“We are deeply saddened by the passing of George Barber,” says the Barber Museum. “He built more than an organization—he built a community. We are grateful for his vision and leadership, and we will share additional information in the days ahead.”
George Barber’s need for speed ignited his vision for today’s museum. Having raced Porsches in the 1960s, Barber held an impressive track record—63 first place wins. A thriving business executive, Barber rediscovered his motorsports passion in 1988 and began collecting and restoring classic cars. He then shifted gears to motorcycles in 1988. By 1994 he had established the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum as a 501(c)3 Tax Exempt Private Operating Foundation. The museum opened to the public at its original Southside Birmingham location in 1995. The Barber Museum collection showcased the engineering, balance, and unique design of each piece.
A call from New York’s Guggenheim Museum in 1998 was a defining moment for the Barber Museum. Sending 21 bikes to exhibit at the original New York show, “The Art of the Motorcycle,” Barber continued to make the connection between motorsports and art. “The Art of the Motorcycle” exhibit also traveled to Chicago and Bilbao, Spain.
The thrill of the New York exhibit sparked a much bigger dream for Barber. “We can do this in Birmingham!” he maintained. Barber set out to create a one-of-a-kind, world-class facility. Going even further, he imagined a road course as well where the “living museum” quality of the collection could be demonstrated.
Today the museum and park drew 368,000 visitors last year, including more than 3,000 visitors from other countries. Barber is officially recognized by Guinness World Records as being the world’s largest motorcycle collection. With its creative architecture and great attention to detail, the museum is home to over 1,800 motorcycles that span over 100 years of production. More than 1,000 bikes can be seen on any given day, and 200 different manufacturers from 22 countries are represented in the collection…
AMA MOURNS PASSING OF HALL OF FAMER GEORGE BARBER
The American Motorcyclist Association is saddened to learn of the passing of AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer George Barber, who passed away at 85 years old. Founder of the prestigious Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Birmingham, Ala., home to the world’s largest collection of historic motorcycles, Barber had a unique impact on the motorcycling community.
Son of George H. Barber, founder of Barber Dairy and pioneer for dairy pasteurization in the United States, the younger Barber’s love for motor vehicles started early in his life. In the 1960s, Barber raced and wrenched on his own Porsche racers with great success, claiming a large collection of wins behind the wheel.
Barber’s interest in motorcycles began soon after, leading him to open his own museum and hire skilled workers to restore vintage motorcycles to help build his collection. At the same time, Barber operated a vintage motorcycle racing team, which raced across the United States and Europe.
In 1994, Barber’s museum gained 501(c)(3) nonprofit status and was officially named the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum.
In 2002, Barber opted to close the original location of the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, moving his collection to its current location in September 2003, an 830-acre complex that also includes a 2.38-mile road circuit.
For his longtime preservation of motorcycle history, Barber was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2014.
