More than 300 hand-picked, extremely rare cars planned for the exhibition. Image credit: Michael Foster Automotive event The Bridge, returning for a fifth year after being forced to cancel in 2020 due to COVID-19, is ready to give affluent automotive lovers a revamped, intimate and engaging experience.
The invitation-only festivities are slated to begin Saturday, Sept. 18 in Bridgehampton, NY. Event-goers may enjoy more than 300 hand-selected, extremely rare cars for the exhibition that either raced at The Bridge or would have been eligible to race at the Bridge when it was a racetrack in the late 1950s and 1960s.
“Along with the fact that the event is by invitation only means that it is an environment charged with the wonderful energy of those who are truly passionate about cars, and you can feel that magic in the air,” said Shamin Abas, cofounder of The Bridge, New York.
In this Q&A, Ms. Abas discusses the event’s exciting return, the preparation for the event and what makes The Bridge special. Here is the dialogue:
The Bridge cofounders Jeffrey Einhorn, Robert Rubin and Shamin Abas (left to right). Image credit: Robin Trajano
Excitement is building, especially after having to cancel last year’s event due to COVID-19. Can you briefly discuss the challenges of bringing on sponsors for your event this year, in the wake of the pandemic? How do you help build excitement among automotive brands, sponsors and consumers?
We are thrilled to have the majority of our partners from the previous four years back with us, despite the challenges of the environment we all continue to face with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our presenting partner Richard Mille will once again have a considerable presence at the event with a dedicated pop-up boutique and beautifully appointed lounge, NetJets will showcase a full size mock-up of their Cessna Longitude, Sherry-Lehmann will ensure that guests are sipping the finest wines and spirits as they stroll the rolling greens of The Bridge and J.P. Morgan Private Bank will play host to some of the their most passionate car-collecting clients from around the US.
Pagani will use the occasion to celebrate ten-years of the Huayra and Lamborghini, 50-years of the Countach, and both brands will do so in a grand way. McLaren, Aston Martin and Bugatti promise to wow guests with the line-up of new cars they plan to display as will De Tomaso with its P72.
In addition, we are welcoming some exciting new partners who are joining us this year for the first time including: Ferrari North America, Bentley Motors, Lucid Motors, Giorgio Armani, TechnoGym, Glickenhaus, Compass, Polestar, Canoo and United Sodas of America. Nicolas Brawer will also return, showcasing some of his spectacular WWII-era naval binoculars.
Last year's event was cancelled due to COVID-19. Image credit: Michael Foster
What are the organizers/founders most excited about for this year’s event?
Outside of the incredible cars that will be part of this year’s exhibition and our fantastic partners without whom the event could not be possible, my fellow cofounders Bob Rubin, Jeff Einhorn and I are amazed to see how many collectors from around the country are reaching out to enquire about the possibility of securing an invitation to attend the event.
In terms of the draw and interest of both top collectors and brand partners, we’ve come quite a long way in the five years since we started the event.
There are going to be more than 300 hand-picked extremely rare cars at your event. How are these brands going to be able to actively engage the guests who are attending?
Most of the brand partners are showing newly launched cars, and other beautiful objects of desire understand that this is an opportunity for their top executives to spend quality time with their top customers, and that is exactly what happens during the two-days of event programming.
With the event being invite-only, how did your organization go about the selection process this year?
The majority of the invitations are dedicated to the brand partners, members of The Bridge and the exhibitors.
How will this event will be different than year’s past, acknowledging COVID-19 and beyond?
As a precaution, we implemented a rule that all attendees of the event have to be fully vaccinated. We utilized a rather intricate digital process, asking all attendees to upload their vaccination record with their registration.
IDs and vaccination records will additionally be reviewed by security at check-in.
What makes The Bridge event special?
The event takes place on the historic grounds of what was a very important part of the racing circuit, and each year we show cars that raced at The Bridge when it was in its heyday. That makes it very special.