America's Finest Lotus Collection

[Loquacious Lew]

I did a search on the forum and nothing relevant came up.  Hopefully this will be new material for you.  

 

Link to site

 

Words: My home in Nashville  is about 150 miles from Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham Alabama.  The park facility includes a great fully serviced road coarse, expansive grounds and a lavish museum devoted primarily to motorcycles.  As respects the bikes, the collection is staggering but there is also a big Lotus collection.  It's certainly the finest Lotus collection in the country, and one of the best in the world
The drive from Nashville to Birmingham is a slog on US 65 with no real way to make efficient use of backroads but I took my Evora there anyway secure in the knowledge that all Lotus seat time is good seat time.  

Pics: (I have quite a few):

 

 

 

 

[Loquacious Lew]

[Loquacious Lew]

Tough crowd! 

[franjipane]

I need to go to this place, but damn that is far away!

[21gg]

Wow!

[Arregueti]

It does look impressive. Thanks for posting!

[Neal H]

That does look brilliant! Next time I visit the US I may need to try and figure out how to take a trip out there.

[Loquacious Lew]

I've used up all my forum "memory" on this post and don't have a convenient hosting site so that's all I can post to this thread but I have many more including many rare motorcycle images from this amazing museum.  I would say it's the finest motorcycle museum in the world.  And, I remind y'all that I'm in Nashville, TN, a great place to visit in fall or spring and a short hop to the museum in Birmingham.  We're central to Florida, Alabama and the coastal regions of the south and the music really is on all the time.  And it's good stuff.  So it  can be worth a visit if you're looking for exotic locales in America and have the time.  You know, alligators, rednecks, banjos, gumbo, bar-b-que and all that! 

 

 In October of every year, Barber hosts "Vintage Days." Thousands of motorcyclists ride in.  There are races at the track all weekend, acres of every kind and vintage of bike  to enjoy (many for sale), the museum,  and a party atmosphere.  Camping on the grounds is encouraged or you can take a room as I usually do.  That's the time to come to the mid-south as by mid October, the weather is reliably fine.  Of course, you need to stop in Nashville and visit with us. Nashville is probably the most music-centric city in the country and one of the most cosmopolitan and diverse in the mid-south.  But you don't want to be here mid-summer.  Even we don't want to be here then!  But you're welcome anytime of year and if you have a  good forum rep and have at least a minimum number of letter (a lonely L will do), you can stay with us!  The south is hospitable in a way only a 19th Century attitude can support!  And don't worry about the gun owners.  We'll lend you one to defend yourself!   

[Bibs]

You've got plenty more room to upload images Lew

[Loquacious Lew]

You're ace, Bibs!  I'm off to do my daily routine, but here are a few more for the moment. and more to follow tonight!  Starting with some more details of Lotus' beautiful machinery.....

[Bibs]

Great pics mate, please do keep them coming when you get the chance

[domguy]

These are amazing pics, I'd give up a kidney to own one of Chapman's F1 cars...type 25 at the top of the list

[Stuart Monument]

No words !!! Wow 

[Loquacious Lew]

I'm so glad you're all enjoying this and as I haven't responded to each post, please think of this as a group hug!

  It would be such fun for me to visit the factory in Hethel but it's as far away from me as Barber is to all of you.  I've been to England a few times and there's every reason to believe I may do so again.  In my trips I never thought to visit Lotus probably because it never dawned on me  that some day I'd  buy a new Lotus.  Now I have a mission to visit the factory when we one day make it back to England. Something we always enjoy.  

[Bibs]

6 hours ago, Loquacious Lew said:

Now I have a mission to visit the factory when we one day make it back to England.

Let me know when and I'll make that happen for you

[ramjet]

There are cars in that collection which I don't even recognise. When I was small I lived in the NT of Australia. Car racing was not on our TV (recorded) or the ABC radio.

I always liked the Esprit because of the TSWLM and only ever saw one in the flesh in about 1990. I'm not even the full bottle on the models since my S4.

Actually, I just thought about that. Is anyone the full bottle on the lineup?  

[Bibs]

Get yourself a copy of 'Lotus, The Marque' mate

https://www.thelotusforums.com/shop/home/780-lotus-the-marque.html

I would hope that there's somewhere in Aus that sells it, will be cheaper on shipping and it's an excellent Lotus encyclopaedia. 

[Loquacious Lew]

Just one bike to suggest the depth of the collection.  They have two of the four extent Porcupines and not one, but two Brittens.  Unfortunately, my bike photos are on another computer that is currently not to hand. I concentrated on the Lotus collection on my last visit but there's always another time!

 

 

 

 

And thanks, Bibs. Don't be the least surprised if we take you up on that offer one of these days!

[910Esprit]

3 hours ago, Loquacious Lew said:

They have two of the four extent Porcupines

Can I request a pic of the Porcupines, especially if with the tank off!

[Loquacious Lew]

Of course, Steve. I have them on another computer and will need to recover them.  Give me a day or two and I'll add to this as I dig them up.  All the images on this page were taken about six weeks ago at my last visit.  The bikes are from a previous visit and on another  drive.  I'll get cracking on it.  

These were all taken with an iPhone 6 so you get a sense for how well the displays are lit.  The most basic skills and equipment can result in acceptable photos because the museum is so adept at setting up their displays. 

[USAndretti42]

Thanks for posting these, Lew.  It's a few years since I've been to Barber.  They had a few Lotus on display then but nothing like as many as you've shown us but I can vouch for the museum.  The setting is great and the displays really well thought out and well lit.  You can get a direct flight from London to Atlanta and it's not too long a drive from there, if my memory serves me well.  Th track is worth taking a look at as well with its giant insect scupltures.  Not your normal racetrack at all.

[Parramint]

I’ve been lucky enough to visit Barber on many occasions and can’t speak highly enough of the venue.  Last year it opened an extension and has a glass bridge going over the track.  Also look out for Mr.Barber, a really lovely unassuming gentleman who loves to have a chat....and a keen Lotus man.  He has a wonderful home that overlooks the city of Birmingham with a real Ferrari F1 hanging on the wall.........

[Loquacious Lew]

 

 

 

Edited May 25, 2018 by Loquacious Lew

[910Esprit]

Cheers Lew - The Porcupine (AJS) engine was a thing of real beauty, pity it was stopped from reaching its full potential.   Even makes the MV engine look bland 

[Loquacious Lew]

Indeed, Steve.  A machine that failed to meet its potential on track but certainly does now in respect to rarity value! Look at those quills! As a wall hanger, I would have either but if I recall, there was a point in time (I think since surpassed) that an AJS Porcupine was the most expensive motorcycle ever sold at auction.  I'd need to do a bit of googling to confirm that, but however you slice it, the Porker is a fabulously rare and valueable artifact.  To have two of them is the definition of obsessed!

 

*The hard drive I had to extract them from refused to cooperate  last night so I googled up my own images as I had posted them to another forum previously.  I had to grab my own pictures from off of the net!  That felt bizarre....and I'm feeling silly  for never having backed them up!