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.
Surely you can’t be serious.
I am serious, and dont call me Shirley.
Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue
Re: Floppy Discs
When i worked in local government maybe 15 years ago, i found in the supply closet a giant stack of still-wrapped 3.5″ floppys. As i was frequently sending pieces of actual paper paperwork to folks at other agencies/departments in manila envelopes, i would often toss in a disc idiotically labeled with “launch codes” or “dirt on [local elected official]” or somesuch nonsense. I preferred to do this with with recipients i had never met and didn’t know, because that was funnier to me. Like sending resumes off during tough economic times, my offerings to the gods of absurdity and boredom disappeared into the void, not once eliciting reply or recognition.
You can still buy floppy discs? Where at the thrift store?
I will absolutely be there, and so may be the Pickup. This is 12 miles from home. Let me know if you want good eats from the East Bay.
It certainly seems that changes are afoot at RADwood. I was shocked a few weeks ago when RADwood Charlotte was announced for April 17, 2027. Past events have typically been announced like six weeks in advance, not seven months.
Like last year, RADwood Charlotte will be integrated into the Heritage Invitational at the Ten Tenths Motor Club across the road from Charlotte Motor Speedway. That’s okay, but I liked it better in 2024 when they did it for two days inside the Charlotte AutoFair, which takes place at the Speedway. That was really great, and not just because I came home with the Raddest Truck trophy.
I’ll be interested to see if they bring any of this new format to Charlotte.
I agree on all points, inside the Autofair was a much better fit for Radwood. The Heritage was very…bougie would be the polite term…, $500 tickets for access to the clubhouse was a bit much, complimented with 1 food stand for the entire show, but the 80s and 90s supercars were nicely presented.
They may also up the fee to $95 this year, again it doesn’t really fit the vibe, but it is over 6 months out so maybe they can make some adjustments. If not I may just do the cars and coffee the morning of the Autofair and head in there for $15.
Yeah! This is basically in my backyard. Signed up; will be there. Did they get permission to use the old runway for some fun? Other car shows in Alameda got that permission, and it is fun!
Someone has to bring an early ’90s Chevy Cavalier sedan to have matching taillights with the Vector.
If that happens, Jason has to bemoan their combined stop/tail/turn signals to see if Beau goes into a half remembered sales spiel about how the Ford Escort has separate amber turn signals (hatchbacks and wagon only).
Jason is bringing the Autopian Mainframe?
Why can’t they bring this joy to the Midwest before we all have to spend the next six months freezing our asses off?
Emphasis on the “bring,” I guess. Not too much local unrusted machinery of that age out this way, unfortunately
True, but I’m constantly surprised at what I see roaming the streets.
Millenia Class… Oops All Mazda Millenia, but only from 2000 and up.
I’ll synchronize swatches with you for that Parker Lewis Can’t Lose reference.
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.
What about Ohio?
Honestly, any car stuff based in the midwest is so rare that I’d be happy to read about it, but growing up here in Wisco, just EVERYTHING was in Cali. Hot rod stuff, salt flat stuff, import scene w JDM parts, car movies, car shows, all cali cali cali cali cali.
I really liked that DT was holdin’ it down and keeping it real by slinging shitboxes in the midwest, that’s what gave him a huge edge over everybody else. He still has it, it just sucks he’s in cali.
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.
I mean, I COULD bring the Vectrex, but I’m not crazy about taking a CRT on a plane
Someone on r/crt once asked if so and so TV would fit in an overhead bin, so you probably wouldn’t be the first.
I used to be anti-everyone likes it with everything. Everyone liked Atari 2600s, so I wanted a Vectrex, just because. I don’t know anyone else that even knew they existed.
This continued for quite a while. I was trying to do college papers on an Amiga well past the time that Wordperfect was working well on PCs. And yes I got a TON of Guru Meditation errors on that Amiga.
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.
Well considering it falls outside the accepted year range of this show…
That truck was used in a very popular movie in the 80’s. A movie that featured Alameda prominently.
I’m missing the reference apparently, but Radwood does allow cars from other eras if they were featured in movies from the era, like Spicoli’s VW Bus from Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
TriangleRAD got it.
Live long and prosper.
Ah. Not a Trekkie.
Totally get that.
Infinite diversity from infinite cultures.
I once gave a VHS copy of The One With the Whales as a Raddest ’80s Car prize at a TriangleRAD show.
Impressive! I like that.
Is that where they keep the nuclear wessels?
And the formula for transparent aluminum.
How quaint.
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’.
There is a swimming segment that google maps never considers.
Not to nitpick, but this event is in the San Francisco area which is something like a 375-mile drive from Los Angeles. It is also a 3,000-mile drive from Boston, so I see your point.
I’m from the midwest and lived in Los Angeles for a while. A buddy from home once texted, saying that they were in SF that evening, and asked if I wanted to drive up for dinner.
Folks don’t always get how long CA is.
You’re right, my lazy butt must’ve skimmed specifically where in California lol. CA is basically the length of the east coast itself.
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 like to make that one too, but I’ll probably just settle for Charlotte.
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.
Just not the biggest center of car culture. Though I did love TOS articles about cool cars randomly parallel parked in the City.
car spotting? I always enjoyed that.
SoCal isn’t even getting a show this year.
The Autopian did an event at Lime Rock Park earlier this year! And it was amazing! And the Old Folks car show in North Carolina last weekend! And I heard it was good!
But yeah more big things need to happen over here.
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.
Just to clarify: There are numerous classes, so I don’t think the critique that it’s all high-dollar exotics is accurate. Unless someone is bringing the Renault F1 Espace, there aren’t a lot of exotic vans. The same goes for most of the other classes.
I know of two people who previously attended past Radwood events whose registrations were denied for this one.
I just know in the past, when it was held at a SF pier and last year at a soccer stadium in Santa Clara, there were huge quantities of cookie-cutter exotics in the “VIP area”(extra cost, of course) up front that all had a vague sameness to them, while the most of the weird cars that actually drew a crowd were exiled to the far reaches of nowhere.
“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.
It seems a lot has changed since Hagerty took over. Previous shows always had a VIP area where you could pay more for a better spot, but normal registration was only $45. The last Radwood SoCal show was nowhere near full.
Yep. I went to Radwood #2, and one of my favorite cars there was an immaculate, dark blue Prelude in an ordinary spec with steel wheels & hubcaps. It reminded me of the cars that I used to see in the late 80’s when these things were new. That, and the Renault 5 Turbo II gray-market import.
My thoughts, and worries, exactly. The Austin Radwood shows have been climbing further and further away from the regular joe cars every year. As an 80s LTD owner, It’s especially disappointing on the website seeing all of their new categories and big fullsize American boats / post malaise cars being snubbed a category spot.
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”
You’re going the wrong waayyy!
I just wanted to throw something out there so there was no misunderstanding of what kind of woody I was talking about…I’m a big fan of convertibles, as I’m on my 3rd at the moment.