"The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum has the largest motorcycle collection in the United States with more than 1,600 motorcycles and racing cars that date from the early 1900s to modern day," the Atlas Obscura says.

"The museum began as the private collection of George W. Barber, a former racecar driver. Barber first opened a museum in 1995, but relocated to this larger facility in 2003.

"The museum is part of the 880-acre Barber Motorsports Park, which also features a 16-turn, 2.38-mile road course, off-road courses, and a vehicle testing facility. The museum occupies a 230,000-square-foot building at the park. Inside, you can find a large variety of vehicles—some of which can’t be found anywhere else in the world. It is considered the largest motorcycle museum in the world, as well as the largest collection of Lotus race cars."

"With its creative architecture and great attention to detail, the museum is home to over 1,600 motorcycles that span over 100 years of production. More than 950 bikes can be seen on any given day, and 200 different manufacturers from 20 countries are represented in the collection—from Harley-Davidson, Honda, and Indian—to Showa, DSK, and Cagiva," the official website says.

"In his passion for motorcycles, George Barber’s love of cars has remained powerful. The museum features the world’s most extensive Lotus collection, anchored by the Lotus 21. The museum also displays rare racecars, including the 1964 Ferrari F-158, in which John Surtees won the 1964 Formula 1 Driver’s World Championship.

"The museum and park drew 368,000 visitors last year, including more than 3,000 visitors from other countries. In April 2014, Barber was officially recognized by Guinness World Records as being the world’s largest motorcycle collection. Barber says he wants “to use the museum as a tool to help bring more people to Birmingham.” Being dedicated to interpreting and exhibiting motorcycles and vintage vehicles, the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum is a destination that is truly amazing."

"The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum houses the world’s largest collection of vintage and contemporary motorcycles," the Guinness World Records says.

"The 1,398 unique exhibits are displayed over 13,375 m² (144,000 ft²) in a five-storey building set in the 336-ha (830-acre) Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, as verified on 19 March 2014."

"With money as no object, really, Mr. Barber rapidly built his collection. In 2014 Guinness World Records counted his bikes and declared that George Barber had more motorcycles than anyone else on the planet: around 1,500 bikes, with new ones arriving frequently," the Roadside America says.



"He spent $70 million to buy several hundred acres of woodland on the outskirts of Birmingham, then hired workers to chainsaw the forest, build a parkway to the nearest interstate exit, and manicure the grounds with flowers, decorative shrubs and trees, and sculptures. He built a 2.3-mile track that his museum mechanics could use when they needed to air out the bikes. "These are living exhibits," said Jeff, which means that all of the museum's motorcycles, even those that are over a hundred years old, can be started up and taken out for a spin.

"The museum has five floors and 144,000 square feet of exhibit space. Mr. Barber designed it as a cross between the Guggenheim art museum in New York City and a parking deck that he liked in Birmingham. Visitors take an elevator to the top floor, then follow the pull of gravity down a series of spiral ramps, past the various galleries, to the exit. It's built to be easy. Looking down from the fifth floor, the walkways reminded us of the flyovers of a freeway interchange."

"Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum is located in Leeds, Alabama and was founded by billionaire motorsports enthusiast George Barber. Each year, it receives thousands of visitors from all around the world," the Only In Your State says.

"This unique museum, which has five floors and covers 230,000 square feet, is home to more than 1,600 motorcycles, making it the world's largest motorcycle collection. The motorcycles in this collection were also produced over a span of 100 years.

"In addition to motorcycles, Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum also features the world’s most extensive Lotus collection. You'll also get to view a variety of other race cars during your visit. On the grounds of the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, there's also a 16-turn, 2.38-mile race track that's open to the public. It's also used for the Porsche Sport Driving School and has been featured in several commercials."

"The Barber Motorsports impact was best described in Alabama Seaport, “In addition to a profound motorcycle collection, the Barber Museum also has a slew of events on its property. One of the events is hosted by the Indy Race League and Zoom Motorsports and drew a crowd of 89,000 people in April 2010.” However, every week the museum opens its doors for the public to view a collection of 1,200 vintage motorcycles and 50 Lotus cars," the City of Leeds Alabama says.

"Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum tops in poll recognized by the Business Alabama Magazine. The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum is Alabama's best attraction, according to readers of USA Today.

"The museum that anchors the 880-acre Barber Motorsports Park features one of the largest collections of motorcycles in the world and the largest collection of vintage Lotus racecars. - Alabama Today."

"Motorsports Museum is home to over 1,400 motorcycles that span over 100 years of production. More than 650 bikes can be seen on any given day, and 200 different manufacturers from 20 countries are represented in the collection—from Harley-Davidson, Honda, and Indian—to Showa, DSK, and Cagiva," the Automotive Museum Guide says.

