At last month's Dixie Roundup the good folks at Garage Company Customs and Biltwell Inc. hosted a discount tour at America's famed Barber Vintage Motorsports Musuem in Leeds, Alabama. Musuem founder George Barber was a respected Porsche racer and restoration specialist in the 1960s, so his passion for all things motorized runs deep.

A dairyman by profession, Mr. Barber's collection has grown extensively since he founded the facility in 1989. Today the Barber Vintage Motorsports Musuem boasts the largest collection of stock, custom and racing motorcycles on earth.

One of the things that struck Billdozer most fascinating about the Barber musuem is the collection's diversity. Tucked neatly among the world's most complete collection of Lotus cars and thousands of motorcycles Bill and fellow visitors ogled vintage boat motors, LSR racers, pristine fab shops and private rooms teeming with trinkets, trophies and memorabilia.

The first thing at Barber that caught my eye was John Surtees' championship-winning 1964 F1 Ferrari. Sir John is the first and only man to win World Championships on both two wheels and four. How Surtees' gleaming red racer found a home in central Alabama and not Don Enzo's personal stash in Maranello is a mystery. Suffice to say hundreds of awe-inspiring surprises like this one greated lucky Barber visitors around every corner.

Thanks to Larry Pierce at GarCo for setting up this awesome diversion, and for the moonshine, cheap tattoos and good times that flowed freely at the Dixie Roundup. For more information on George Barber's world-class collection, visit the musuem website.