Bridgehampton Road Rally and Tour d’Hamptons

BRIDGEHAMPTON, NY – The car show deities smiled down upon this year’s Bridgehampton Road Rally and Tour d’Hamptons, with Dan’s Papers and the Bridgehampton Museum hosting the historical and unique event. Though the weather report, and previous day’s skies, brought only black tidings, the day of the event was dry, if overcast, and the array of incredible classic and modern cars were able to take to the road, without first slogging through a field of mud. Some souls were even brave enough to head out top-down! 

Racing in Bridgehampton dates back more than a century, to 1915, when local firefighters opened the roads to street rallying, which continued until 1921. On the road and on the track, racing in Bridgehampton continued in various forms for years to follow, eventually coming back around to the revival of the Bridgehampton Road Rally and Tour d’Hamptons. This is the first year Dan’s Papers hosted the historic event, and despite threats of more torrential rain, it was a day of delight focused on cars, racing provenance, and the drivers and fans who love it.

There was a great variety of cars to attend this year’s event, ranging in country of origin, era, and performance. Of the most unique, take the two Morgans who, despite the thirty-year difference between the 1996 and 1966, looked nearly identical in styling. There were Triumphs, Porsches, BMWs, Corvettes, Ferraris, and one bright yellow Citroen, that stood out with its screaming signage of the 007 variety. (As if a bright yellow Citroen could ever not stand out.)

A poker rally was part of the main timed rally as well, the best hand coming in at four 4s, and trivia questions – resulting in a three-way tie and live action tie-breaker question. During the lull while cars were out rallying, a Literary Salon brought automotive stories to the stage, as car enthusiasts shared tales of their love for the car through the ages.

Car Show Safari was thrilled to be involved with the event as a sponsor, and our very own Motorsports Editor, Bob Marlow, kicked it up to eleven with his announcing of the rally participants, as they drove up to the stage. If you caught us on Periscope, we live-streamed the send-off, just before the cars hit the road, leaving at one-minute intervals.

Inside the tent, delicious food and drink kept attendees and racers happy through the afternoon. The tantalizing smell of the grill was thanks to New York Prime Beef, who grilled up mini hamburgers and steak at the entrance to the tent. The Heritage Racing Group brought several sleek, powerful supercars – the BMW i8, among them, and they took the main stage inside the tent, with winged doors stretching towards the twinkling lights across the ceiling.

The Bridgehampton Museum was the other of the day’s hosts, and their section showed incredible footage of the early days of racing in Bridgehampton, as well as photography and information that would make any classic car or racing enthusiast stop to watch, look or read up on the hundred-year history of motorsport to take place in the town.

CarShowSafari.com’s own Tomm Scalera and Bob Marlow, along with Richard Pintauro of Rit-Lyn Motors were chosen as the judges in the “Best in Show” competition. With so many fantastic automobiles on the show field, it was a daunting task. After much deliberation, it was a close choice between a gorgeous 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible (owned by Alex Scarsini) edging out a superb two-tone 1966 Morgan Roadster (owned by Eric and Joanne Singer), to take home the Best in Show Trophy.

Overall, despite a few setbacks, the day was a wonderful and enjoyable experience. The cars were incredible – truly, nothing beats the smells and sounds of cars actually hitting the road, and for that we love a good rally! The food and drink were generous and delicious and the Literary Salon was a creative and original event that brought another faction of the automotive world to the fore. I speak for all of us at Car Show Safari, when I say we were delighted to be a part of such a historic racing event as it takes another step in its journey, and we look forward to seeing it getting even better next year. 

For more pictures, check out our Bridgehampton Gallery!