The 15 best cars from RADwood 2024

Held at the historic Chatham Dockyard, RADwood celebrated these distinctions with aplomb. 

The basic criteria is for cars built between 1980 and 1999, although a few slightly earlier and slightly later models slip in if they fit the bill; that bill being ‘greed is good’, whereby aspiration is king. 

Liveries, body kits and spoilers all added appeal in this era, so that’s what we’re looking for. 

Let us know what you would change about this order…

Told you liveries helped. 

And alongside a fantastically browny-beigey-black colour scheme, this 900 boasts awesome Inca wheels and the hallowed Turbo badge. 

Following on from the 70s sensation that was the 99 Turbo, the 900 Turbo upped the ante even further. It initially produced around 145bhp, roughly the same as the 99, but by the late 80s Saab was getting 173bhp out of the 2.0-litre unit. That made it pretty quick and seriously desirable, especially when turbocharging was still a novelty.

Without the caption (and numberplate) to help you, you might have not been able to tell what you were looking at. Well, believe it or not, this is a humble Punto convertible (built by Bertone) that has been extensively modified to fit into the ‘Max Power’ era, when bodykits and subwoofers were king. 

It is from a time in the late 90s when spending more on modifying than buying your car was the done thing, and if the speakers couldn’t shake the ground then it wasn't good enough.

An interesting chat with the owner uncovered that this 8 Series is a bit more special than first meets the eye. 

What immediately strikes you is its Estoril blue paintwork. Often associated with the E36 M3, here it cloaks a BMW that never had it on the basic options list. You see, this was a special order ‘Individual’ car, but unlike many of its type, it wasn’t ordered by one customer, but by a dealer. 

BMW Maidstone in Kent reportedly ordered more than half of the 8 Series’ ever made in this colour, and so they’re a more common sight in the South East of England than anywhere else in the world.

Even in the 1980s, the G Wagen (this particular one is a 300GD) was a desirable and aspirational bit of kit. You sat higher than everyone, could go further off the beaten track than pretty much anyone else, and it was that bit more exclusive than a Land Rover Defender. 

If it was a rare AMG or Brabus model it would have made it even higher up this list.

With a turbocharger helping the 3.6-litre flat six to make 355bhp, this was one of the fastest cars on the road in the day - little short of a top-flight rally car could put its power down better than the rear-engined, four-wheel drive 964 Turbo. 

With its wide arches, whale tail spoiler and Miami Vice white finish, it also sums up the era in terms of what was in vogue, although it was never going to generate as much attention as the loudest Lamborghini or Ferrari Testarossa. 

As far as Alpinas can go, this is quite a subtle one. It does without gold stripes and badging, and the interior is a relatively subdued shade. But that doesn't detract from its undeniable coolness. 

Better still, because it’s a more desirable manual, you can exploit the 3.0-litre engine’s 250bhp much more easily.

Fun fact: as well as the six-cylinder cars, Alpina produced the V8-powered B8 4.0 and 4.6 making 309bhp and 329bhp respectively.

In our eyes, the A60 Celica Supra is one of the best-looking Japanese cars ever made. The wedge shape, pop-up headlights and deep-dished four-spoke alloys all add up to make it the epitome of its era. 

With a 2.8-litre injected straight six producing 178bhp, it wasn’t slow either; 130mph was its top speed, and 0-62mph was dispatched in around 8.0sec.

Another ‘Max Power’ special, the owner of this (now very rare) 106 GTi told me that when he bought it almost 20 years ago, the first thing he did was match the purchase price with a respray in this striking orange paintwork.

In total, it was a £3500 job, and he reckons he spent at least that on the other modifications too - although nothing has been done to boost performance.

As RADwood originated in the States, it’s only fair we show off some Americana in this list, and what better way to do it than with a blocky C4 Corvette?

Production of these began in 1983, so it’s fair to say that by the latter stages of the ‘90s it was looking a bit dated (‘96 was its last year in production) but there's undeniable charm in its pop-up headlights, chromed wheels and Targa top roof.

A very different type of sports car to the Corvette, the Lotus Esprit uses a 2.2-litre four-cylinder engine whereas the Corvette uses a V8, and the Brit focuses on handling finesse while the Yank looks to Boulevard cruising. 

The similarities lie in them both having many RADwood-approved touches - the Lotus builds further on pop-up headlights with a swoopy rear wing and a squared-off dashboard.

This lovely 959 only makes it as high as sixth because its typically Germanic subtleness prevents it from drawing as much attention as a car that's worth around £1 million should.

Below the 911-based body and maroon paint lies a 2.8-litre turbocharged flat-six capable of 444bhp, helping to push the car from 0-62mph in 3.6secs and onto a top speed of almost 200mph. It does this, of course, with the aid of four-wheel drive.

The word ‘excess’ in the dictionary may as well be a synonym of the barge-like Lagonda. It had a 5.3-litre V8, a price tag greater than that of a Ferrari 400 or Maserati Kyalami and some of the most advanced (yet potentially unreliable) electronic systems in the world. Although systems like the digital LCD dashboard and touch button controls were at least partially abandoned by 1980.

Production ran from 1976 to 1990, but in that time only 645 were produced.

If the Lagonda summed up 80s excess, the movie star Lamborghini Diablo did the same for the 90s. If your eyes weren’t drawn to the bright yellow paint, its outrageous scoops or deep-dish alloys, your ears would be to the thunderous noise it made when starting up.

The owners of these DeLoreans told us that “nothing” gets as much attention as their silver time machines. Whether it be from fans of Back to the Future, or those who find the shape and gullwing doors appealing, or even just those who take a second glance to look at the stainless steel body, people of all ages take an interest in these Northern Irish built cars.

Everything that can be said about the outrageousness of the Diablo can also be said about the Countach, albeit on a grander scale.

Even now, the Gandini-penned shape gives it real presence and attitude, and the ironing-board rear wing brings out the child in us all. Even if the ergonomics are a bit haphazard and the performance no better than a modern hot hatchback, there are only a few cars that will continue to feature on so many bedroom walls.

Thought to be one of two in the UK, this Koenig 6 Series is the epitome of a RADwood star car. 

Not only is it based on a machine which, especially in white, is already fit for RADwood, but it builds on that - quite literally - with an outrageous bodykit and BBS alloys. Even though its additional weight and much wider rear track means it might not drive as well as the standard car, we love that a few people who were looking to stick out enough in the 80s were also willing to go this far. 

Koenig Specials was founded in 1977 but gained notoriety in the 1980s for their outrageously modified Ferraris and others - such as this E24.