All within reach: Grad grabs car

By Janine Stevens
Collegian Staff
February 21, 2007

La Salle alum Kevin Barry, ’06, recalls what he did Feb. 6 and 7 as “a once in a lifetime experience.” Having been in the market for a new car, he registered for a contest sponsored by WMMR and Toyota, which resulted in three winners driving home in 2007 Toyota Priuses.

“I never expected I would be selected to participate,” Barry said.

What surpassed his expectations even more was actually winning.

The “Body2Body” competition, which took place at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, required contestants to remain in bodily contact with a car against four other people for up to 75 hours. The last person touching each car drove it home.

Barry was second to choose his position on the car.

“I chose the front of the car closest to the crowd,” he said. “This would allow me to talk to the crowd while the auto show was open, which gave me something to do for 10 hours out of the day.”

Every three hours, the contestants were given a break to eat, drink or use the restroom. Barry, who previously drove a 1999 Subaru Forester, ensured his position in the competition by returning from each break with plenty of time to spare.

“The third contestant came back from a break about five seconds too late and was eliminated,” he said.

Barry admits he got lucky with the car he ended up on and the people on it with him.

“The first three people eliminated from the contest were on my car. The first person quit after six hours, and the second stretched and let go of the car,” he said.

When it came time to sleep, Barry wedged himself under the front end of the car.

“I woke up at 4 a.m. when I couldn’t sleep,” he said. “At about 4:15, my competition began to stir. He picked his head up from the tire he was sleeping on and was immediately eliminated. The car was mine.”

Barry was fortunate enough to win after just 37 of the 75 hours, while the contestants on the other two cars sustained the entire time. According to the rules, these contestants would each pull a car key, and whoever selected the key that started the engine won that car.

“I feel a little bad about that,” Barry said. “People who lived in the Convention Center twice as long as I had did not get cars. There is no doubt in my mind I would have been able to last the full 75 hours, but I was grateful I didn’t have to.

The remaining contestants received a $1,000 consolation prize.

“Looking back, the decision to participate was the biggest challenge,” he said. “I was extremely busy at work and was planning a vacation to New Orleans for Mardi Gras.”

Though his family and friends had mixed feelings about him leaving work to sit next to a car, they all agreed on one thing—Barry is stubborn enough to sit in the Convention Center for 75 hours for the chance to win a car.

However, to Barry it was worth it to give up his vaction time at Accentur, a technical consulting firm in order to roll into work the next week with his 2007 Toyota Prius .

“Now that I’ve won the car, my parents think it’s the best decision I’ve ever made,” he said.

stevensj@lasalle.edu