POWERGRAMS

36 unique in racing world the plants, which are all indigenous to the South," says Stewart. A mannequin hanging from one of the pedestrian bridges, her dress blowing in the breeze, may frighten first-time drivers and ticketholders, but her location is one of Barbers favored vantage points. A clear-glass bridge center, three times the strength of concrete, allows viewing straight down to the track. "Adults walk around the glass but during the races kids will be lying on it, watching the cars go under," Stewart says. Inside the sparkling five-story museum, about 1,600 motorcycles (most of them operable) spanning more than a century are stacked in steel cases from floor to ceiling and all around each level. There are more than 80 cars displayed in the sprawling 228,000-square-foot complex, including 54 Lotus racers, which is the world's largest collection. There is even an Arrows F1 racer on top of one elevator car. Most race car enthusiasts want to see the 1964 Ferrari F-158 driven by world champion driver John Surtees. Another popular model is Dan Gurney's Lotus 29, which was one of the first rear-engine cars to race in the Indianapolis 500. One of the favorite motorcycles is the "Captain America" Harley chopper made famous in the movie "Easy Rider," but it is also one of the few replicas in the museum. Neither of the two built for the film survive: one was demolished during the finale and a backup was dismantled for parts. The oldest motorcycle is a 1902 Steffey 250 cc, which is basically a bicycle with a motor. Nearly as old are a couple of steam-powered motorcycles with wooden spokes that look like wagon wheels, and U-shaped seats similar to saddles. A Britten V1000 with C. Huneycutt stenciled on the windshield is one of only 10 hand-built in the 1990s by the late visionary engineer John Britten. It won at Daytona, set a number of world speed records and is one of Barber's most valuable bikes. A sister model in the Te Papa Tongarewa Museum is "considered a national treasure of New Zealand." "When people come to a museum, they want to see whatever was their first bike, but beyond that, they want to see a Britten," Stewart says. Some people donate vehicles to the museum, which acquires others privately and at auctions, such as the yellow 1948 Indian Chief motorcycle that is now part of an exhibit in the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. The worth of Barber Museum's ever-changing lineup is frequently debated but never revealed. "Everything here is simply priceless," Stewart says smiling. by Chuck Chandler The new 84,650-square-foot addition brings the total museum to more than a quarter-million-square- feet. Below, the Turn 17 hospitality area during the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama.

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