Do have the need for speed? Then a trip to the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Birmingham, Alabama needs to be on your bucket list. This museum is home to the world’s largest motorcycle collection, with more than 1,400 rare motorcycles on display. When you walk through the museum, you will quickly be transported back in time. The collection dates back more than a hundred years. It’s truly remarkable to see all the incredible motorcycles of our time in one single location.
What You Can Expect
When you walk through the entrance of the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Birmingham, AL you will be taken back by the architecture and the how the motorcycles are displayed. Some motorcycles are stacked on top of each other, almost like an elevator of high powered machines. It’s pretty cool to see. If you love motorcycles, you will feel like a kid in a candy store. With more than 200 different manufacturers on display from more than 20 countries, there’s something new and breathtaking around every corner.
The museum in Birmingham, AL is constantly switching up its display and restoring bikes, so at any given time you can expect to see about 900 motorcycles. Of the motorcycles on display, about 90% of them are functional. Of course, we don’t recommend you trying to drive the bike off the museum floor-even though you may be tempted to take one of the 97 Harley-Davidsons on display for a spin. The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Birmingham is recognized in the Guinness World Book of Records as the world’s largest collection of motorcycles in a single location. How about that?
In addition to an extensive collection of restored vintage and rare motorcycles, the museum is also home to an incredible collection of Lotus cars. The founder of the museum, George Barber, used to race Porches in the 1960s. His love for fast and exotic cars is stronger than ever before. That’s why it was important to add the world’s largest collection of Lotus cars to the museum. The museum features the Lotus 21- a formula one racing car and a 1964 Ferrari F-158. This is one of the most popular stops for visitors in the museum.
The museum is a popular destination, with more than 270,000 visitors every year. The summer months tend to be busier than in the winter. If you can, get to the museum right when the doors open at 10 a.m. It’s $15 for adults, $10 for kids 4-12 and kiddos under three are free. You’re allowed to take pictures only for personal use- no commercial photography without prior authorization. While not open to the public, the museum is also home to more than 10,000 books, movies, and catalogs and service manuals. Please also see our articles entitled “Fun Things To Do In Birmingham, AL” and “Fishing In Lake Purdy Birmingham, AL“.
Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL
The museum sits on a 930-acre park and in 2003 the organization built a 16 turn, 2.38-mile racetrack. The track is open to the public so bring your racing game. It’s also where the Porsche Sports Driving School runs classes. The track is so popular and well maintained, it’s also been featured in several movies and car commercials.
The track hosts several popular car and motorcycle races every year including the Sportbike Track Time, MotoAmerica Championship of Alabama and the World Racing League. Tickets for each event vary. In addition to races, the Barber Motorsports Track in Birmingham is available for private rentals for your racing group or parties. The race track and the museum require different passes, so make sure you budget to experience both! This world-class facility and museum is an incredible experience for anyone who appreciates history, vintage motorcycles, racing and classic cars.
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