The 1980’s. Always seemingly more glamorous in America where the eternal sunshine, time machines, fingerless gloves, and Susanna Hoffs allowed us to escape and dream of an aspirational future. The bleak reality of the period is more aligned to overcast skies, Metal Mickey, mittens and Su Pollard. However, our friends across the pond offered us another opportunity to reclaim those borrowed but cherished dreams to remind us of childhood memories.
Radwood is a car collective whose sole aim is to capture the essence and vibe of the optimistic ’80s and ’90s. The rules are quite simple, attend the event in a car produced from 1980 to 1999, find suitable attire and accessories and mingle in the relaxed atmosphere of the world-famous Goodwood circuit.
The Radwood guys did their best to bring that American sunshine to the UK for what was the first venture in what promises to be an exciting fixture in the UK calendar. The Radwood guys can expect the event to grow and attract a cross-section of cars from this period. There was a real mix of the best in Americana, British as well as European and Japanese car culture – a true reflection of the Classic and Retro car scene in the UK.
Reallyloud mingled with the Gordon Gekkos and Jane Fondas to capture the day and soak up the relaxed and friendly ambience. Where’s my pen? I need to rewind my cassette…
A considerable amount of effort was made to get into the swing of things, with the owners and organisers showing off their collection of memorabilia of neon horrors.
Prizes were given out for the best dressed and best cars, with the first going to Dylans (and sons) stunning Alfa Romeo 75 V6.
Plenty of Japanese cars were there to keep the fans of reliability and build quality happy. We have Jason Laroza’s Honda Civic Shuttle and Morgan Rees Honda Beat taking up places on the starting grid. The late-model RX7 was in exceptional condition.
The ultimate symbol of the aspirational Yuppie? Owning an E30 325i or a VW Scirocco confirmed that you had arrived and a Porsche wasn’t far away.
Modified cars were as welcome as the standard ride height cars. This Subaru SVX was a more luxurious and higher-end car than Subaru’s usual offerings with the humble Austin Metro and Fiat Tipo offering a nostalgic soft landing back into reality.
Welcome to the Jungle, we got fun and games!
From a famous film apparently. One of two DeLoreans at the event, this particular car was not fuelled by petrol, plutonium, lightning or garbage but uses an electric motor set up. Which is actually the future.
Crowds absorb the Porsche-engined Audi RS2, a limited edition, high-performance estate. This is one of 180 RHD cars made and is faster to 0-30mph than a McLaren F1.
Driven all the way from Newcastle to attend, this Lincoln VIII LSC was a genuine novelty with its keypad operated door entry. The owner has a thing for this relatively unloved period of Americana and states that he had been looking specifically for the VIII LSC. Powered by the same aluminium 4.6-litre engine as used in the revamped Cobra, this Lincoln was worth a close investigation and revaluation.
This beautifully presented RB Mazda RX7 was perfect for the event, with its distinctive livery and effortless JDM cool. Owner James Kennedy is a serial Mazda collector, and has several other ’80s Mazdas to choose from, but nothing as striking as this attention-grabbing racer.
Sweden’s third-biggest export was once a popular sight in Architectural Consultant car parks. Saab was one of the first mainstream manufacturers to sell turbocharged cars to the general public and it helped to transform the brand. This one-off factory custom build combines supercar performance with sheer practicality and common-sense. This car has lived in three different countries with the same family since new.
A forgotten contender in the family car performance stakes, the 175bhp Renault 21 came with a well-sorted chassis to help it reach 140mph but as expected it suffered from furious FWD wheel-spin and torque steer. However, the later four-wheel drive Quadra models resolved this issue. The best thing about this car is that it for sale – thought to be one of 18 left and the only example in silver.
Initially bought in very good condition but with a jarringly low ride height, Rich Scott sourced high and low for stock shocks and springs to restore the Volvo’s ride comfort. These good-looking cars in turbo form are becoming quite hard to find, yet Rich not only managed to find this almost rust free example but found it in his favourite colour. It compliments his collection of Volvo 240s.
The Ferrari Testarossa is one of the most recognisable cars of the ’80s, more so when you think of the Sega Outrun car. Originally it was to be a full restoration but the owner has decided to leave the mechanically perfect car as a Rat Rod! Ferrari specialist Scott Chivers bought and imported this California sourced kit car (only one Ferrari Tessarossa Spider officially exists) several years ago for a very reasonable outlay.
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