When the event DJ can play Ozzy, Debbie Deb, and The Psychedelic Furs back to back to back and everyone loves every bit of it, and when a Chevy S10 and a Lamborghini Countach both win prizes in front of the real Batmobile, yep, that’s rad. So rad, in fact, that it can only be found at RADwood.
Many of the 400 registered cars were BMWs.
Last month, the historic Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, CA hosted its third of the eight RADwood LA events. We’ll call it an event because it’s much more than a car show. It was fitting that this year’s event was held a week before Halloween, but pumpkins or not, costumes are always de rigeur at RADwood. For the younger set, that requires some “ChatGPT, show me some Eighties and Nineties clothing,” followed by scouring thrift shops. For others, it simply requires reaching into their closets and wishing those neon parachute pants still fit.
The 3-series is the most popular model/nameplate at RADwood.
This year, the RADwood team capped entrants at 400 cars. I might have been biased, but to my eye it sure looked like 97 percent of those were BMWs. BMWs were ubiquitous for Eighties prep; it’s not surprising it was the most represented marque, with the 3-Series being the most predominant nameplate. And with two decades of automotive representation, that covers a lot of BMW chassis from the E21 to all the way up to the E46 and even the E39.
The entry queue for the RADwood Royalty section provided constant oohs and ahhs.
For the uninitiated, if you’re a spectator, you simply park your car in the designated lot and pay your $20 entry ($25 at the gate if you dawdled getting them ahead of time). If you’re arriving in one of the 400 cars for display in either the RADwood Royalty or general entry, the queue was long. The morning juxtaposition of arriving cars likely gave multiple onlookers whiplash. It was a stream of awesome. A Pontiac Fiero followed by a Lincoln Mark VII ahead of a Toyota HiLux import a car length ahead of an E36 sedan. That was overshadowed by a lifted 1985 Dodge Ram truck lit up by the pop-up lights on a 928 trailed by a 500SL and then a laminate-wood paneled Country Squire wagon showing its brake lights to a Testarossa.
The RADwood team did a great job arranging cars inside the Royalty section.
The Royalty section was inside an old warehouse while the general entries parked outside. The retired SS Lane Victory cargo ship loomed behind some of those rows and many vendors, making for a picturesque and historic backdrop. That ship saw time in World War II, the Korean War (including bringing thousands of evacuated Korean civilians and U.S. troops out of Korea), and the Vietnam War, its wartime activities turning to museum ship in 1990—which also makes its arrival Radwood-era appropriate.
The SS Lane Victory towers above a portion of the event.
Food trucks, a fantastic DJ (we hear you, DJ dpfonix!), rows and rows of cars, trucks, and motorcycles, fantastic period attire, and active vendors and sponsors provided plenty of activities and eye candy for the whole family. In fact, one such vendor, XPEL, spent the day transforming the M Coupe of Jeff Siojo into a tribute to the Calder art car. Crowds gathered throughout the entire day to to see the process using their Color PPF.
Jeff Siojo’s M Coupe started the day in its solid red only. After four hours with the XPEL and PFS team and some Color PPF, it became a Calder Art Car tribute.
There were many other amazing sponsors and vendors but special mention should go to the Petersen Museum. The Petersen hosted an early RADwood LA and is currently featuring the Totally Awesome exhibit, replete with an actual BMW art car. So it was fitting that as one entered the warehouse, the first thing to see was the Petersen booth with four mic-drop cars from the museum: a Porsche 959, a Bugatti EB110, an Acura NSX, and the aforementioned Batmobile. Each car was responsible for many jaws dropping and many camera shutters clicking.
The Petersen Museum brought out some RAD royalty fer sure
There were countless RADwood veterans who made their annual pilgrimage the LA-edition of the show. Matt Rose and his girlfriend, Joelle Nottke, are repeat attendees. “We had an absolute blast!” exclaims Rose. “That was our second time at the San Pedro location for the show and I don’t think we’ll ever miss one in the future. Joelle and I love the 80s and 90s time period, from the cars to the music and the fashion from that era. RADwood is the perfect event for those to blend together. We can’t wait for next year!”
Underneath the hood of Matt Rose’s E36 lurks an S52.
They arrived in their own example from that era, too. “We brought my 1995 325i convertible E36 with an S52 swap,” Rose continues. “I’ve had it for eleven years; it’s my first car! The highlight of the event was getting to see so many of our friends from all around SoCal. The Radwood community is second to none!”
Denis Lavrov and Jeff Siojo apply the XPEL Color PPF to Siojo’s M Coupe.
