21st Annual Barber Vintage Festival Dedicated to the Memory of Founder and Visionary, George W. Barber
Motorcyclists from across the nation and around the world will converge on Barber Motorsports Park and the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum on Friday, October 9, through Sunday, October 11, for the 21st annual Barber Vintage Festival.
This year’s festival carries special meaning as we celebrate the life and legacy of park and museum founder George W. Barber, as well as the motorsports community that has flourished through his vision. Barber, 85, died following a brief illness on Sunday, February 15.
Known for its breathtaking landscaping and whimsical art, the 880-acre park hosts many events each year, including the “Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix” and “MotoAmerica Superbikes at Barber.” Barber Vintage Festival, however, is the culmination of Barber’s dream.
Barber won 63 races as a driver, and contests of speed and skill are integral to the three-day weekend. AHRMA road racing takes place on the 17-turn, 2.38-mile road course, with cross-country, motocross, and trials competitions at designated areas throughout the park, and flat track at the nearby Talladega Short Track.
Last year, nearly 400 vendors participated in one of the largest vintage motorcycle swap meets in the country. A short walk from the front doors of the museum, the always well-attended gathering promises rare machinery, difficult-to-find parts, and historic memorabilia.
BMW Motorrad Days Americas, Isle of Triumph, manufacturer demo rides, and new-product reveals, plus gravity-defying stunt shows, a kids’ zone, live music, and the ever-popular “Wall of Death,” are a few of the other attractions planned for festival attendees.
Inside the museum, home to the world’s largest motorcycle collection and one of the greatest displays of Lotus race cars, visitors can take in historical seminars and new exhibitions. The celebration continues into the night with “Motorcycles by Moonlight,” our annual gala.
“Barber Vintage Festival is the realization of George Barber’s vision to create a world-class gathering of motorcycle enthusiasts,” said Brian Case, executive director of the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum. “As we honor his life and legacy, we celebrate the global community of collectors, fans, and riders who continue to bring that vision to life.”
Tickets are now on sale. Children 15 years of age and under are free with a paying adult. BMW Motorrad USA, Law Tigers Motorcycle Lawyers, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Triumph Motorcycles, Mecum Auctions, and Papa Johns are the official partners.
Connect With Us
If you’ve flown into Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport and retrieved your checked luggage at the baggage claim on the ground floor of the main terminal, you may have seen this 1925 Harley-Davidson board-track racer.
For years, the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum supplied the airport with a rotating display of motorcycles. This 74-cubic-inch JD was previously owned by Gene Baron, the founder of Suffolk County Harley-Davidson in West Babylon, New York.
This remarkable example of an important period in American motorcycling history has returned to the museum, so you can see it up close and in person. Follow the “Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum” linktr.ee link in our bio to plan your visit.
@harleydavidson @hdsuffolk @bhmairport
Photos: @wes.sparks.photo
#BarberMuseum #BarberMotorsportsPark #BarberVintageFestival
Sep 15
For more than 30 years, the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum has been dedicated to the preservation, interpretation, exhibition, and history of motorcycles, vintage vehicles, and motorsports. While many of the bikes and cars in the permanent collection were purchased by the museum, others were donated.
That’s how the museum acquired a 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder. Only 918 examples of this hybrid hypercar were built, and Barber Motorsports Park was a delivery point for the car. Two electric motors paired with a 4.6-liter V-8 produce nearly 900 horsepower and more than 800 pound-feet of torque. Car & Driver described the 918 as “technology on a rampage.”
Porsche Birmingham has a certified 918 technician, and our Liquid Metal Silver example was recently serviced, which included fitting new Michelin rubber at all four corners. Conservation plans call for the car to be driven once a year. Let’s see a show of hands: Who would like to watch a 918 Spyder lap the Barber road course?
Photos: @wes.sparks.photo
#BarberMuseum #BarberMotorsportsPark #Porsche
Sep 10
Rocker Ben Kenney made a detour last week, heading west on his way from Atlanta to New Orleans, to visit the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum. The former Incubus bassist and guitarist for The Roots is in the midst of an eight-stop U.S. tour to promote his newest solo album, “Powerful Buttcheeks.”
Five years ago, Kenney was diagnosed with an “acoustic neuroma,” a noncancerous tumor that developed on the nerve leading from the inner ear to the brain. The tumor was successfully removed, but Kenney suffered permanent hearing loss in his right ear. That new reality, however, hasn’t dulled his passion for either music or motorcycles.
