultimately, I placed the winning bid on a 1998 BMW Z3 1.9.