Interesting. I'm happy for the founders/Radwood leadership, and not sure how I feel about Hagerty seemingly snapping up everything car-related they can.
Photography Credit: Chris Tropea
Radwood, the celebration of all things ’80s and ’90s, has been acquired by Hagerty. Radwood joins a growing Hagerty event umbrella as other recent additions include landmark events like Concours d’Lemons, The Amelia and the California Mille.
“Gen X-ers and millennials are drawn to the cars and culture of their childhood, and they represent the majority of our new members,” McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty, said in a release. “From Members Only jackets to T-topped Z Cars and Firebirds, the nostalgia of the ‘80s resonates with me personally. Rolling onto the Radwood show field is about as close as you can get to traveling back in time.”
Radwood was created in 2017 and grew to 10 events by 2019. GRM Editorial Director David S. Wallens showed his 1984 Porsche 911 Carrera at the recent Radwood at The Amelia.
[Rad car, rad bike, Radwood | Project Porsche 911 Carrera]
“As a lifestyle brand that celebrates automotive culture, we are beyond stoked to join the Hagerty team,” Art Cervantes, cofounder and CEO of Radwood, said in the same release. “We’ve been partners for years now and we know this will be a very natural transition for us. The Hagerty team are car people through-and-through, and we are very aligned in our passion for preserving the enjoyment of cars for generations to come.”
The next Radwood takes place on Saturday, April 23, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
Interesting. I'm happy for the founders/Radwood leadership, and not sure how I feel about Hagerty seemingly snapping up everything car-related they can.
Brake_L8 (Forum Supporter) said:Interesting. I'm happy for the founders/Radwood leadership, and not sure how I feel about Hagerty seemingly snapping up everything car-related they can.
Same, they are snapping up everything.
I mean their Facebook group couldn't get worse so that's a plus.
I think this is Larry Webster. He's doing a heck of a job at Hagerty. They're arguably doing more for the automotive hobby overall than just about anyone these days.
Brake_L8 (Forum Supporter) said:Interesting. I'm happy for the founders/Radwood leadership, and not sure how I feel about Hagerty seemingly snapping up everything car-related they can.
Yeah, I hope this means that Brad and Art and the guys got paid. They created this thing from scratch.
I see your point about Hagerty owning everything, but they do seem to be a pretty good steward of the automotive hobby, and one I'm happy to send money to every year.
Interesting. Hagerty has been doing some moves. They just opened(took over a failed?) storage and event space near me. Seems like they're trying to transition into real world interactions instead of paper and insurance.
https://www.garageandsocial.com/location/seattle/
At first I thought they were just copying another local venue that's been around for a number of years that's basically the same thing (country club for high end cars) but I guess the idea is more prolific than I realized.
I really enjoy radwood but the two events that have happened near me have really had the concours d'elegance vibe. As in, if it wasn't pristine and stock then they didn't care about it. Which is cool, but I just want to appreciate that era of car regardless of stock/modded status.
In reply to iansane :
I definitely think that Radwood has changed quite a bit since it's inception. I went to one of their earliest events back in 2018. The first time they tagged up with LeMons at Sonoma. I actually helped haul the trophies for the event in my E34 wagon.
It's a bit of a victim of it's own success if you liked the more relaxed grassroots feel of the early events, but I think that's to be expected when something goes from a small niche event to a nationally recognized brand. It's cool that the Radwood era cars are getting their due, and I think that they've help push the idea that collector cars should be something that you use and do things with, which I am all for.
I think the rate of growth of Radwood took everyone by surprise. Turns out Bradley and co had identified a need that was much stronger than they realized.
Brad Brownell just tweeted that he cashed out and is no longer directly involved, though he's still going to support the event in other ways. From the article, it sounds like Art will still be in there, but I'm not sure about the other DWA guys.
Obligatory pic of Radwood Detroit from a couple of years ago:
Personally, I think Radwood and Concours d'Lemons fit together well.
Say you have an E36 BMW or similar.
Is it nice and period-correct? Radwood.
Is it a bit clapped-out? Lemons.
Bittersweet. I think Hagerty will do a great job growing the show, but I enjoyed Radwood the most when it was small and kinda chaotic. I went to the first ever event on a whim, and ended up winning Best in Show at their first LA show. Good times and I've made a lot of great friends and connections from their events. Looking forward to seeing what's next, and definitely hoping the founders had a good exit.
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