I was recently in Birmingham on business, so I took the opportunity to (finally) drop by Barber Motorsports Park. Primarily know for its motorcycle museum, I had declined prior visits since I’m not very keen on two-wheeled vehicles. But, I noticed that according to our GPS, it was only 10 miles from the Grandview Marriott where we were staying. However, according to the website, the admission to the museum for my wife, daughter, and myself was $40 which seemed a little steep. After all, that’s how much we paid the day before at the Birmingham Zoo, and Victoria got to feed the parakeets and ride a camel. So, given my frugal nature, I decided to drive the ten miles there and then determine if I thought it warranted the admission price.
Since you can’t drop a race track in the middle of Birmingham, it had to be built in a more rural setting and getting there can be a little confusing. For instance, you head out of Birmingham on I-20, passing through Irondale. Incidentally, Irondale is home to the Irondale Café which was the inspiration for the popular southern move, Fried Green Tomatoes. In fact, it remains open and still serves roughly 60-70 pounds of fried green tomatoes everyday. But since we had just eaten what seemed like 60-70 pounds of cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory, we decided to bypass it. Next, we entered the tiny town of Leeds, which is what the official merchandise lists as the location for Barber Motorsports Park. However, after a couple miles of rural roads, you eventually come across a sign that states that you are entering into Birmingham again. Despite that, I’m happy to admit that all is forgiven once you gaze upon the magnificent glass and steel facility. Set inside an emerald-green forest of Loblolly pines, it looks like a mirage, like discovering a beautiful oasis in the middle of the Sahara. Even my wife, who typically despises cars for anything other than shopping trips, agreed that it looked worthy of the admission price.
Exit to Eden
George W. Barber Jr. traces his success back to his father who started the dairy business in Alabama during the height of the Great Depression. Over the next few decades, Barber’s business grew and today it’s the oldest dairy in Alabama. I can vividly recall drinking Barber’s Chocolate Milk in grade school and even now, the brand has a 92% recognition rate. This success helped subsidize Barber’s love for motorcycles and in 1988 he began the journey of moving his private collection into a permanent museum. As fate would have it, I actually enjoyed a private viewing of Barber’s collection in 1994 when it was housed in a non-descript building in downtown Birmingham. The occasion was a Ferrari meet and Barber had graciously hosted our dinner there. Later that year, he opened it up to the public before building the new complex in 2003. Even with charitable exemptions, it’s been estimated that Barber invested $54 million of his own personal fortune to fund the park.
Last year, Barber Motorsports Park celebrated it's tenth anniversary and has quickly developed a reputation as a world-class operation. It’s hosted the Porsche Sport Driving School since opening, was used for filming of the new Need For Speed movie, and was instrumental in developing the new $75,000 Camaro Z/28. In fact, the week before we arrived, the Guinness Book of World Records organization was there, presenting the museum with the award for the world's largest collection of vintage and contemporary motorcycles. That official count was 1,398 but one of the security guards mentioned that there are another “80 to 90” stashed away in the basement. He said plans are to hopefully build another room to display them in the future. It’s hard to believe that with 5 levels in the Museum they don’t have enough room, but a quick look confirms that floor space here is rarer than Tokyo real estate.
We arrived on a Tuesday afternoon and had the entire museum to ourselves except for two other visitors. One was an American, about my age, but of slighter build. We briefly chatted and it was clear he was not very knowledgeable about exotic cars. The other attendee asked me to take his picture in front of one of the motorcycles. He volunteered that he was from Guatemala and that it had taken him 17 days to get here. That’s not surprising since the park drew 270,000 visitors last year and offers exhibits from more than 16 countries.
Aside from all the motorcycles (of which a significant portion are Harley Davidson), it’s clear Barber is also enamored with Lotus. There are no fewer than 60 of these, making the Barber Museum also the world’s largest collection of Lotus race cars. Upon viewing all of them, I lamented to my wife that I certainly wished he had been as passionate about Ferraris. That notwithstanding, there was one Ferrari present, a pristine, silver 1972 Dino 246 GT. The previously unloved Dino has become something of an overnight success story for lucky owners recently. Ferrari purists originally scorned the Dino due to its perceived lack of pedigree, which was punctuated by a lowly six-cylinder and a missing “Ferrari” name plate. However, the past few years have seen the prices skyrocket faster than shares of Telsa stock. Even into the late 1980s, a Dino could be bought for close to its original MSRP of $14,500. But now, concours-quality examples are trading for $500,000, representing one of the best Ferrari investments of all time.
Barber also has a strong relationship with retired British Formula 1 driver, John Surtees. Surtees holds the unique distinction of being the only person in the world to win a Grand Prix championship on both a motorcycle and a car. As such, there are several showcases devoted to him including a classic Ferrari 158, the vehicle in which he won the F1 World Championship in 1964. Unfortunately, the Ferrari had been shipped to Europe to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the championship, so it was sadly not on display.
