New exhibitions at Barber Vintage Motorsports museum celebrate Ducati and Suzuki milestones.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala — Two new exhibitions at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum will kickstart the 21st annual Barber Vintage Festival, Friday, Oct. 9 to Sunday, Oct. 11, at Barber Motorsports Park. DUCATI 100 and GSX-R|40 salute the rich histories, brilliant engineering, and championship-winning performances of two of the best-known and celebrated brands in all of motorcycling.
DUCATI 100 draws a direct line from an electromechanical pioneer to a modern-day motorcycle manufacturer recognized worldwide for its powerful engines, striking styling, and racing heritage. GSX-R|40 concentrates on a single model line, developed, as author Marc Cook described in “Suzuki GSX-R: A Legacy of Performance,” with “a clarity of focus and a depth of commitment to a concept that few bikes in history had ever presented.”
Ultan Guilfoyle, museum board member and celebrated co-curator of “The Art of the Motorcycle,” which set attendance records when it debuted nearly 30 years ago at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City, is organizing DUCATI 100 and GSX-R|40. Both exhibitions will be unveiled on Wednesday, Oct. 7, with the actual installations located on the third and fifth floors of the museum.
“When I first met George Barber,” said Guilfoyle, “his vision for what the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum and Barber Motorsports Park could bring to Birmingham and a wider audience was astonishing for its farsightedness. Part of that vision was a robust and engaging museum exhibition program. To be asked to curate these two exhibitions in celebration of George’s life is a thrill and an honor.”
Pierre Terblanche, resident mentor in the Barber Advanced Design Center, located on the fifth floor of the museum, worked closely with Guilfoyle and a talented creative team to design the open, flowing exhibitions. During his tenure as design director at Ducati, Terblanche was responsible for many new models, four of which—Supermono, 999R, MH900e, and Hypermotard—appear in DUCATI 100.
Purchase Barber Vintage Festival tickets at barbermuseum.org/barber-vintage-festival. Children 15 years of age and under receive free admission when accompanied by a paying adult. This year’s festival carries special meaning as attendees celebrate the life of museum and park founder George Barber. “Motorcycles by Moonlight,” the museum’s annual gala, officially opens the 21st annual Barber Vintage Festival on Friday, Oct. 9.
Official event partners for the Barber Vintage Festival include BMW Motorrad USA, Law Tigers Motorcycle Lawyers, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Triumph Motorcycles, Mecum Auctions, and Papa Johns. The museum thanks Ducati North America, Suzuki Motor USA, and the Italian American Heritage Society for their support of the exhibitions.
About the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum:
The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum is a 501(C)(3) tax-exempt, private operating foundation dedicated to the preservation, interpretation, exhibition, and history of motorcycles, vintage vehicles, and motorsports located at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala. For more than 30 years, the museum has focused on various aspects of motorsports, from displaying motorcycles and cars spanning more than 120 years of production to the Barber Advanced Design Center, a high-tech workspace for design exploration. The museum embraces the culture of motorsports enthusiasts by hosting programs, such as the Barber Design Camp, and events, including the annual Barber Vintage Festival. With five floors housing 1,800 motorcycles, 150-plus automobiles, 60 of which are Lotus race cars, and numerous vintage and iconic vehicles, the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum is the ultimate family-friendly environment for education, exploration, and inspiration. Additional information is available at www.barbermuseum.org.
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