There were probably just as many first-timers, too. Jeff Siojo had his car at the XPEL booth for the Calder art car treatment and spent a good amount of time helping with the installation, but still managed to get out and enjoy the show a bit. “There were certainly a lot of cars there that I had not seen before,” he says. “The event was definitely colorful, vibrant with both colors and energy. For me it was great because I got to talk to a lot of people who came up to the XPEL booth probably to watch what was going on with the car. It felt special to be part of something that big. It’s one thing to have a booth car, but to be featured and active like that is pretty crazy.
“I’d have to say the new Calder art car livery is definitely rad and the colors, even though the actual car was from the seventies, fits the colorful vibe of the event,” Siojo adds. “I’ll keep it on for a few months at least. I already want to add a few things that we just didn’t get to in that relatively short time. It’s a 1999 and I’ve owned it since 2017. I like changing my wheels and other touches, but I know a lot of my friends did not expect this much a departure for me, but also for how quickly the car went from rad to…well, I think radder!”
The Batmobile, provided by the Petersen Museum, saw a lot of (foot) traffic all day.
Not taking anything away from Siojo’s “new” art car, the Batmobile ranked as a top part of the day for many attendees, new and returning, young and old. One of those counting that as a highlight was RADwood co-founder Art Cervantes. “Having the ‘real’ Batmobile at the core of the show was amazing,” Cervantes says. “Big thanks to the Petersen for bringing that out and supporting the Rad-era! Overall, it seemed that there was even more variety and an even higher quality of cars than in some years past. We’ve done 57 RADwood events and now eight Los Angeles shows. This one was genuinely my favorite so far. We had a lot of great entrants, but we were also able to curate the show well.”
Somehow, Art Cervantes found time to clean his beautiful E30 all while running the event!
Cervantes is not just a rad-era fan; he’s a BMW fan, too, and brought his 1987 325iS. “I bought it stock in May of 2020 from a friend who had it at Radwood back in 2017,” he explains. “Since then, I’ve completely resto-modded the car mechanically and added some aesthetic touches. Some of those highlights include an engine swap to a Honda K24 that currently puts down 235whp at 7750rpm.”
This little Honda K24 is probably not stock in Art Cervantes’ 325iS.
“RADwood continues to grow, from an awareness standpoint, especially with ‘automotive-adjacent’ RADwood Era enthusiasts,” he continues. “These are folks who are into the lifestyle element and may be somewhat interested in cars, but not as hardcore as dedicated car people. This draws more people in and in some cases, leads to vehicle purchases, too! The key, though, is that RADwood caters to a broader audience drawn to the retro theme of the period versus just the cars. And nostalgia, in the words of the late Rick James, is a hell of a drug! And we have some epic things coming in 2026, including expanding ‘vehicles in motion’ at our shows!”
The early set-up at the XPEL booth before the M Coupe’s transformation began.
That energy is definitely growing. Last year, XPEL’s Senior Marketing Manager, Jacques Joubert, attended to get a feel for the event. This year, XPEL had quite the presence. “XPEL is the official protection partner for Hagerty, so collaborating for RADwood made perfect sense,” Joubert says. “RADwood stood out as a key opportunity for us to connect with passionate automotive enthusiasts in a uniquely nostalgic and engaging setting. The event allows our brand to blend technical innovation with a genuine sense of fun and community.”
There was constant activity around the M Coupe all day.
Joubert was born in the middle of the Rad-era and is still drawn to many aspect of it. “I grew up surrounded by Eighties and Nineties sports cars,” he adds. “My father is a passionate car enthusiast. Some of my earliest memories are of his turbocharged 700 horsepower Honda CRX which he raced in quarter-mile and half-mile events. To me, that era produced some of the most iconic driver’s cars ever made. Seeing so many of them together at one event is a reminder of why so many enthusiasts, myself included, remain inspired by that period.”
The festival environment of RADwood provides a fantastic experience for attendees but also vendors and supporters. The attendees actively engage with them. “Most XPEL events focus on engaging with new vehicle owners who want immediate protection for their investment,” Joubert continues. “RADwood, however, offers a different kind of value. It’s about passion and preservation. It gives us an opportunity to educate long-time enthusiasts on how our protection solutions can help maintain the look and integrity of iconic vehicles, not just new vehicle models. We’re very excited to participate in the next RADwood event at COTA in Austin, Texas, later this month. We’ll have another exciting live demonstration and are looking forward to connecting with local enthusiasts. It’s especially meaningful since XPEL’s headquarters are right nearby in San Antonio, so it will feel like a homecoming for the team.”
RADwood is more than just cars; its the celebration of the era.
For some, RADwood is an excuse to find that next car. There were a number of people (I may or may not have been one of those…) who leave the previous show wondering what attire—or even car—we need to acquire before the next one. It’s a unique experience that levels the playing field and allows a very used Eagle Vision to get as much applause as a Porsche 911, regardless of which cassette tapes are scattered on the passenger seat.