The actual 2.38-mile race course and its 16 turns is where the real fun begins. The surrounding 740 acres are as beautifully maintained and manicured as Augusta’s fairway. To that end, the painstaking detail extends to the use of a diamond grinder to smooth the surface of the track after each season ends. This tedious process helps prolong the life of the track as well as add grip for the vehicles that race there.
The day we visited, the track was closed and security was tight. Did I mention that the guards actually carry firearms? The 1-day Porsche High Performance Driving School costs $1,800 or roughly what a family of three could expect for a week’s stay at Disney World. Those courses offered culminate in a 2-day, $12,000 package more suited for professional racers than weekend amateurs. But it does include track time in a Porsche 911 Turbo and GT3 Cup Car which almost makes it worth it. However, the real highlight of my visit came from watching the new Porsche Macan being exercised on the track. I was told that a group of journalists were in town to do a story on the new Porsche SUV and were spending the day lapping the course in it.
Originally, Porsche’s smaller new SUV was called the “Cajun”, which many thought was an Acadian follow-up to it’s successful Cayenne model. That begged the question if future models might be christened the “Tabasco” or “Coonass”, but it turned out that “Cajun” was a clever portmanteau of “Cayenne” and “Junior”. Porsche claims that “Macan” was sourced from the Indonesian term for tiger. Unfortunately, their hopes of a dazzling model introduction with real tigers has turned into a Donald Sterling-sized PR nightmare. The hullabaloo began when PETA got wind of Reeves Porsche in Tampa, Florida using three week-old tiger cubs to promote the SUV. Concerned for the cubs’ welfare, PETA contacted Porsche officials who agreed to suspend the whole affair, including an event at Hennessey Porsche in Atlanta with a full-grown tiger.
Regardless, the Macan is a hit in Europe and the Middle East, selling 2,000 units in its first month. It officially goes on sale in North American this summer and seems a perfect fit for the white-hot U.S. crossover market. Based on the Audi Q5, the Macan is the first Porsche to utilize a four-cylinder since the 1995 968. However, Porsche enthusiasts desiring more can opt for a 400hp Turbo model that lives up to the marquee’s legacy.
I’m sure there are not many places in the world that offer a first-rate racing facility in such a remote location. In fact, Barber must have been quite a salesman to convince stoic Porsche execs to open their premier driving school in backwater Leeds. I can only imagine the horror on their German faces when they first landed, smack dab between such redneck afflictions as the giant Bass Pro Shop and Rusty’s Bar-B-Q (Motto: We Smoke The Good Stuff!). They must have thought their plane went down faster than Lynyrd Skynyrd’s and they ended up in Hillbilly Hell. Despite that, the improbable business marriage between American Dairy Magnate and Teutonic Automaker has been wildly successful. The museum is cleaner than some hospitals I’ve visited and the on-track activities make it a Disney World for adults. If you’re in the area, I highly recommend visiting it. The breathtaking inventory alone is worth the price of admission.
Since you can’t drop a race track in the middle of Birmingham, it had to be built in a more rural setting and getting there can be a little confusing. For instance, you head out of Birmingham on I-20, passing through Irondale. Incidentally, Irondale is home to the Irondale Café which was the inspiration for the popular southern move, Fried Green Tomatoes. In fact, it remains open and still serves roughly 60-70 pounds of fried green tomatoes everyday. But since we had just eaten what seemed like 60-70 pounds of cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory, we decided to bypass it. Next, we entered the tiny town of Leeds, which is what the official merchandise lists as the location for Barber Motorsports Park. However, after a couple miles of rural roads, you eventually come across a sign that states that you are entering into Birmingham again. Despite that, I’m happy to admit that all is forgiven once you gaze upon the magnificent glass and steel facility. Set inside an emerald-green forest of Loblolly pines, it looks like a mirage, like discovering a beautiful oasis in the middle of the Sahara. Even my wife, who typically despises cars for anything other than shopping trips, agreed that it looked worthy of the admission price.
Exit to Eden
George W. Barber Jr. traces his success back to his father who started the dairy business in Alabama during the height of the Great Depression. Over the next few decades, Barber’s business grew and today it’s the oldest dairy in Alabama. I can vividly recall drinking Barber’s Chocolate Milk in grade school and even now, the brand has a 92% recognition rate. This success helped subsidize Barber’s love for motorcycles and in 1988 he began the journey of moving his private collection into a permanent museum. As fate would have it, I actually enjoyed a private viewing of Barber’s collection in 1994 when it was housed in a non-descript building in downtown Birmingham. The occasion was a Ferrari meet and Barber had graciously hosted our dinner there. Later that year, he opened it up to the public before building the new complex in 2003. Even with charitable exemptions, it’s been estimated that Barber invested $54 million of his own personal fortune to fund the park.
