Founded in 1995 by former racing driver and automobile collector George Barber, the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, based in Birmingham, Alabama, is one of the most comprehensive and internationally recognized motorcycle collections in the world. Its holdings, which focus on telling the history of the motorcycle from an international, multi-thematic perspective, encompass over 1,800 rare, collectible, and iconic motorcycles stretching from the 19th century to the present day. The Barber Museum’s collection includes bikes built by nearly 200 different manufacturers from 20 countries around the globe and represents nearly every facet of motorcycle history, from popular production street bikes to rare one-off Grand Prix racers.

This exhibit draws from the Barber Museum’s extensive holdings to highlight the motorcycle’s development, from its early origins as a simple means of personal transport to its modern-day prominence around the world as a vehicle whose style, popularity, and utility, parallel those of its four-wheeled counterparts.

In Collaboration with Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum