The Bridge is one of the most exclusive car shows in the world. Those lucky enough to get an invite converge on The Hamptons in September to indulge in good food, enjoy a top-level free bar (assuming they aren’t driving out), and look at some of the world’s rarest and most interesting cars.
To put the vehicles on display into perspective, some things make the vast number of Porsche 911s and Ferraris scattered around the golf course look like they’re just filling up space. There are so many gems you barely have time to find them all and give them the attention they deserve. Despite the challenge, I did that last year at the Bridge IIX, and I’ve attempted it again at The Bridge IX. So without further ado, here are the five most interesting vehicles I could pick out of a sea of incredibly interesting vehicles.
The McLaren F1
The McLaren F1 needs no introduction, but here’s an attempt at one anyway. It’s arguably the most iconic vehicle in motoring history. It was the world’s fastest production car for around a decade, fending off all competition until the Bugatti Veyron came along. It’s one of the rarest and most expensive vehicles on earth. To see one in the wild (outside of somewhere like Silicon Valley or Dubai) is highly unlikely. Even seeing one at a car show is a rare event.
So yes, this is on the list. It’s topping the list. The McLaren F1 took pride of place in front of the clubhouse, and pretty much every guest getting off the shuttle walked right past it. Hiding this in the corner would be a crime, and the gear heads organizing The Bridge all know much better than that.
Pivotal’s Personal Aircraft
Oddly enough, one of the least expensive vehicles at The Bridge this year was also one of the most interesting. Pivotal sells its “Personal Aircraft” for less than $200,000, and it’s so autopilot-heavy that it basically flies itself.
It can fly for roughly 20 minutes and cover up to around 20 miles in that time. It will force you to land with a decent battery reserve, again making the whole thing pretty foolproof, and its VTOL configuration makes finding a spot to touch down easy. If something fails, and it starts to drop, there is a built-in parachute to help get its passenger safely back to earth.
Although I have heard Pivotal’s reps claim a child could be taught to fly their electric aircraft on a simulator in under 10 minutes, actually getting in one is a little more complex than that. It requires completion of a two-week program, which teaches you what to do in the unlikely event that something goes wrong. Said program is included with the purchase of the aircraft, apparently.
Lambo’s weirdness on full display
Lamborghini is a bit of an odd company. Some manufacturers attempt to “break the mold” every now and then, but you never see the equivalent of a Countach popping out when they do that. Or a tractor. Or a massage chair. Or any of the other non-car-shaped things the Italian company has rolled out over the years.
But all of this pales in comparison to the LM002, a Hummer/Jeep/Land-Rover-like off-road vehicle that looks like it should be driven by Arnie during a 1980s action sequence. Like the aforementioned vehicles, Lambo designed the LM002 with the military in mind. Though it had the whopping great V12 from the Countach up front, providing the power.
Fewer than 330 exist, and those were all produced between 1986 and 1993. The example I was lucky enough to see at The Bridge rolled off the production line back in 1988.
French automotive engineering at its peak
The French automotive industry is a bit odd. It’s capable of absolute genius, and will produce some of the most inspiring vehicles on earth, but then they’ll only release a concept or about five of them or something.
The Venturi 400 Trophy is a great example of this. Very few were built, and the example I spotted at The Bridge is one of only 73 built for the 1993 racing season. It packed around 400 horsepower and could go from 0-60 in 4.1 seconds. Which doesn’t sound groundbreaking by today’s standards, but was pretty freakish in the early ’90s.
Not only is it a rare treat to see one up close, but it’s also a great display of racing heritage on the former site of Bridgehampton’s legendary track. It last competed back in 2017.
BMW’s latest “Art Car”
BMW has a lot of love for the “Art Car” concept. They don’t just want to dominate motorsport, they want to do it in something you can stand around making what sound like intelligent comments while indulging in an array of wine and cheese.
The German brand has created 20 art cars over the last 50 years, with the likes of Jeff Koons, David Hockney, and Andy Warhol all contributing designs in this time. Number 20, designed by New York-based contemporary artist Julie Mehretu, made its North American debut at The Bridge.
The Art Car itself, an M-Hybrid V8, competed in the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The full list of the vehicles present at The Bridge IX is available on the event website.
