Understanding 2026 Michelin Tire Giveaway, Round 5—Congratulations, Vintageant!
Thanks to everyone who participated! The fifth round of this year’s Michelin and BFGoodrich tire giveaway is officially a wrap. Each contestant received a healthy amount of love from the jump, but the Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce stood out from the rest, securing the win. Congratulations to its newest owner, @Vintageant.
The Spider enjoyed a nearly three-decade production run in the States, with its lifespan broken up into four distinct series. The S3 Veloce, specifically, is widely considered the Goldilocks version among Alfisti, pairing classic Alfa aura with updates like air conditioning and EFI.
This 1987 Spider Veloce spent the last 15 years with the seller @Velocespider, who purchased it from its original owner. Now, a fresh set of Michelins will help keep this little Alfa singing its twin-cam praises on the road for years to come.
Congratulations once again to Vintageant, 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 5 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, and we need your help to choose the vehicle that’s going to get 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 Monday, June 22. 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 Tuesday, June 23.
In no particular order, here are your candidates!
Original-Owner 1996 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am WS6 Coupe
This Firebird TA has been with @Marcofluff through thick and thin, and he’s finally ready to pass it on. He ordered it with the WS6 and Handling packages, and though it has some things that need attention, it’s a New Mexico car with a clean look and just the right number of knobs and buttons. 68k miles isn’t much, but tires are over two decades old and need to be replaced.
2002 Toyota Tacoma Limited Double Cab TRD V6 4×4
This double cab Taco is another vehicle with long-term ownership, as it was with its original owner up to 2026. 92k miles is barely broken in for this truck, and it’s got the TRD package, the ultra-durable 5VZ-FE V6, and a factory pop-up sunroof. It’s currently rolling on BFG Rugged Terrains, which went out of production around 10 years ago—a fresh set of skins would be about the only upgrade we could think to make.
40-Years-Owned 1981 Lancia Beta Coupe 2000 5-Speed Project
We count ourselves among those who are drawn in by the siren’s song of an Italian project car. This Lancia has been with the seller for four decades, but very quickly went into storage after suffering ignition issues. The good news it that t’s intact and has been kept indoors in dry climates, so someone with a knowledge of these vehicles should have a good base to work from. Those cracked Pirellis can’t be fixed, but with some new Michelins underneath, the next owner can focus their dollars and efforts on getting it running.
The Alfa Spider was one of the few cars that made it through the Malaise era with its dignity intact. Sure the chassis was dated by 1987, but that didn’t make them any less satisfying to drive, and Series 3 updates like EFI and air conditioning (standard on the Veloce) were overdue. This one has an LSD and performance suspension bits, but needs some quality Michelin rubber to pay off the upgrades.
These are your nominees! Voting ends at midnight Pacific on June 22. 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!
