It's labelled the best garden party and car show around, and it's hard to argue against that. The Bridge is a unique automotive event held annually at a private golf club at what used to be the site of the Bridgehampton Race Circuit.
The invitation-only affair usually has high-profile luxury goods and services vendors as title sponsors. The 2025 sponsor was Mercedes-Maybach, which had a range of their vehicles on display. Now in the 9th edition, The Bridge, like Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, gets better with age.
Here you'll find a collection of classic cars, supercars, and hypercars spread across the golf course. A display capable of keeping car enthusiasts hypnotized and wondering if they somehow landed in their version of paradise.
Now, you have some highly prominent car shows across the globe. There's the Quail at Monterey, Salon Prive in Oxford, and Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in Cernobbio on the western shore of Lake Como. All of these are prestigious events that bring out the best in automotive art. However, there's something about The Bridge that makes it outclass the rest.
Last year, I thought it couldn't get any better with the array of cars I saw in different categories. This year, some more incredible cars were parked on the lawn like they were just everyday cars. You had the ultra-rare Gordon Murray Special Vehicles S1 LM (only 5 were produced, all owned by one individual). It was right next to the legendary McLaren F1. Not far from there, you had a set of Ferrari F40s in their native red.
Eye candy doesn't even begin to describe what an event like this means to a car enthusiast. Other notable gems on display included the fiberglass-wearing 1976 Ferrari 308 GTB, a 1928 Bugatti Type 40 Grand Sport, and multiple examples of the Ferrari 288 GTO.
This year, many would agree that something that's not even a car stole the show. The all-electric single-seater VTOL Pivotal Helix. Its vertical takeoff and landing drew a crowd, phone in hand, recording the unique event.
You don't need a pilot's license to operate your Helix on what's likely to be an incredible ride. If you're interested in learning more, get all the details directly from the manufacturer.
Back to regular cars, whether you're into vintage cars, hypercars, or supercars, you'll be fully convinced that you chose the right place to spend your weekend. The elevation of the golf course offers an excellent backdrop for an event like this. The scenery on the horizon is incredible, and if you stick around long enough, you'll witness the sunset that makes the previous scenery look mundane.
The only drawback here is the time it takes to get to the Hamptons. Leave the day before at the wrong time, and you'll be stuck in an epic traffic jam. A better option is a luxury ride from Manhattan with services like Blacklane or Hampton Luxury Liner. Let someone else worry about traffic while you take a nap in the comfort of your leather seat.
There's the option to take the train, but it is a long trip, so it's a bit of a tough sell. The best option is either a helicopter or a seaplane ride. Prices revolved around $1,000 one-way, and flight time is about 40 minutes.
Blade refers to the traffic as 'one of the worst experiences to endure'. That's not self-serving marketing. It took us more than 4 hours to get to the Hamptons from JFK last year. Even though the rental was great (a BMW 5 Series, I don't recall which), I don't want to be behind the wheel of any car for four hours of slow-moving traffic.
It's still a little mind-blowing how a show like this can come together. After interviewing two of the founders, Jeff Einhorn and Shamin Abas, trying to dig up the 'hows' to pull off such an incredible event, it's still tough to imagine what it takes to make it work.
The perfect way to complete the weekend is at the Bridge at Topping Rose House, a smaller event limited to 500 guests. It is hosted in a boutique hotel the following day. This year's title sponsor was Chopard, and a Jazz band entertained guests while they enjoyed cuisine from chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten's kitchen.
Unfortunately, we were unable to attend the Sunday event, as we had to hurry off to another event across the pond. Hopefully, the calendar will be lighter next year.
So, what does it take to score an invitation? That seems to be a closely guarded secret. Perhaps, we'll press Shamin for some hints the next time we run into her.
