Fortunately, our conversation was in the shop that has been servicing Rich Barry’s car, so we asked the nearby mechanic, Bob Tonczos, for help. Not being an engineer, I was curious about how one goes about deciding what springs to install and then what to tell the shock maker to do to match them correctly. He had added upgraded springs and had the stock Bilsteins re-valved to match. Barry said that he has reached 162 mph at Watkins Glen on the long straight before the “Bus Stop.” He smiled when he said, “That’s moving-especially for me!”īesides making the transmission change, one of the previous owners added a half roll cage, Sparco seats, and made a few suspension mods, leaving the engine stock. They leave first, but second through sixth, they bring them all down one so that the car has less top speed, so I’m not going to be able to do 175, but I’ll get to 165 a lot faster.” And that’s no idle boast. “The car just appealed to me because it had a lot of what I would have liked to have done to it already done!” Pausing for emphasis, he added, “It’s always nice to hear that the car has the upgrades you would make yourself.” It had one modification that some people might not have gotten excited about unless they had really done their 996 GT3 homework.īarry explained, “The biggest selling point for me was that it had a re-geared transmission.” He explained what that meant, “So the gears had been changed internally to make it a more effective track car.” I was curious what these changes were and Barry, laughing, said, “I’m not a transmission expert…I’ll give you my best understanding of it.
“I decided that I needed a GT car.” He did his research and picked what he believed was the best car for him.īarry spotted his car on Rennlist, and it immediately caught his attention. He explained, “I was playing with track cars for ten years, and then I decided to get serious.” To do that he told me he thought he should get a different Porsche. Just prior to this he was driving a 997-gen 911 Carrera S with an aero package. Rich Barry has been a track-day guy for quite a while. Throw in the fact that he is the individual involved in making and using Nickelodeon’s famous (infamous?) Green Slime and you have the makings of a fun and fascinating story. His approach to Porsche ownership is as singularly different as any Porsche devotee I have met in decades of following the marque. His job is technical (and very creative), but he is also a dedicated track guy (e.g., he recently earned his PCA Driver Education Instructor credential).īarry is involved in the challenging and imaginative world of television as the Creative Director for Nickelodeon International, a job he says keeps him on an airplane most of the time. However, the owner of our subject car, Rich Barry, is someone I think is special-you might say unique-because he has a foot in both of Porsche’s historic worlds: the race track and technology. Today you’ll find owners who are involved in careers that span the spectrum of endeavors. But these days, Porsche’s appeal transcends the old stereotypes. Another segment of the market that found these unique automobiles appealing was the slide-rule set-men (usually) with crew cuts and technical jobs like engineer, airplane pilot, or scientist. They were often racers hoping to come out on top at the track thanks to Porsche’s reputation for nimble handling and reliability. In the early days of the marque, even casual observers saw Porsche buyers as a breed apart.
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