As hazardous weather conditions led to the cancellation of the main Bridge VII event scheduled for Saturday, September 23, a quick pivot expanded the planned Friday evening Collectors Reception to quadruple the expected cars on display to include 160 vehicles.
Sunday then brought the second edition of The Bridge at Topping Rose House, with a portion of ticket sales benefitting Hamptons Community Outreach. It featured a classic car exhibition and garden party brunch by Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
Friday’s by-invitation Bridge VII Collectors Reception was a memorable evening for exhibitors, sponsors, and their guests. Held on the grounds of The Bridge Golf Club, formerly the Bridgehampton Race Circuit, eventgoers wandered the greens under a dramatic pink sunset to take in the automotive display while enjoying live music and delicious food and drink from Smorgasberg.
Presenting sponsor Richard Mille’s golf-inspired lounge, replete with a putting green, was dedicated to showcasing their new sports watch for women, the RM 07-04 Automatic. In addition to being worn by professional race car drivers, this new timepiece adorns the wrist of top-ranked LPGA golfer and Olympic gold medalist Nelly Korda during tournaments.
On the automotive front, returning partners Lamborghini, Bentley, Czinger Vehicles, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, McLaren, Bugatti, Pagani, Automobili Pininfarina, Polestar, and Lucid showed off their beautiful new machines. The event marked some momentous anniversaries as Lamborghini celebrated 60 years, Pagani celebrated 25 years, and Bentley celebrated 20 years and the end of an era for the W12 engine. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars showed its Spectre, the world’s first Ultra-Luxury Electric Super Coupé. Bonhams exhibited some of the most unique cars ahead of its upcoming fall auctions. Czinger Vehicles displayed its pathbreaking human-AI designed and additive-manufactured 21C V Max, while Lucid displayed its Lucid Air Sapphire and Lucid Air Pure.
The Bridge Next area showcased small production and specialty vehicles and welcomed Morgan Motor Company for their stateside return, showcasing two special edition Bridge commission Super 3s; and Bizzarrini, who displayed its bold new supercar, the Bizzarrini 5300 GT Corsa Revival.
New partners that joined this year included Zenvo Automotive, Bollinger Motors, Gateway Bronco, and The Little Car Company, each bringing an exciting amount of horsepower. Zenvo Automotive displayed the all-new Aurora model, as revealed during Monterey Car Week, showing the Aurora Agil and Tur. Displaying their exceptional coachwork, Eccentrica showed their exclusive prototype, the restomod based on the iconic Diablo of the 90s.
Guests seeking something to sip and savor while strolling the greens enjoyed tequila from the Cincoro tasting bar. The Bridge also welcomed back ZEGNA and new partners Merrill, A Bank of America Company, and Bespoke Real Estate.
Technogym invited guests to experience their most cutting-edge home gym fitness equipment, while NetJets welcomed attendees aboard its Longitude mock-up to experience its luxury offerings at 30,000 feet. Alcantara showcased their open-air museum, LE ICONE, guiding visitors through time and the brand’s history, from furniture and fashion to automotive and consumer electronics.
As guests have come to expect, on display Friday evening was a range of rarely seen automobiles featuring some of the greatest race cars of their time, including a 1954 Ferrari 250 GT Competition Lightweight Berlinetta (one of four manufactured and two left today), which raced in period at The Bridge, the 1960 Camoradi Corvette, one of two which finished Le Mans that year, a 1966 Lola AAR T70 Eagle — the 1966 Bridgehampton Can Am winner with Dan Gurney at the wheel — a 1987 Porsche 962 which took fourth place overall at Le Mans, a bevy of blue chip vintage metal, and a collection of Porsches celebrating the manufacturer’s 75th anniversary which showcased multiple vehicles from the Works, Sonderwunsch and GT departments.
The Bridge at Topping Rose House returned on Sunday, September 24. The ticketed brunch featured a uniquely curated classic car exhibition on the hotel’s beautiful front lawn, alongside extraordinary bites from acclaimed Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Guests enjoyed sipping Cincoro Paloma cocktails from Baccarat glassware, savoring the automotive sights, and listening to a live jazz band playing from the hotel’s wraparound porch. Event partners included Czinger Vehicles, Sacrilege Motors, and Baccarat.
Sunday also saw the Cars & Coffee event hosted at the Bridgehampton Historical Society, displaying many of the cars in town for The Bridge weekend, which was free and open to the public.
The Bridge is a collaboration between Robert Rubin, who has owned the Bridgehampton Race Circuit since 1981 and founded The Bridge golf club in 2002, and the event’s organizers: Shamin Abas, President of Shamin Abas Communications & Experiential Marketing for the World’s Finest Brands; and Jeffrey Einhorn, a Manhattan-based attorney and enthusiast.
“Despite the challenging weather, our nimble team was able to deliver two extraordinary automotive experiences to our guests this weekend. We take pride in The Bridge festivities and look forward to upping the ante again next year,” said Robert Rubin.