The Hamptons are so cramped, so crowded with bumper-to-bumper traffic that local officials have proposed a congestion pricing scheme. Surely that’s good for the environment and for year-round residents, but having a car worth driving in the Hamptons is half the point of being out there. If cars didn’t matter, the Hamptons crowd would be on Fire Island.

But cars do matter — and once you pass the Shinnecock Canal, not just any car will do. If the Hamptons has an official car, it is the vintage convertible. According to the owner of Cooper Classic Cars in Manhattan, Elliot Cuker, the demand for the chrome-trimmed models is at a peak this summer. “The flavor right now is for the Mercedes convertibles, like the 280 SL convertible made in the late ’60s to early ’70s,” he said. “I can’t figure it out. It’s like a strange aesthetic virus.”

But what a great virus it is. Cars from before the era of constant communication offer a way of being in touch with an elusive sense of freedom. “The summer is a time of fantasy, letting go and having a beautiful time. The air makes you a little more romantic than usual,” Mr. Cuker said.

The topography of the East End lends itself to a certain type of car. The sloping country roads, covered with a mix of dappled and direct sunlight, are perfect for tooling around with the top down. And you don’t really need to go all that fast. Life can be a little slower on a summer weekend. What with traffic so slow in town, there’s ample time to be admired. It’s enough to make the vintage car owners rally against congestion pricing schemes.

“What happened with the classic car market is that it has grabbed hold of people’s imaginations. They appreciate these cars because it is history,” Mr. Cuker said. “New cars? Everyone has new cars. There’s nothing different or aesthetically pleasing.”

Still, there are plenty of new cars on the roads in the Hamptons. On a recent weekend, I watched from a sidewalk table at Bobby Van’s in Bridgehampton as a man parallel-parked a gleaming new Bentley between a Mercedes and a Maserati. (And the Bentley tapped the Maserati, which caused a wince from the tables.) The sight of watching half a million dollars worth of vehicles — there was a Range Rover in front of the Mercedes, too — was quickly topped by hearing the evening’s specials, which included a surf-and-turf for $150: Kobe beef steak, lobster tail, and truffled mashed potatoes.

With so many opportunities for ostentation, it’s easy to forget that you’re at the beach. But this particular beach community is just an extension of Manhattan. And that’s where an outfit such as the Classic Car Club Manhattan can come in handy. Situated on Hudson Street, the club offers members the use of the hottest cars — from a 2007 Aston Martin to a 1957 Porsche Speedster. A cofounder of the club, Michael Prichinello, says that come Thursday afternoon, members are picking up their cars to drive for the weekend to their houses in the Hamptons or at the Jersey Shore.

Members borrowing vintage convertibles tend to go for the club’s 1972 E-Type Jaguar Roadster and the 1965 black convertible Mustang. But they aren’t shunning the modern cars. The hot tickets are the 2007 Ferrari 360 Spyder and the 2007 Bentley Continental GTC.

Club members pay a one-time fee of $1,500, then join at graduated levels of membership for access to differing levels of driving time and selection. The starter membership costs $7,500 and the top level, the “Carbon Fiber Gold,” is $33,000. And with the latter comes the keys to the latest models of some of the world’s finest cars. Membership also includes access to a club lounge and trips to the racetrack at Lime Rock, Conn.

But where’s the joy in borrowing, rather than owning? Not every driver has the time to drive what he or she owns. “If you have it as a hobby, the car just sits there,” Mr. Prichinello said. “We give people access without the hassles of owning.”

There’s more to it, of course. Having heads turn to see an unusual car — new or vintage — is worth paying any congestion pricing fee. As Mr. Prichinello puts it: “It takes cash and panache to drive a classic car, and that’s what the Hamptons are all about.”

pcatton@nysun.com