Hagerty’s RADwood UK, an event that celebrates 80s and 90s car culture, returns to Bicester Heritage on Saturday 2nd September.
The 80s and 90s were an important part of popular and automotive culture, from the ‘Yuppie’ era when what you drove said more about your career success than any CV, to the Max Power years when excessive body-kits and loud stereos were the order of the day. It was also a time of imposing supercars with the then new Testarossa, Diablo and 959 perfectly demonstrating this era of excess.
Doc Brown reached 88mph in a DeLorean, talking Pontiac Firebird KITT was a TV star, hatchbacks became hot and Saturday TV highlights included watching Mondeos, Cavaliers and 405s racing in the BTCC. If you weren’t driving it was likely you’d be riding a BMX, practicing your breakdancing, propping up a wine bar or widening your shoulder pads.
While some of the trends were definitely more acceptable in the 80s, it is a period that deserves to be celebrated and Hagerty’s RADwood does just that. Described as a Goodwood Revival for the 80s and 90s, RADwood brings together the music, fashions, trends, and cars from the era when more was more, and anything goes.
RADwood was born in the USA in 2017 to celebrate the fabulous cars, trucks, and bikes from 1980-1999. Hagerty took stewardship in March 2022 to build on the company’s purpose to save driving and car culture and to bring a new element of car show coolness to global auto enthusiasts.
Hagerty launched RADwood UK in September 2022, when hundreds of RAD-era cars were displayed, many with matching dress and period accessories (think brick mobile phones and Filofax diaries) creating a feel good event for all the family.
This year’s RADwood UK will be bigger and better than ever, with hundreds of display cars, period-themed activations and an exciting new collaboration with Hot Wheels which sees the Hot Wheels Legends Tour UK taking place at the 2023 RADwood UK event. The Hot Wheels Legends Tour UK presents modified cars competing to be chosen as the next Hot Wheels diecast model – the prize being a 1:64 scale model of the winning car produced and sold around the world.
Judging the 2023 UK Legends Tour live at RADwood will be a panel of experts handpicked by Hagerty and Hot Wheels, including avid car collector Paul Cowland, and Richard Porter from Sniffpetrol and leading automotive podcast Smith and Sniff. To help them make the final decision, the judges will be joined by Craig Callum, Design Manager for Hot Wheels Vehicles.
Mark Roper, Managing Director of Hagerty International, said “This is the only event dedicated to the great cars of the 80s and 90s, proving the fact Hagerty supports all genres and aspects of global car culture. The scope for display cars is vast, from modern day FOTU models to super saloons and everything in-between. The variety of cars on show will be unlike any other event, and that’s before the Hot Wheels finalists are considered, making this is an event no car enthusiast should miss.“
Tickets for RADwood UK start at just £25 and, as with all Hagerty UK events, the entry price is per car rather than per person, making it a great value day out for friends and family.
RADwood UK ticket information can be found here
*Article Source https://www.hagerty.co.uk/
