The hardest part about my Freak of the Week car carnival is the rejection. I can stomach sponsors saying no, people not turning up, and judgment from the car community, but conversations like this are excruciating: “Your Lamborghini is beautiful, and I understand it’s rare, but it’s just not freaky enough for the lawn.” But to do this right, I have to be ruthless.
Why Freak of the Week?
In 2026, the last thing the world needs right now is another car show. There are so many great ones: Pebble Beach, Radwood, JCCS, Luftgekuhlt, not to mention the endless stream of smaller model-specific, genre-specific gatherings of exceptional vehicles. I love them all. But you know what else I love? WEIRD!
If you read this, you know that nothing thrills me more than finding that oddball in the back of the parking lot covered in stickers. The woman who has bedazzled her daily driver. The kid who has murdered out his first car, lifted it, and placed it in his parents’ manicured driveway in an act of brave defiance. Yet despite the time, effort, and energy that go into these masterpieces, they will never, ever be invited to Pebble Beach.
Last year, I hosted my inaugural Freak of the Week Car Show to celebrate these wacky rides. It blew me away. My friends in the car community stepped in to sponsor. I got top judges from across the industry. My friends and family not only pitched in, but they also cleared their calendars and showed up. I even got a few amazing cars. Attendance was even more than I expected. There was just one question: Had I created a car show people actually wanted – or thrown a party my very supportive friends felt obligated to attend?
The Second Year Hit Different
This year, the crowd wasn’t just my friends and family. It was my community, the curious, the people who “heard about the show.” And the cars? They were nothing less than spectacular. (I’ll post more, but here’s a preview)
The People Were Just As Weird
‘A punk band, a few dozen families, some crusty hippies, and Angelyne’s assistant walk onto a baseball field’ sounds like the opening to a terrible joke. But those were just a few of the eclectic attendees who were at Freak of the Week 2026. Our judges included MotorTrend’s Billy Rehbock, artist Ruben Rojas, model/enthusiast Levi Stocke, and my queen and LA Icon, Angelyne (via proxy)!
And the kids? Wow. I bought 100 freak flags for our tie-dye station, and by the end of the day, they were gone. At one point, I looked across the field and saw something more beautiful than my friends and family—strangers taking selfies with the cars, parents chasing their offspring around the Dragon Bus, owners describing their creative process to curious onlookers, kids proudly sharing their freaky creations:
Of Course, Some Things Bombed
The pre-show Cars & Coffee was a flop. The old-school ice cream truck was apparently nostalgically cool to only me. Cars came and went, so depending on when you showed up, you either saw a packed field or an anemic lineup. Despite my ruthless commitment to weirdness, I caved and let some normies onto the field. But, in the end, that didn’t matter because if this was about perfection, that would be pretty ironic (and naive).
The Next Big Stage
The most incredible part about the 2026 Freak of the Week Car Carnival is that it isn’t over. This year, our top three winners are headed to the LA Auto Show.
I’m still a little shocked writing that. The show’s organizers mentioned the idea to me last year. I was thrilled, obviously, but also half-convinced they’d eventually realize exactly what they had agreed to and quietly retract the invitation.
They didn’t.
So this November, three cars — chosen not because they’re the fastest, most expensive, rarest, or most historically significant, but because they have personality — will be on display at one of the biggest auto shows in the country. And I, your local crazy car lady, will have my own booth.
Which brings me back to that Lamborghini.
Telling someone his rare Lamborghini wasn’t freaky enough to make the lawn felt ridiculous at the time. But now I understand why I had to do it. If I start making exceptions for the cars we’re already supposed to admire, Freak of the Week becomes just another car show.
The Lamborghini will be fine. It has plenty of places to go.
This one’s for the freaks.