George Barber began assembling the collection in 1988 as a private project, motivated by a recognition that no museum adequately reflected the global history of motorcycles or made rare international examples accessible to the public. In 1994 Barber formally established the museum as a nonprofit organization. It opened to the public the following year in its original location in Southside Birmingham, Alabama.
In 1997 the museum contributed twenty-one motorcycles to The Art of the Motorcycle, an exhibition held at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. The exhibition subsequently traveled to Chicago and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, introducing the collection to a wide international audience. The success of that project prompted Barber to conceive of a permanent purpose-built facility that would combine the museum with a dedicated racing circuit. In designing the complex, Barber consulted with world champion racers John Surtees and Dan Gurney. In 2003 the museum relocated to its permanent home within the newly built Barber Motorsports Park.
The motorcycle collection contains machines dating from 1904 to current production. More than 900 motorcycles are on display at any given time. The collection spans sixteen countries and represents over 140 distinct marques, including manufacturers from as far afield as Australia, New Zealand, and Sweden. Alongside the motorcycle holdings, the museum maintains a significant collection of racing cars, including the world's largest assembly of Lotus competition vehicles.
The 880-acre facility surrounding the museum in Birmingham, Alabama was built by George W. Barber. It includes a 230,000-square-foot museum building and a 2.38-mile road racing circuit. The track holds FIA Grade 1 certification and has been widely described as one of the most aesthetically distinctive racing venues in the United States; it has been referred to as "The Augusta National of Motorsports" in reference to its extensive landscaping and maintained greenery.
The track infield features a number of large sculptures, including steel spiders and dragonflies created by artist Bill Secunda, a pair of lions, and a Sisyphean figure. Five large steel gates fabricated by Branko Medenica mark the park's entrances, bearing motorsport and wildlife themes. The Turns 5 and 6 complex is known as Charlotte's Web due to a prominent spider sculpture positioned in that area of the infield.
In 2014, Barber opened a 14-acre proving ground adjacent to the main facility. The site includes a track and a 150-by-350-foot wet and dry skid pad used for defensive driver training, safety instruction, product launches, and vehicle testing. Two garage units totaling 16,800 square feet support the Porsche Track Experience and other programs. A two-level building overlooking the proving ground provides rental space for meetings and events.
Barber Motorsports Park has hosted the IndyCar Series' Grand Prix of Alabama since 2010. The Annual Barber Vintage Festival has taken place each October since 2005, bringing together historic motorcycle and car racing under the banner of the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association. Current annual events include MotoAmerica Superbikes at Barber, the GT World Challenge America, and Formula Regional Americas Championship rounds. The park also serves as the permanent home of the Porsche Track Experience and has hosted the Keith Code California Superbike School and the Yamaha Champions Riding School.