Car shows come in many flavors. There are the “sit in your lawn chair, getting sunburned from light reflecting off chrome bumpers while listening to a cover band play any 50s-60s song that has to do with cars.” Type of shows. Or the “listen to a bad DJ compete with a straight-piped Nissan that has been revving its engine for an hour while your Oakley’s protect your eyes from vape smoke” shows. There are also the “try not to get hit by a Ford Mustang at 8 a.m.” early morning shows. And then, there is Radwood, a time warp of a car show.

Radwood is a 1980s and 90s car show that revels in the clichés and hallmarks of the era. They ask but it isn’t required that attendees and entrants dress in their best 80s get-ups. From Wayne’s World hats to Hammer pants you can see it all at Radwood. But the best part isn’t the clothes, music or the tubular action sports exhibitions. It’s the cars. If you want to see 80s oddities and time capsules you’ve come to the right place.

Held on December 17th 2017 at the Phoenix club in Anaheim, CA. I flew nearly 3000 miles to attend after seeing pictures trickle in on Instagram and having a severe case of FOMO during the first event. My feet touched ground at LAX and I breathed in the thick LA air, then promptly got on the wrong rental car bus…After finally getting my Nissan Versa Note rental car I endured a white-knuckle drive to my hotel in infamous LA Friday night traffic. I woke up in the morning and marveled at the palm trees outside my hotel window and made my way to the show.

You’ll see the only Mazda Miata coupé alongside survivor Plymouths and modified Hondas while you soak up a period correct soundtrack.

The next 6 or so hours would end up being some of the best I’ve ever experience. And it still stands as the best car show I had ever been to. Porsche 911s sat gleaming beside Ford Mustangs. Brick-shaped Volvos stood firm and proud along BMW and Mercedes’ best from the day. There was a BMX exhibition featuring the rider from the movie Rad, and enough energy in the air to power a fleet of EVs.

By shows end, I was exhausted, my Vans were making my feet hurt, and my Thriller T-shirt was heavy with sweat. I got into my not-so-trusty steed and made my way to the airport. After my flight got delayed I caught some sleep on the floor of the terminal. I didn’t realize I was next to a trash can…A near empty red-eye flight allowed me to stretch out and sleep a majority of the 6 hours. A quick connection in Philly and I was back to my “local” airport. I bristled and shivered against the frigid Northern New York winter. I had temperature whiplash after going from freezing cold to southern California warmth back to the freezing cold. My body didn’t get much time to acclimate given the day or so I was in LA. I also regretted only having shorts and hoodie as I got into my very un-rad Subaru and made my way home. I couldn’t help but smile that I had got to experience something truly special. A car show that had fostered its own community.

The hills are alive with the sound of humbling.

I watched as a brawny Mercedes-Benz AMG GTC walked away from me despite driving as hard as I felt able. Followed by an AMG E63 4matic wagon. A BMW M4, Volvo V60 Polestar, and Jaguar F-type completed the caravan of chagrin.

I’m being a bit dramatic, I pulled into the slower lane and let them pass. I knew the drivers were faster. I enjoy the occasional spirited mountain drive, or late night cruise. But I’ve never driven on a race track and only done one autocross. I don’t consider myself a good driver, but my experiences in the mountains that foggy fall Saturday were the truest sign that I had a way to go before I’d consider myself a good driver, let alone a great one.

Why was I in the mountains when most people were pre-gaming for Halloween? Well, Everyday Driver was in Atlanta filming for season 6 of their show and decided to host an east coast meet. As a fan, I jumped at the chance to stretch my abilities and my car’s legs. 

The morning was rainy, but that didn’t seem to hurt turnout. Car after car trickled into the Wal-mart parking lot that was our rendezvous point. A quick sign-in, and drivers meeting and we were heading east toward our lunch spot through thick fog. Given the case of nerves and metaphorical rust I had to shake off the fog seemed worse than it was. I had never taken part in a group drive and wasn’t sure what to expect. I ended up being the lead car at one point much to my reluctance. Stuck behind a pickup truck doing about 10 under the posted speed limit I caved, pulled over and watched the parade go by, rejoining at the end of the line. 

After a few hours we landed at a wonderful Bavarian styled pub. Eating good food and fraternizing for a while before heading out for a thankfully fog-less afternoon drive. But not before a curated group photo. The return route was less technical, but equally rewarding. Not long after arriving back at the meeting point we went to Vogel State Park. I lost the car I was following. I trusted my gut given that I hadn’t used google maps. I mean, how do you lose a line of 15 or so cars that don’t exactly blend in?! I settled into a steady pace and simply enjoyed the road. Then I saw it in my rearview a few corners back. The beast of a Mercedes that had been leant to Everyday Driver for the weekend. Every time I glanced in my rearview it seemed closer. By the time we hit a curvy section the big Merc was following close. The road up the mountain split into two lanes up so I made way, then did my best to follow. I held my own…for about 30 seconds before I was dusted. Accepting that not only did the GTC have 300 more horsepower than my Subaru Impreza WRX, but Todd, the host driving was a far better driver than me.

The drive down was quieter, with just myself and one of three coincidentally identical Ford Fiesta ST’s heading down. I knew I needed practice, but was still proud that my little Subaru and I had held our own.

 The drive home was filled with reflection. I had completed my first group drive, met some of my heroes, and got to drive with cars that were leagues above my own. Overall, it wasn’t a bad way to spend a Saturday.