The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum is found outside of Birmingham, Alabama and is an incredible collection of motorcycles and vintage race cars.
The entire history of the development of motorcycles is on display from the very earliest examples right up to todays racing machines. This history includes nearly 1800 machines. They are all displayed in a beautiful setting in a multi level building overlooking a race track.
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| The museum landscaping is beautiful |
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| You are greeted at the entrance by stainless steel sculptures representing speed and power |
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| A scale approval model of the sculpture is found inside the museum |
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| The museum is a portion of the racing complex |
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| This is the museum view that greets you upon entry |
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| Each floor is full of machines of various types and histories |
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| Visitors pin where they are from |
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| Not too many pins from our neck of the woods |
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| Gently sloping ramps connect each of the levels |
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| It was fun seeing machines from the days of my youth |
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| Race cars often pass by while you are enjoying the museums displays |
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| Vintage lighting |
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| Various engineering efforts at alternative wheel arrangements were on display |
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| Handlebars fold and this fits in the trunk of a car. Often used as Pit bikes to get around the race track |
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| This step thru frame Honda model popularized the brand in America |
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| Incredible engineering on these early machines |
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| Outboard motor collections can be found |
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| Motorcycles as sculpture |
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| Really like this color scheme |
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| Step thru frame Honda's established the brand in the USA |
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| The evolution of motorcycles included a time in which they were to include added passengers and some sort of weather proofing |
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| Enclosed sidecars was one solution |
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| Examples of highly styled machines were on display and intended to determine new market direction |
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| Several examples of machines with wide front ends intended to control road splash were on display |
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| I first saw one of these in Europe - an attempt to create an all weather motorcycle. Some have weather proof blankets to cover you to increase comfort |
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| Three wheel and one wheel motorcycles are on display |
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| These giant one wheel motorcycles have the wheel rotate around you. They work surprisingly well, you just have to be very careful when braking to not stop to quickly as you then rotate within the wheel. |
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| Drag racing machines are a part of motorcycle history |
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| Lots of coverage of flat track racing |
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| The displays transition from motorcycles to race cars |
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| Lotus automobiles are well represented |
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| The collection includes every conceivable type of model of Lotus automobiles |
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| I found this display of a glass fiber car body fascinating |
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| Beautiful machines in the restoration area |
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| This is an example of how conventional bicycles were motorized. The gas tank is a former military water canteen |
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| This is an example of a motorized bicycle |
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| Bicycles of all types are in the collection |
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| The portion of the museum devoted to military motorcycles was most interesting |
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| If near Birmingham you should stop in and enjoy the collection |
