Radwood went down at the second annual HooptieCon this past weekend. It was a wet, sloppy, cold, wonderful mess of some of the most hardcore automotive enthusiasts out there. Located atop turn 7 at Sonoma Raceway, during the 24 Hours of LeMons Sears Pointless race, the show was a hodgepodge of 80’s and 90’s automotive glory. The dedication shown by the fans of this cultural phenomenon truly stands out over the rest. During the show, there were moments lacking of rain, but the wind never really subsided. The location for the show caused the mud and muck to pile up on people’s shoes, and while attendees really didn’t stick around in numbers after the awards ceremony, the total number of muddy-footed attendees was still in the hundreds.

Thanks to the 25-year rule, and sometimes the gray market, there was no shortage of right hand drive cars. Well-adored skylines, a Subaru Legacy wagon, a Honda prelude, and some slightly more obscure cars like a Honda Beat and a Nissan Figaro were all on display.

Rally racing hero cars made an appearance. A couple Lancia Delta Integrales and an Audi GT were on hand. After the show ended, a Lancia 037 Stradale rolled right on in.

Legends of Japanese bubble-economy cars were also in attendance, of particular note were the white Subaru SVX, NSXs, and GT-Rs.

Italian coachwork didn’t go unnoticed either. Especially in the form of the Fiat X1/9, and less so in the form of the Volvo 780.

Swedish steel and German metal were present en masse, as were American brands. That’s not to say there was great representation across the board, however, as there were very few entrants from the MOPAR family of cars.

An Autobahn legend like the Mercedes-Benz 500E would likely go unnoticed at other car shows. Here though, it sits proudly in the mud with its rad counterparts. While some cars like the Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Convertible sit in stark contrast to the Audi wagon next to it.

There were certainly some more goofy cars out there. Like this Volkswagen Harlequin with a very on point license plate, or the snow-ready Porsche 928 found nearby.

While the 993 Carrera 4S pictured below would benefit from snow chains, you could certainly have some fun without them by tossing on a set of winter tires.

During the peak of the show, when the sky opened up for a bit, the awards were presented. The first award for LeMons Choice was presented by Eric Rood, who serves as the Everything Bagel for the LeMons racing organization, went to the oh-so-rare Mazda Navajo owned by Josh Brankman.

Colin Kagel won the award for Raddest Domestic with his fresh-as-can-be Ford Thunderbird LX.

Raddest Motorcycle went to Joe Berentsen who braved the weather harder than most in his rolling rainbow of radness; a Honda CBR600 F2.

Jeff Mohler showed up wearing the raddest outfit and happily accepted his award for Raddest Dressed.

Art Cervantes presented the award for Raddest Import. That honor went to Sylas Montgomery who brought his “Dapper M” E36 M3.

Fantasy Junction, a collection and consignment house based out of nearby Berkeley, brought out the star of the show. A very well-preserved 1983 Lamborghini Countach LP5000 S in 80’s-tastic cocaine white.

The real treat for this particular RADwood event, however, is akin to the after credits scene in a Marvel movie. Parade Laps! There were at least 30 minutes of fun-filled laps, where a surprising number of RADwood entries stayed the two-or-so hours after the show’s end to join those from the other shows at HooptieCon. 

While the celebration of 80’s and 90’s culture was still what brought people together despite the rain, the parade laps really are what set this RADwood event apart from the others.  If you didn’t make it, but could have, you should have!

If you did make it, comment below some of your favorite cars, moments, etc.!