Retro Spec Night Revs Up Cold Summer With Golden Era Cars

More than 60 cars from the ‘80s to the 2000s flowed into an Ocean View parking lot on Saturday for Retro Spec Night, a car meet organized by Donald “Paypa Boy” Andrews in tribute to the car scene from hip-hop’s golden era and the neighborhood’s old-school culture.

“This is exactly the type of thing that is needed,” Andrews said. “I mean, we’re suffering the coldest summer since 1965, and people feel like there’s nothing to do. It’s time this neighborhood had cool things again.”

Retro Spec Night ran from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. at St. Michael Korean Catholic Church, allowing some of its 200 attendees to close out their day on Broad Street after spilling over from other car meets around the Bay Area, including the RADwood NorCal event in San Jose.

Andrews, who owns Dream Team clothing shop and organized his first car meet last year, was recognized by eventgoers as coming into his own as a community leader. That morning, he was a featured speaker for Walk the Block, an event series designed to celebrate the city’s historically Black neighborhoods.

Andrews spent all 39 years of his life on these streets, and as the church parking lot filled up with cars from his childhood, he reminisced over how he used to play ball and ride his bike around the very same lot when he was young.

One by one, cars like the ‘97 Honda Del Sol and the ex-California Highway Patrol Mustang from ‘93, pulled alongside the third-generation BMW 5 series and Andrews’ own 1984 Nissan 300ZX.

Andrews said the car culture in the Bay Area is often misunderstood for being nothing more than donuts, sideshows and creating havoc.

“People like me just appreciate the builds, the aesthetics of that old era culture, you know, all these cars that just ring and yell, Golden Era, Golden Era things,” Andrews said, looking himself like a relic of Hip-Hop’s golden era with a fresh cut flat-top, Cooji sweater and Cazal glasses.

The owner of the former CHP Mustang, who went by T, recalled that many people on his block growing up in Oakland bought decommissioned CHP cars at auctions. As he watched them go by outside his window, he knew one day he had to have one, too.

Jason Hobdy, owner of a 2000 Camaro with a fully built-out motor, complete with 243 heads and Diamond pistons, spoke about growing up in the Fillmore and how the local hip-hop legends he looked up to always cruised the streets in custom low-riders.

“Seeing them made you go, man, one day I want a car like that,” Hobdy said, adding he was supportive of Andrews organizing gatherings like the car meet.

Pit Stop Boba Shop donated 100 boba drinks to the event. Adam Riveras, owner of pop-up grill City Chopped, served up his infamous chopped cheese sandwiches alongside other independent entrepreneurs from the community, including the 10-year-old founder of Big Man’s Hats.

As the lot filled out and the sun set, car enthusiasts of all ages milled around, popping hoods and revving engines.

Ja’Shon Wright, owner of the 1999 Jaguar XK8 with a 4.0L V8 engine, had a merch table set up that represented his various fashion brands and automotive shop in Sacramento.

Wright said car culture was West Coast-influenced to its core.

“Cars are like mechanical horses,” Wright said. “You're talking about the cowboys. That's why Han in ‘Tokyo Drift’ is like, ‘this is my Mexico.’ You feel me? Because at the end of the day, that sense of lawlessness is in your hands, and your relationship with your car is like your relationship with your horse.”

As the night revved steadily into the late hours, Andrews was reminded of Broad Street’s own unique car culture back in the day, between what used to be a local black-owned gas station called Scarborough, and the exotic rides that would be salvaged off the old tow yard that used to sit under the I-280 freeway.

Paul Barrera, a local community organizer for SF New Deal who works with Andrews to support small businesses in the area, explained how Andrews is a direct continuation of the neighborhood’s legacy. Not only were his grandparents local business owners during Broad Street’s heyday, but local hip-hop legends like Cellski and Baldhead Rick were his community elders.

“There aren't many neighborhoods like this left in San Francisco that are truly authentic. Go to other cultural events, and it feels like it’s put on by an events company. But this is not; this is put on by the neighborhood,” Barrera said, gesturing toward the retro cars around him.

When the neighborhood was thriving, local businesses lined the streets, and there was a constant flow of foot traffic to appreciate the music, artists and cars that made it what it was, like a Haight Street that celebrated Cougnut instead of the Grateful Dead. But today, Andrews and the Dream Team are one of the last remaining neighborhood Black-cultural institutions.

Barrera said as long as Andrews is pushing his dreams, that culture isn’t going away.

Andrews announced on social media Monday that he plans to host one more car meet before the summer ends, this time with a Honda theme.

“The adults are coming back out to play, but we’re going to play with respect, invite the whole neighborhood to come through,” Andrews said. "It’s just about building community."