(Words and photos by Joe Grippo) –  We are back again with one last go around from the East Coast Indoor Nationals from Timonium, Maryland. In this gallery the spotlight is on the three cars that shook me up when I saw them under the Cow Palace lights. Truth be told, many of you have probably seen these on-line or in person but this was my first face to face exposure with them. One is a new build, another has been out for a little bit and the other was built in the 80’s. Two came out of the same up and coming shop and the third was built by one of the more iconic builders of the last 40 years.

First up is the newest creation. This car rocked SEMA 2017, was spread around the internet like crazy and floored me when I saw it. Connor Hofford’s ’84 VW Rabbit with a 6.0 LQ4 LS and a Muncie M20 is a lesson in clean packaging, thought out fabrication and thinking not even near the box. The little Rabbit has a drag race inspired stance with the big and littles and the custom built, classic BBS wheels are oh so right for this thing. There is so much trick fab work in the chassis , cage and engine mounting that it is real shame to cover most of it with paint and sheet metal. While the LS is certainly the star here, the interior almost gets overlooked. The fit and finish of the inside is complimented perfectly with the grey tone upholstery and plaid headliner. The red roll cage hides in plain sight and that red color runs through the seat stitching and plaid accents throughout, so simple but so elegant. A RacePak digital dash is tucked up on the cage and adds to the drag car feel and keeps the dash uncluttered. Smart, clean and unique. Who would have thought a Ford guy like me gush over a Chevy powered Volkswagen but I genuinely love this car.

I am a pretty traditional dude when it comes to cars so next up in the spotlight is a real stretch for me. The LS12 Camaro is a sliced and diced ’67 F-Body that defies belief. The top was chopped, the rockers were eliminated, the body was channeled a few inches, the front end was stretched out and doors are suicide style but they left the quarter windows (as a sign of restraint, I suppose). The wild chassis rolls on an AirRide suspension and when at full drop the roof is waist high! But clearly the centerpiece is front and center between the fenders…519 cubic inches of V12 LS1 motor pumping out 717 hp! Much has been written about this powerplant, so get googling for all the specifics. Owner Mike Heim has been with this Camaro since he was 19 and went full nuts on it when the opportunity to drop in that insane engine presented itself. Mike’s shop is aptly named Quality Custom Rides and is located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. This happens to be the same shop that Hofford’s VW rolled out of as well, I can’t wait to see what is next from these guys.

The final machine of my 3 favorites from the East Coast Nats was the reason we drove to Maryland in the first place. When Rod Saboury announced he had reacquired his Pro Street ’69 Z28 and would be showing it for the first time in over 30 years there was no way I was going to miss this opportunity. Rod bought this car new in 1969, drove to his high school prom and eventually converted it to NHRA Super Stock trim in the ’70’s. When he got tired of racing he set out to set the hot rodding world on its ear. The Pro Street craze was just getting going and Saboury kicked it into hyper-drive with his supercharged small block, custom stitched interior, mile deep paint and mirror like Weld wheels. After pretty much running the table at the 1984 Street Machine Nationals he landed on the cover of Car Craft Magazine. Rod even wore his best dolphin shorts for the occasion! He eventually sold the Camaro and went on to build extreme Corvettes and returned to drag racing dominating the NMCA series for many years. He always kept tabs on the Camaro though and 30-some years later, was finally was able to get it back. Amazingly, over that span, the car was seen only a handful of times and was, for most part, unchanged! A Pro Street time capsule. Rod and his wife Tina needed to only give it good detail, tweak a few items, throw on some fresh rubber and make their return to the show scene. This car is iconic and it was awesome to see it after so many years. Real history and the photos don’t do it justice.

Well that’s it for 2017 East Coast Nationals coverage, hope you saw you liked and be sure to make it the upcoming shows in 2018.

Google Harrisburg Motorama and Mid-Atlantic Indoor Nationals for info.