Walking the museum with bandmates Gabe Wallace and Evan Lawrence, as well as tour manager Alec Dare, the Grammy-nominated musician excitedly pointed to bikes he’s personally owned, including a Buell XB9S Lightning and a pair of Hondas, a CB400F and a GB500. Kenney likened the experience to a child visiting a giant toy store for the first time.
Do you know that feeling? Follow the "Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum" linktr.ee link in our bio to plan your visit.
Photos: @doodare and @wes.sparks.photo
@vatoben @bakpakboy @13th_law
#BarberMuseum #BarberMotorsportsPark #BarberVintageFestival
Sep 8
The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum will be closed on Monday, September 7, for Labor Day. The museum will reopen on Tuesday, September 8, at 10 a.m. Enjoy a safe holiday with family and friends.
#BarberMuseum #BarberMotorsportsPark #LaborDay
Sep 6
How many kicks does it take to start this Ducati 750 Super Sport, one of three in the museum’s permanent collection? Spoiler alert: One. That’s right, one. Thanks for showing us how it’s done, @zeke.dezeeuw.
Follow the “New Exhibitions” linktr.ee link in our bio to learn more about the DUCATI 100 and GSX-R FORTY YEARS exhibitions, opening in conjunction with the 21st annual Barber Vintage Festival, October 9-11.
DUCATI 100 and GSX-R FORTY YEARS are made possible with support from the Italian American Heritage Society of Birmingham, Alabama. @bhamitalians
@wes.sparks.photo
#BarberMuseum #BarberMotorsportsPark #BarberVintageFestival
Sep 4
Mark your calendars, museum members: Wednesday, October 7. That’s the date for the exclusive preview of the DUCATI 100 and GSX-R FORTY YEARS exhibitions, curated by board member Ultan Guilfoyle and designed by resident mentor Pierre Terblanche.
For this after-hours event, members, plus one invited guest, will have first access to the exhibitions. Drinks and light hors d`oeuvres will be served. To learn more about membership and its benefits, or to register for the event, follow the "Become a Member" link in our bio.
DUCATI 100 and GSX-R FORTY YEARS are made possible with support from the Italian American Heritage Society of Birmingham, Alabama. @bhamitalians
#BarberMuseum #BarberMotorsportsPark #BarberVintageFestival #Ducati100 #GSXR40
Sep 3
No rear-view mirrors. No turn signals. Electric start? Fuhgeddaboudit! In his 2014 book, “The Art of Ducati,” historian Ian Falloon described the 750 Super Sport as “the first factory race replica of a race-winning machine.” The bevel-drive 748cc twin paid tribute to the fully faired racers that swept the 1972 Imola 200 in the hands of Paul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari.
Between 1974 and ’75, Ducati produced a reported 401 750 Super Sports. A preproduction example formed the basis for the “California Hot Rod,” the highly developed race bike that Cycle magazine editors Cook Neilson and Phil Schilling successfully campaigned in AMA competition and famously documented on the pages of that publication.
Acquired in 1992, this particular single-kick-startup restoration is one of three 750 Super Sports in the museum’s permanent collection. The tail section is signed by both Neilson and Schilling. “The fiberglass and some of the ancillary components were of dubious quality,” Falloon generalized in his book, “but the engine was a masterpiece.”
Follow the “New Exhibitions” linktr.ee link in our bio to learn more about DUCATI 100 and GSX-R FORTY YEARS, opening in conjunction with the 21st annual Barber Vintage Festival, October 9-11.
DUCATI 100 and GSX-R FORTY YEARS are made possible with support from the Italian American Heritage Society of Birmingham, Alabama. @bhamitalians
Photos: @wes.sparks.photo
#BarberMuseum #BarberMotorsportsPark #BarberVintageFestival
Sep 1
Preparations are underway for the GSX-R FORTY YEARS and DUCATI 100 exhibitions at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum.
The exhibitions will open in conjunction with the 21st annual Barber Vintage Festival, October 9-11, and be housed on the third and fifth floors of the museum.
Note: A festival ticket does NOT provide admission to the museum. A separate ticket is required and may only be purchased in person at the front desk.
DUCATI 100 and GSX-R FORTY YEARS are made possible with support from the Italian American Heritage Society of Birmingham, Alabama. @bhamitalians
Follow the "Become a Member" link in our bio to learn more about the benefits of museum membership.
Photos: @wes.sparks.photo
@bhamitalians
#BarberMuseum #BarberMotorsportsPark #BarberVintageFestival #Ducati100 #GSXR40
Aug 30
