A giant vintage Audi does in fact hover over the Austin skyline, but only I can see it Illustration : AP/Raphael Orlove

There’s quite a few things I miss about Austin, Texas. Things like breakfast tacos, properly done brisket, Hill Country driving roads and comically cheap booze. But I’ve never missed Austin this much until now, because the fantastic 1980s and 1990s car show Radwood is headed there in two weeks. You should definitely come.


If for some reason you’ve been living under a rock with no internet connection these past few years, Radwood is a giant festival of ’80s and ’90s cars, music and fashion. It’s a big tent of a party that celebrates pop-up headlights, splash graphics, V8 engines struggling to put out 200 horsepower, glorious turbo lag and more teal than is medically recommended. It’s open to enthusiasts of all stripe s and their friends.


In short, it’s a hell of a good time, and one that’s transformed into a whole movement.

Now our friends the Radwood organizers are going to a whole new stage: Austin, the capital of Texas, a town that knows how to party. It’s the first time they’ve gone that far south, and as a longtime former Austinite myself, I feel personally responsible for proving the local car culture is rad enough to hang.

The details:

Where: The Driveway Austin, 8400 Delwau Ln., Austin, TX 78725

When: Saturday, February 23, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Central

How much: $10 to spectate, $30 to show your car, $20 to show your motorcycle. It’s $100 for Radwood Royalty, the best of the best and subject to organizer approval, but that gets you showcase parking and a t-shirt. Kids 12 and under get in free.


What else: Cars and bikes (and some carryover models) made from 1980-1999 only, and period dress is compulsory!

Register here, and buy merch here.

Since Jalopnik’s Texas presence remains strong—it’s where we keep our underground bunker to be used in the increasingly likely event of the apocalypse—some of us will be there too. If you’re anywhere near the area, or even in one of the lesser neighboring states like Oklahoma, you should definitely come.


Tell ‘em PG sent ya. (Note: That will not get you in the door. You will still have to pay. Sorry. I tried.)