I have been aware of this show for some time and just hadn't had the chance yet to check one out. Sometimes the stars align and after getting the call from its current owner, buying Rick Pettibones, Sonomair. I was already mentally deep in 90s mini truck nostalgia mode, I finally had a car that would fit the era and the time to spare. It was a perfect storm of, why not? Icing on the cake, Bill at Ultra Truck Works had gifted me a never mounted still in box set of clear lensed tail lights and then had them painted to match. Allowing me to get rid of the gaudy LED tails with something more era correct. I had already ordered a set of totally clear headlights in preparation. Would you believe everything came in right in time? The tail lights I literally stopped by and installed on my way to the show. With those tails installed a full tank of gas and Debbie Deb singing about the weekend I was ready to roll!
I am sure it will surprise no one that I come by this automotive addiction via my father. While my mom also grew up with speedy cars and street racing in So Cal it would be my father that was my main influencer. Going to shows with him as a kid, I was one of the few of my age that didnt seem to mind the shows with music matching the era of cars being displayed. Guys with high school letterman jackets and their poodle skirt wearing wives. I still think fondly of my dad popping in his cassettes of those eras top 40. Signing along with him on road trips or just going from ranch to ranch. 50s 60s Music and sometimes dress was the norm at lots of the shows I grew up attending. It made sense. As I got older and guys my age started picking up the reigns I heard more and more dissent about the cheesy music and dress. Making fun of "boomers" desperately holding on to their youth.
As a famous man once said "Oh how the turn tables". Pulling in to Rad Wood I wasn't sure what I was in for. With a strict limit to cars built from 1980 to 1999 I knew that I was going to be seeing cars from the meat and potatoes of my high school and teen years but what would that even be? What cars from that era survived? I never see that stuff any more. If I am honest what I was fully prepared for was a field of 5.0 Mustangs, G bodies and maybe a mini truck or two. With the 25 year limit of the Gran Tourismo JDM goodness finally here, I figured a few skylines, Evos and maybe a kei car or two. I certainly got that and happily so. What I didnt expect, the happiest surprise was the Ford Taurus SHOs The three Buick coupes like the one I drove to college and was that an Isuzu amigo!?!?
It's funny how what once seemed mundane can suddenly seem exotic. There was an Olds Bravada, basically a GMC Jimmy four door with a differant grill interior and AWD that looked showroom fresh. I haven't thought about those in decades let alone seen one. I suddenly found myself wanting to bring it home and it wasn't even green! Along with the finest selections of 80s and 90s top 40 music, people dressed in track suits, 80s blazers and ties with pegged jeans and various mixes of punk and glam rock were all over. It was pretty great.
Like hearing a love song as a virgin and then after a hard break up. Sometimes you dont really understand the gravity, the value of a thing until it happens to you. I thought I would be ambivalent toward this kind of show. I thought I maybe I would find it humorous, maybe a bit sad seeing my age group taking up where my fathers generation left off. What I didnt see coming was the sneaking sense of joy that incresed with every forgotten tune played by the DJ. The smile I couldn't shake that got bigger with every track suit and vintage concert, tv show or long gone company branded polo on folks walking around. All while strolling past forgotten cars of my youth. God help me I loved it.
Big Thanks to the folks at Hagerty for putting on such a great show. The people working the show were dressed era correct and seemed to be genuinely enjoying themselves. I know that seems like an odd thing to mention but it makes all the difference. There was a few hiccups with power for the food trucks and I dont know if they had the ratio of food trucks to attendees figured out as the lines were pretty long but that happens. The Hagerty folks seemed to take it all in stride. It was obvious they were doing everything they could to make things work and for every hiccup seen and unseen there was someone there handling things quickly. I will for sure be attending Rad Wood again it was a great time.
James
The Lowered HMFIC
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