The Barber Motorsports Park  

The Barber Motorsports Park is one of the most unique places in the state, for you and your family to explore for recreation.

This gorgeous collection of both motorcycles and cars is located in Birmingham, and it carries very two major distinctions.

It is the largest motorcycle collection in the entire world, and it has more Lotus cars than anyone in the country.

Now stop and think about that—all this history of this incredible recreation, right here in Alabama.

The History of Barber Motorsports Park  

Sign at the Barbers Motorsports Park MuseumSign at the Barbers Motorsports Park Museum

The History of Barber Motorsports Park all begins with one incredible man, Mr. George Barber.

Mr. Barber was born and raised in Birmingham, and in the 1960’s, he was a driver with the Sports Club of America.

In the year 1972, his father died, and because of this, he took over the family’s dairy business, but it did not take him long to expand into real estate.

As time went by and the late 1980’s arrived, Mr. Barber started to collect and restore vintage cars.

However, with the continuing advice from his maintenance foreman, Dave Hopper, they both began to focus on their next true love, motorcycles.

This was a huge relief to both of them, as the costs of collecting old and vintage motorcycles was much less than cars.

It was not long after that the Mr. Barber started his dream of building and creating a museum to showcase his new “cycle” collection.

In the beginning stages he stored his motorcycles in a warehouse, and in 1994 he established a museum as a non-profit, and it was kept entirely separate from his other businesses.

Finally on March 14, 1995, this amazing place was officially opened as a museum for the public to enjoy, and when it was opened, it had over 325 motorcycles from around the world. 

The Continued Growth of Barber Motorsports Park  

This, however, was just the beginning steps, as this museum closed in the year 2002, as a brand-new facility had been planned.

This new facility would become the Barber Motorsports Park, and with it came a brand-new museum, that sets on 740 acres of rolling hills just east of Birmingham.

This new and very exciting site features a 2.3-mile racetrack that features a 16-turn racetrack, that was personally designed by Alan Wilson.

You and your family can view most of this track in your visit, and it also has some amazing attractions to see as well.

They include the following:

  •  Assorted Sculptures
  • Three Figures Riding Large Wheels
  • Metal Flowers by William Colburn a Famous Birmingham Artist
  • Steel Insect’s by Bill Second 

This incredible recreation park now exceeds over 1,000 motorcycles, some over 100 years old, all displayed in this beautiful 144,000 square-foot facility.

Because of these incredible achievement, Mr. Barber was inducted into the Motorcyclist Association Motorcycle Hall of Fame in October of 2014.

The Beautiful Barber Motorsports Park Museum  

Exhibit at the Barber Motorsports ParkExhibit at the Barber Motorsports Park

The main highlight for this incredible collection, is the Barber Motorsports Park Museum.

This museum, which officially reopened on September 19,2003, is unlike anything you will find not only in Alabama, but in the entire United States.

It displays over 700 motorcycles, along with Mr. Barber’s display of Lotus cars, which is estimated to be one of the largest in the entire world.

There is a glass elevator, that can easily transport all vehicles as they go to their exhibitions.

However, this is not the only attraction, as this building also includes a library and a research area, as well as storge in the basement.

This unique motorcycle museum will answer all of your questions, and here are some of the most common according to the Barber Motorsports Park reference listed below.

Here is the first of the most common questions asked by the public.

  • When did the motorcycle collection begin?
  • How many Harley-Davidsons are there in the collection?
  • Do the bikes run?
  • Are they restored correctly?
  • How many bikes are there really?
  • Where are they from?
  • Are they expensive?

These are the first of the major questions by the public, and here are some of the answers.

The motorcycle collection began in the year 1998 and has been ongoing.

There are 97 Harley-Davidsons in this gorgeous collection, and yes, 99% of them run.

They have been restored to all of their original specifications, but some will bear some slight modifications.

As of this writing, there are now over 900 very unique motorcycles on display, but there are also several in storage.

It is estimated that the total collection is around 1,600 total.

These gorgeous and very unique bikes at the Barber Motorsports Park, are from 2,500 different bike manufactures from all around the world.

In all, they represent a whopping 22 different countries in total.

The worth?  How do you put a price on vintage motorcycles like this?

Some of them are very rare and hard to find.

The Cars at the Barber Motorsports Park

Exhibit at the Barber Motorsports ParkExhibit at the Barber Motorsports Park

There are also numerous cars at this unique museum as well, and while they are on display, the main focus is on the unique motorcycles.

However, the cars that are there are all primarily the Lotus racecars, although there are a few other types exhibited as well.

There is also one other major attraction at this very unique museum in Alabama, the Annual Barber Vintage Festival.

This festival is one of the most anticipated motorcycle events, again, not just in Alabama, but in the country.

It is a three-day event that features a fan zone, a swap meet, all kinds of food vendors, as well as hundreds of vendors selling vintage motorcycle parts.

It you and your family had ever had a motorcycle or just love them; you must come to this beautiful museum.

You will love it.

References

The Barber Story | Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum (barbermuseum.org)

http://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1555

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