Are you ready for the biggest, dopest, freest RADwood ever? You are not ready. I am not ready. No one is truly ready, but we’re going to do it anyway, because that’s what heroes do. RADwood – the OG ’80s and ’90s car show – is coming back to the Bay Area on Saturday, October 24th (get your tickets here), and The Autopian will be there in force with an Autozam, a Vector, and an Apple II.
When RADwood co-founder Art Cervantes and our friends at Hagerty started describing the event, my eyes got wider than a Gemballa E24. This new format is a little different from past RADwood events in that it’s free to attend, has a moving exhibit called Wheels in Motion, features a builder showdown with some of our favorite people, and now has a Millenia class for Y2K cars. All of your favorite parts of RADwood will be there, just with more.
I guess I should also mention that we’ll be there, too. We’re partnering with RADwood to bring some Autopian goodness to the event. We’ll be announcing more as we get closer to the day, but expect the 787bb, Beau’s incredible Vector M12, and enough floppy disks to hold, like, one episode of Parker Lewis Can’t Lose at 480p. [Editor’s Note: No, it wouldn’t even be close. Maybe like 10 seconds of the show, in 16 colors. – JT]
RADwood Is Going Dark.. Err Dusk
For the first time ever, RADwood is going to be an evening event, held at the Gold Bar Hangar in Alameda, California. Also, for the first time ever, the event is free with registration, so go register! Here are some of the key details:
- What: New free-to-attend RADwood format featuring Wheels in Motion, a full-throttle demonstration set against the backdrop of the San Francisco skyline
- When: Saturday, October 24, 2026; 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Where: Gold Bar Hangar, Alameda, CA
- Tickets: Free attendance with registration – a $25 value!
That’s already a lot, but wait, there’s more: A sim race experience presented by Goodyear, a raddest-dressed contest, live DJs, food trucks, and a truly wild build-off between Larry Chen, Mike Burroughs, and Vin Anatra.
Do I have a favorite? I don’t know if I have a favorite. I love a GMT400, I love an ’80s Esprit, and I love an Accord Si-R. Just kidding, I’m low-key obsessed with JTCC/NATCC cars, so I’m definitely leaning towards Larry’s ride. The winner gets $50,000 for a charity of their choice, so it doesn’t really matter who ends up with the best build (it does matter, and the winner better be Larry).
I’m also intrigued by the Millenia class, which is RADwood’s first foray into cars from the aughts. My dream is that someone brings an Infiniti FX45 and wears a velour tracksuit a la Amy Poehler in Mean Girls.
There Will Be Autopians
If you want to meet some Autopians, hear the glorious howl of the 787bb (and the Vector, which is maaaaaybe slightly louder), you definitely need to get a ticket now. Many more announcements coming up, including at least one special guest.
Because we have a space for an activation, Jason has been in his basement tinkering with some special giveaways for members and fans. Let’s just say that I’ve been buying floppy disks in bulk.
A big thanks to Hagerty for letting us be a part of their wildest RADwood yet, and stay tuned for more updates about the event and what we’re planning.
Top photo: Hagerty
What’s our Vector, Victor?
we have clearance, Clarence.
Clarence Oveur, Over.
I’m glad I was able to participate in a Philly event (when it was at NJMP) and attend a few before it seems they just stopped on the east coast. Based on BB’s demeanor over on the other site I wondered if they just imploded but seems Hagerty bought them. Good I guess, hope the spirit carries on and we get some more east coast events.
I wish we could opt out of all california centric car news. Idgaf.
it would be interesting to watch a full sized human try to drive that into radwood. Maybe from farther than the lot across the street where it was removed from a trailer.
I misread the headline and got super excited for a while.
So, a VECTOR, not a VECTREX, correct?
Cause one was theoretically obtainable to my teenage self and I wanted it so bad for Christmas.
Will there be a team of firefighters around the Vector at all times?
But I live 2700 miles away.
Yeah a out ~2200 miles for me. Yay Chicagoland be far away from either coast hah.
Yah, bring back RADwood Philadelphia and I’ll go
If there isn’t a faded, powder blue 1976 Chevy C-10 at the show in Alameda, you’re doing it wrong.
Very, very wrong.
Where link??
Grrr curse you Los Angeles for being the center of everything! Unfortunately I can’t swing a cross country road trip in 18 hours (people have tried!)
Side note, y’all at Hagerty need to bring back Radwood to the northeast!!!
The northeast? Grrr. Sunderland Newcastle and Gateshead, not to mention Corbridge and Haltwhistle (okay, Haltwhistle is officially the middle) much as I would love to attend;
Sorry, we could not calculate directions from ‘Home (NE49 0QW UK)’ to ‘Gold Bar Hangar, 2505 Monarch St Bldg 22, Alameda, CA 94501, United States’.
Goodness, I hope they replicate this event format elsewhere. Trying to get my non-morning ass to a 0800-1200 event was one of the things that bilged me out of Radwood.
Same! It’s a great idea
I really want to make it to the Amelia Island Concours next year with one or the other terrible shitpile.
I’d love to attend a RADwood event with my ’90 Celica GTS from the old Toyota Pro / Celebrity race series. But I live on the east coast. MidWest. Whatever, it’s non-California.
I’ll be there. LMK if there’s an autopian pre-game at faction. or humble sea. or st george (who just released a new umeshu…)
Absolutely, will send out an email ahead of time.
The country is more than just California.
Do some East Coast things.
Unfortunately, all of the “rad” of that era was located in California, dude. Like, bummer, man, but, you know, whatever…
Miami Vice was east coast. It’s visual style and production design is practically a signifier for the 1980’s along with MJ’s sparkly glove and zipper jacket.
I mean NYC is the biggest city in the country.
SoCal isn’t even getting a show this year.
I entered my immaculate GMT400 in this year’s Radwood and they said “your acceptance is on hold” even though I’ve displayed it at the Bay Area Radwoods for the past three years. Fuck ’em if they don’t want my $95, I guess they want more room for boring-ass high-dollar exotics.
“All of your favorite parts of RADwood will be there, just with more.”
Not quite, IMO. Seems like the organizers are trying to move Radwood upscale because tickets to show your car have gone from $45 to $95 and there is now an acceptance process.
I love Radwood shows and have taken one of my cars to every SoCal event so far, and part of what made it so great for me was that all cars from the era were welcome, regardless of condition. I’ve walked past a row of cocaine-fueled poster-worthy Mercedes and Ferraris to geek out over a Daihatsu Charade or ’90s Pontiac Bonneville that aren’t in perfect shape just because you never see them anymore.
Looks like there won’t be a Radwood SoCal this year, but if there is next year I will likely only attend as a spectator and not bring my car, which is a big bummer for me.
That’s not usually the case with RADwood, so I wonder if that is simply a limit of what they can handle at this particular venue. I’ve gone to RADwood at The Amelia three straight years now and everyone is accepted, but they are getting close to filling up their space as it grows at that location.
Who will bring a Rad Woody? (wagon of course…)
No love for the Chrysler New Yorker Woody K-Car convertible? Such an 80’s classic, and the hero car in “Trains Planes and Automobiles”