"In his passion for motorcycles, George Barber’s love of cars has remained powerful. The museum features the world’s most extensive Lotus collection, anchored by the Lotus 21.

"The museum also displays rare race cars, including the 1964 Ferrari F-158, in which John Surtees won the 1964 Formula 1 Driver’s World Championship."

"George Barber had a serious interest in vintage motorcycles and 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 examples of motorcycles that until then could only have been seen in books and magazines.

"The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum began in 1988 as Barber's private collection. However, in 1994, he established the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum as a 501(c) nonprofit organization. It opened to the public in its original Southside Birmingham, Alabama location in 1995 (28 years ago). In 1997 the Barber Museum sent 21 motorcycles to New York's Guggenheim Museum for exhibit in The Art of the Motorcycle; the exhibit also traveled to Chicago and the Guggenheim Museum Bilboa. After the success of The Art of the Motorcycle, Barber set out to create a unique facility complete with a track. In designing the complex, Barber consulted with world champion racers John Surtees and Dan Gurney. In 2003, the Barber Museum was relocated to its permanent home in Barber Motorsports Park.

"The museum contains more than 1,600 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 motorcycle collection includes bikes dating from 1904 to present production. More than 900 motorcycles are on display. They come from 16 countries and represent over 140 different marques from as far away from the US as Australia, New Zealand, and Sweden." (Wikipedia)

"George W. Barber (a.k.a. George Barber Jr.) is an American businessman, real estate developer and philanthropist from Alabama. Barber's father, George Warren Barber, founded Barber Dairies in the 1930s. It became the largest dairy company in Alabama. His father promoted the use of pasteurized milk in the United States.

"Barber was a racecar driver. Later, he was a real estate developer and served as the Chairman of Barber Dairies. In 1998, he sold the family business to Dean Foods. In 2003, he established Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.

"Barber started collecting motorcycles in the 1970s. It is "the world's largest collection of motorcycles," and it is in the Guinness Book of Records with more than 1,400 motorcycles covering all timelines from vintage to modern. He was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2014."  (Wikipedia)

"With over 800,000 bulbs planted in the ground, 16,000 Crape Myrtles and 18,000 Azaleas, Barber Motorsports Park is exploding with springtime color. It’s a setting so serene and so naturally beautiful, it has earned the reputation as the “August National of Motorsports,” the Forbes magazine says.

"The annual Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Memorial Day Weekend may be IndyCar’s version of “The Masters” but Barber Motorsports Park is certainly its Augusta National.

"When George Barber created this magnificent racing facility, he wanted his spectators to have a premium experience. It was more important to him to host 30,000 or 40,000 spectators per day in comfortable surroundings, than it was to jam them into the facility."

"The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Birmingham contains the largest motorcycle collection in the world and more Lotus competition cars than anywhere else in the United States. The passion project of former racecar driver and dairy industrialist George Barber, the collection exceeds 1,000 motorcycles, some more than 100 years old, displayed in the museum’s five-story, 144,000-square-foot facility. Racing events, featuring vehicles from the museum’s collections, are held at the racetrack that adjoins the museum," the Encyclopedia of Alabama says.

"The museum, which reopened on September 19, 2003, displays approximately 700 motorcycles, complemented by Barber’s array of Lotus race cars, one of the largest such collections in the world. The display area has an open design of steel and concrete. A glass elevator large enough to transport vehicles rises through the exhibition area to the fifth floor, and motorcycles are displayed on each level.

"Restoration facilities are walled with glass so visitors can watch restorers at work. The museum’s executive director, Jeff Ray, joined the organization as a mechanic in 1990, doing restoration work on Barber’s collection. The building also includes library and research areas, and the basement provides space for vehicles not on display."

"This museum contains the most unbelievable collection of Motorsports vehicles and associated item you can imagine. The museum is located in a gorgeous setting and is immaculate throughout! I highly recommend this museum."

"This is the #1 place to visit if you are around Birmingham. I’m not even a race car or motorcycle person but this place is one of a kind."

"The collection is amazing, the building beautiful and the track an extra bonus. I'm not necessarily a car/motorcycle buff but it was still delightful and the curated sections were well done. Worth the price."

"Fantastic collection to see and growing. Hope to go back. On my next pass through Birmingham. Fun watching race practice from the over head bridge."

"Very impressive collection and display. I’m not a motorcycle fan but it was interesting to see. I was especially impressed with the landscaping. Beautiful!"

"This place is the most amazing museum I have ever seen! There are so many motorcycles of all kinds and time frames. Plan on spending several hours at this awesome place! Oh and the food was fabulous!"