Vanderbilt Cup Races

Barron's writer Jim Motavalli has provided a wonderful write up of The Bridge VIII with a nod to the Mustang III Concept Show Car.

Greg O.

Classic-Car Event ‘The Bridge’ Celebrates a Racing Legacy in the Hamptons

By Jim Motavalli

 Sept. 19, 2024 1:25 pm ET

Sometimes the toughest race cars can look almost genteel when parked on an impeccably manicured golf course—even one connected to what was once a world-class track. The car was a 1965 semi-lightweight Series One Jaguar 4.2-liter E-Type Roadster, driven by Stirling Moss and Win Percy. 

It looked like it was ready to go around the Bridgehampton circuit in Long Island, New York, even though that historic location is only partly intact (with certain ionic sections lovingly restored). 

Of course, all was not what it seemed. The Jaguar was actually a recreation by Jeremy Broad of the 1960s factory lightweights, and Moss drove it in the 1991 Mountain Challenge on the Isle of Man, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the E-Type. Percy drove it later, at England’s Donington Park in 2001. Moss’ signature is on the hardtop. 

This was just one of the many fascinating cars at the eighth edition of the Bridge, held at its namesake golf club in Bridgehampton, with views of Sag Harbor and Shelter Island. Robert Rubin, a former Wall Street trader turned writer and vintage racer, had hoped to preserve the track for racing but local opposition was fierce. Instead, he opened the Rees Jones-designed golf course in 2002. Rubin hosts the Bridge with attorney Jeffrey Einhorn and entrepreneur Shamin Abas. With its food and drink stations, plus booths for exclusive lifestyle merchandisers, it’s somewhat akin to the Quail, an event that occurs annually during Monterey Car Week. There’s no judging, just a lot of looking, with drones circling overhead. 

Another historic racer was no ordinary 1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda. The car, restored in Connecticut to its 1971 specifications, was shipped to France when completed and compiled a winning record there through 1973, mostly with Henri Chemin at the wheel. 

Joe Buzzetta was a winning Porsche U.S. factory racer in the 1960s, with Bridgehampton as his home track. He quit racing in 1970 as cars got faster and faster, and that probably contributed to his living until 2023 and leaving nine grandchildren. Buzzetta’s legacy was celebrated at the Bridge with cars from his collection, including a 1964 Porsche 904 (his favorite brand) and a 1964 Elva-Porsche. 

Parked near these competition cars was one that certainly looked the part: A 1960 Aston Martin DB4 outfitted circa 2010 by specialist Nicholas Mee to be one of the fastest examples on the road. 

In one corner, possibly being mistaken for a bright red kit car, was one of the most significant Shelby AC Cobras, a 1963 Le Mans roadster, one of eight built with competition in mind. Specifications include magnesium wheels, big fender flares and hood scoop, a 37-gallon fuel tank, and a tuned 4.7-liter V8. The red example on display was the eighth, and after being sold to the privateer George Butler it ran at the Bahamas Speed Week events in late 1963, with a first-place class win in the Governor’s Trophy Race. The Shelbyf then finished seventh at the Daytona 2000-Kilometer event. The car has an extensive race history. 

And what’s that highly unusual Mustang fastback, powered by a modified 302-cubic-inch V-8. It turned out to be perhaps the earliest Mustang on the road today—a 1963 pre-production example, the ninth of 15, known as “Shorty.” As owner and Long Island resident Howard Kroplick says, most (all but three) of the custom-built S-code pre-production cars were destroyed. But this one, the two-seat, 18-inches-shorter Mustang III “car of the future,” was stolen from Ford after its touring season by  company designer Vince Gardner in 1965, apparently with the aim of preserving it from the crusher. By the time the car was rediscovered, Ford had gotten an insurance settlement, and an Aetna executive became the Mustang III’s owner. The crusher was thwarted.

There were modern cars, too, of course. The 2,107-horsepower, made-in-Croatia Rimac Nevera R EV, parked near the entrance, is capable of reaching 60 miles per hour in 1.74 seconds, and achieving a truly awesome 256 miles per hour. The company says the US$2.5 million R, with a 108-kilowatt-hour battery pack, redefines “what an electric hypercar can achieve.” An Italian Pagani Imola Roadster with 850 horsepower and another astronomical price tag was parked nearby, and is one of just eight globally. 

After debuting at the Quail this year, the Republic of San Marino-built Eccentrica V12, based on the Lamborghini Diablo, was on hand at the Bridge. Only 19 will be built. A most unusual offering was the Luminari “Cachemire” 190SL, a car that resembled Mercedes-Benz’ smaller sports car of the 1950s but was based on a modern SL600 and powered by a 493-horsepower, 590-pound-foot V12. Sixty miles per hour is achieved in 3.6 seconds. 

FariCars brought two very well-appointed custom Mercedes Sprinter vans, the more elegant of the two priced at US$445,080. The firm’s “Magnum Opus” Launch Edition (of eight units) features seats from the S-Class, an Alcantara-upholstered power partition, multiple TVs and refrigerator, coffeemaker, LED starlight headliner, and much else. 

Watchmaker Richard Mille was a major partner for the gathering, along with Drift Capital (an investment company whose portfolio is rare and valuable cars), FariCars, Rimac, Everrati, and Dietl (a premium car relocation company), among others. Visitors could take a look at private plane offerings from Vistajet, and sample Drumshanbo gin, Palm Beach wines, and Mount Holly beer. Two stations offered caviar.