George Barber had a serious interest in vintage motorcycles. He recognized that there was no museum that reflects the history of motorcycles around the world. He wanted to preserve motorcycle history in the United States in a way that represents an international aspect and to supply an example of motorcycles that until then could only have been seen in books and magazines.
The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum began life in 1988 as a private collection of George W. Barber. However, in 1994 it officially opened to the public in Birmingham, Alabama. The Museum was relocated to its new location at the Barber Motorsports Park, Leeds, Alabama, on September 19, 2003.
The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum features a collection of over 1200 vintage and modern motorcycles and racing cars. It is considered the largest motorcycle museum in the world, as well as the largest collection of Lotus race cars.The internationally acclaimed motorcycle collection includes bikes dating from 1904 to present production. There are approximately 600 of the 1200 motorcycles on display at any given time from 16 countries that represent over 140 different marques from as far away as Australia, New Zealand, and Sweden.
