trove of vintage motorcycles from around the world and across a wide timeline. The display is a life- sized marriage of my two childhood obsessions. I am in heaven, and it is not a baseball field in Iowa.
The Barber museum holds the Guinness record as the world’ s largest motorcycle collection, representing over 1,800 gleaming examples from 22 countries and 220 manufacturers. That collection spans well over a century of motorcycle production. It also houses an impressive collection of racing cars. The facility sits on an 880- acre campus that features one of the most thrilling and picturesque racetracks in the world. Portions of that undulating and curvaceous 2.38- mile road course are visible from the floor- toceiling windows of the five- story museum. None of that track is Hot Wheels orange, but you can imagine my mental connections.
The Barber campus is the brainchild and passion project of George Barber, a successful businessman and former racecar driver. Barber began his motorcycle collection in the 1980s and established the museum in 1994. The entire property reflects the personality of its creator. It should be said that this amazing place is not some self- aggrandizing
A trio of military motorcycles( left to right): a 1941 Indian 841, a 1999 Harley-Davidson MT500, and a 1942 Harley-Davidson XA.
vanity project. In fact, the Barber foundation is recognized as the largest philanthropic undertaking by an individual in the state of Alabama. The museum features a comfortable theater that gives a great glimpse into the philosophy and personality of its founder.
After securing our two tickets to paradise, the true wonder begins. That display in the entryway is just an appetizer. A few paces farther into the museum reveals an atrium with towers that span all five floors. Those towers contain every imaginable variety of vintage and classic motorcycle. Again, each bike resides in its own Hot Wheelsstyle display box.
The main floors are accessed either by a massive, central glasswalled elevator or a wide spiral walkway that lands on each floor. Each of those modes of transport gives a different and unique look at the museum. The basement floor, which contains the museum’ s technical and restoration workspaces, is visible from above, but it is not part of the standard visitor access.
As we make our way from floor to floor, the museum comes to life. While there is still no shortage of motorcycles displayed in that organized Hot Wheels motif, the creative and often whimsical side of Mr. Barber’ s vision emerges. On one floor, there is a mannequin
A replica of the iconic“ Captain America” bike ridden by Peter Fonda in Easy Rider, one of the most famous choppers ever built.
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