2025 Michelin Tire Giveaway, Round 3—We Have a Winner!

5/20 Update: we have a winner!

The third round of this year’s Michelin and BFGoodrich tire giveaway was hotly contested, with well over 150 votes. This time, the Java Green Triumph TR6 took an early lead and held it until the finish line. Congratulations to its new owner, HWA!

This Triumph made its way from the Coventry factory to Texas when new, and has lived in the state since. The uncommon Java Green paint is certainly eye-catching, and the seller jackelou76 is including their collection of repair manuals and parts catalogs to help the new owner get up to speed.

The slightly oversize Defenders are a popular choice among TR6 owners, and they fill the wheel wells nicely. Many of you noted how good this would look with Michelin redlines, which are unfortunately no longer made, but we’re noting it for our friends at Michelin as they make decisions about new products to offer in their Classic lineup.

Big thanks are due to Michelin USA and 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 play a part in keeping some fantastic vehicles on the road.

ORIGINAL POST:

It’s Round 3 of the 2025 Tire Giveaway from our partners at Michelin USA. They’ve generously given us the privilege of handing out several sets of new Michelin, Michelin Classic, and BFGoodrich tires to BaT community members, and we need your help picking one of the vehicles below to drive away with four new shoes.

Here’s how it’s going to work:

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 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, May 19. That gives you some time to think. We’ll tally the votes and announce the winner on Tuesday, May 20.

Here are your candidates, in no particular order:

1974 Saab Sonett III

The seller of this Sonett III purchased it in 2014 from Tom Donney, the creator of the Saab Heritage Car Museum USA. That alone speaks volumes about the car. The Sonett is quirky, even by Saab standards, but its low-slung fiberglass body, Buck Rogers starfighter seats, and bright colors have always given it a presence much bigger than its actual dimensions. This car even has the cool 15″ soccerball wheels, though their outdated Vredesteins should be kicked to the curb for safety’s sake.

2001 Audi S4 6-Speed

With 162k miles on the clock this B5 S4 sedan has gotten around, and shows registration history in states as disparate as North Carolina and Alaska. It also features a collection of desirable performance mods and a six-speed manual gearbox. If the new owner stays on top of maintenance, they should have themselves a very fun and practical driver. It currently has flat-spotted Bridgestones all around, so those need to come off before any serious additional mile-eating is attempted.

1995 Chevrolet K2500 Suburban LS 7.4L 4×4

We’ve long thought that the GMT400 Suburban carries its heft well, especially in Emerald Green Metallic. This example is ideally specified, with cloth seats, eight-lug wheels, front and rear A/C, and most importantly a 7.4-liter big-block under the hood. Though it has some light cosmetic needs, this truck shows under 100k miles and could do some serious family hauling once its old generic tires are swapped out for heavy-duty Michelins or chunky BFGs.

1976 Triumph TR6

The comments on this auction are full of praise for the uncommon Java Green shade found on this car, and we have to say we agree. It certainly makes this TR6 even easier to appreciate. It’s a driver with a little mechanical sorting needed, but these are relatively simple vehicles and rewarding to wrench on. We’d ditch the bumper blocks and outdated Michelins on day one.

These are your nominees! Voting ends at midnight Pacific on Monday, 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!