Last year, Barber Motorsports Park celebrated it's tenth anniversary and has quickly developed a reputation as a world-class operation. It’s hosted the Porsche Sport Driving School since opening, was used for filming of the new Need For Speed movie, and was instrumental in developing the new $75,000 Camaro Z/28. In fact, the week before we arrived, the Guinness Book of World Records organization was there, presenting the museum with the award for the world's largest collection of vintage and contemporary motorcycles. That official count was 1,398 but one of the security guards mentioned that there are another “80 to 90” stashed away in the basement. He said plans are to hopefully build another room to display them in the future. It’s hard to believe that with 5 levels in the Museum they don’t have enough room, but a quick look confirms that floor space here is rarer than Tokyo real estate.
We arrived on a Tuesday afternoon and had the entire museum to ourselves except for two other visitors. One was an American, about my age, but of slighter build. We briefly chatted and it was clear he was not very knowledgeable about exotic cars. The other attendee asked me to take his picture in front of one of the motorcycles. He volunteered that he was from Guatemala and that it had taken him 17 days to get here. That’s not surprising since the park drew 270,000 visitors last year and offers exhibits from more than 16 countries.
Aside from all the motorcycles (of which a significant portion are Harley Davidson), it’s clear Barber is also enamored with Lotus. There are no fewer than 60 of these, making the Barber Museum also the world’s largest collection of Lotus race cars. Upon viewing all of them, I lamented to my wife that I certainly wished he had been as passionate about Ferraris. That notwithstanding, there was one Ferrari present, a pristine, silver 1972 Dino 246 GT. The previously unloved Dino has become something of an overnight success story for lucky owners recently. Ferrari purists originally scorned the Dino due to its perceived lack of pedigree, which was punctuated by a lowly six-cylinder and a missing “Ferrari” name plate. However, the past few years have seen the prices skyrocket faster than shares of Telsa stock. Even into the late 1980s, a Dino could be bought for close to its original MSRP of $14,500. But now, concours-quality examples are trading for $500,000, representing one of the best Ferrari investments of all time.
Barber also has a strong relationship with retired British Formula 1 driver, John Surtees. Surtees holds the unique distinction of being the only person in the world to win a Grand Prix championship on both a motorcycle and a car. As such, there are several showcases devoted to him including a classic Ferrari 158, the vehicle in which he won the F1 World Championship in 1964. Unfortunately, the Ferrari had been shipped to Europe to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the championship, so it was sadly not on display.
The actual 2.38-mile race course and its 16 turns is where the real fun begins. The surrounding 740 acres are as beautifully maintained and manicured as Augusta’s fairway. To that end, the painstaking detail extends to the use of a diamond grinder to smooth the surface of the track after each season ends. This tedious process helps prolong the life of the track as well as add grip for the vehicles that race there.
The day we visited, the track was closed and security was tight. Did I mention that the guards actually carry firearms? The 1-day Porsche High Performance Driving School costs $1,800 or roughly what a family of three could expect for a week’s stay at Disney World. Those courses offered culminate in a 2-day, $12,000 package more suited for professional racers than weekend amateurs. But it does include track time in a Porsche 911 Turbo and GT3 Cup Car which almost makes it worth it. However, the real highlight of my visit came from watching the new Porsche Macan being exercised on the track. I was told that a group of journalists were in town to do a story on the new Porsche SUV and were spending the day lapping the course in it.
Originally, Porsche’s smaller new SUV was called the “Cajun”, which many thought was an Acadian follow-up to it’s successful Cayenne model. That begged the question if future models might be christened the “Tabasco” or “Coonass”, but it turned out that “Cajun” was a clever portmanteau of “Cayenne” and “Junior”. Porsche claims that “Macan” was sourced from the Indonesian term for tiger. Unfortunately, their hopes of a dazzling model introduction with real tigers has turned into a Donald Sterling-sized PR nightmare. The hullabaloo began when PETA got wind of Reeves Porsche in Tampa, Florida using three week-old tiger cubs to promote the SUV. Concerned for the cubs’ welfare, PETA contacted Porsche officials who agreed to suspend the whole affair, including an event at Hennessey Porsche in Atlanta with a full-grown tiger.
Regardless, the Macan is a hit in Europe and the Middle East, selling 2,000 units in its first month. It officially goes on sale in North American this summer and seems a perfect fit for the white-hot U.S. crossover market. Based on the Audi Q5, the Macan is the first Porsche to utilize a four-cylinder since the 1995 968. However, Porsche enthusiasts desiring more can opt for a 400hp Turbo model that lives up to the marquee’s legacy.
I’m sure there are not many places in the world that offer a first-rate racing facility in such a remote location. In fact, Barber must have been quite a salesman to convince stoic Porsche execs to open their premier driving school in backwater Leeds. I can only imagine the horror on their German faces when they first landed, smack dab between such redneck afflictions as the giant Bass Pro Shop and Rusty’s Bar-B-Q (Motto: We Smoke The Good Stuff!). They must have thought their plane went down faster than Lynyrd Skynyrd’s and they ended up in Hillbilly Hell. Despite that, the improbable business marriage between American Dairy Magnate and Teutonic Automaker has been wildly successful. The museum is cleaner than some hospitals I’ve visited and the on-track activities make it a Disney World for adults. If you’re in the area, I highly recommend visiting it. The breathtaking inventory alone is worth the price of admission.
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