100 of the World’s Finest Cars Will Be Showcased at The Hangar Amelia Island

Viju Mathew
·5 min read

While names like Pebble Beach, Villa d’Este and Salon Privé reign as prominent exhibitions in the collector-car world, two others are fast earning global renown—the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, in Florida, and The Bridge, a highly exclusive (as in invite-only) automotive gathering in the Hamptons of New York. On March 4, both will be connected by common ground in the form of The Hangar Amelia Island.

The three-hour fete will feature 100 of the finest modern exotics, mid-20th-century classics and motorsport models on display at Bent Wing Flight Services within Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport. Fittingly, an assortment of rarified aircraft will complement the four-wheel field, and it’s all brought together by the cofounders of The Bridge, Shamin Abas and Jeffrey Einhorn.

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A close-up of a classic Porsche.
The field will range from modern exotics to mid-20th-century classics to motorsport models.

“We found this incredible little airport that was built in World War II as a training ground for the F4U Corsair, a plane nicknamed ‘the bent wing’,” says Abas of the location. “And the current FBO [fixed base operator] is shaped just like one.”

It’s that shared eye for the eclectic and sense of inimitable style that has made Abas and Einhorn such a dynamic duo in the elite motoring community. Owner of her own communications and marketing firm, Abas began collaborating with Einhorn, a Manhattan attorney, gentleman racer and avid connoisseur of the automotive arts, quite unexpectedly.

Shamin Abas, cofounder of The Bridge, The Hangar Amelia Island and CarCoterie.
Shamin Abas, cofounder of The Bridge, The Hangar Amelia Island and CarCoterie.

“Our meeting was by complete and utter chance,” says Abas. “A mutual friend introduced us at Pebble Beach in 2015. When I told Jeff I lived in the Hamptons, he mentioned he had been working on ideas for car events there. Meanwhile, I had just worked with Bob Rubin, the founder and owner of this exclusive, very private club, The Bridge, on a special event celebrating Ferrari North America. Bob and I started talking about doing something similar to pay homage to what happened there [at the local Bridgehampton Race Circuit] in the past. Jeffrey was telling me that The Bridge was his missing link, and I knew that he was the link to the elements we needed.”

Jeffrey Einhorn is a Manhattan Attorney, gentleman racer and cofounder of The Bridge, The Hangar Amelia Island and CarCoterie.
Cofounder Jeffrey Einhorn is a Manhattan Attorney, gentleman racer and avid connoisseur of the automotive arts.

Launched in 2016, the annual car gala at The Bridge is now one of the most coveted invitations among motoring’s glitterati, but Abas and Einhorn are not looking to replicate it. Rather, they want to create a more inclusive series under the banner of their newly formed CarCoterie, of which the Hangar Amelia Island will be the debut. “We’ve built this incredible community of collectors who love being together, love sharing their passion and they like the things that we do,” says Abas, “and CarCoterie is just for that purpose, to gather everyone.”

One of the entries at The Bridge, an annual invite-only car show created by Bob Rubin, Shamin Abas and Jeffrey Einhorn.
One of the entries at The Bridge, an annual invite-only car show created by Bob Rubin, Shamin Abas and Jeffrey Einhorn.

That’s not to say that The Hangar’s assemblage of automobiles will be any less remarkable than at The Bridge, as the criteria for acceptance is no less exacting and, well, subjective. “There’s not necessarily a lack of rhyme or reason in the way that we choose them; it’s more that we have a very specific style of what we like,” says Einhorn. “Basically, it’s what was cutting-edge at the time it was produced. On top of that, we’re looking for vehicles that have a very strong visual impact.”

A close-up of a vintage aircraft.
The top-flight assemblage of cars will be complemented by an assortment of rarified aircraft.

In regards to The Hangar Amelia Island, that ethos will be represented by a selection that ranges from a 1949 Delahaye 135 to a 1965 Porsche 904/6 to current examples from Pagani. “I really like to run the gamut, because I like a little bit of everything,” says Einhorn. But don’t expect any judging or even more than a modicum of intel on each entry. “It’s one thing to go to a car show where there are giant placards with three or four paragraphs of information, but we try not to have those,” Einhorn mentions. “We try to let the cars speak for themselves as much as we possibly can, and let people just simply enjoy their presence.”

Bent Wing Flight Services at Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport, site of The Hangar Amelia Island car and aircraft exhibition on March 4, 2023.
Bent Wing Flight Services at Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport, site of The Hangar Amelia Island car and aircraft exhibition on March 4.

At once both carefully structured and laissez-faire, the atmosphere promises to be enhanced with live music, libations and an ample selection of culinary temptations. And if the substantial and diverse lineup of current sponsors, the likes of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Daou Vineyards, NetJets, Bremont and Cincoro Tequila (just to name a few) are any indication, partnership support will only grow more powerful down the road.

For now, though, the CarCoterie team’s primary focus is to ensure that The Hangar Amelia Island successfully takes off amidst the myriad similarly themed events leading up to the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. To that end, Einhorn makes the strategy quite clear: “The plan is to throw the party of the weekend.”

The Hangar Amelia Island will run from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET on March 4. Tickets are priced at $275 each.

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