THIS GUY’S GARAGE
38 CAR CRAFT NOVEMBER 2019
ROD SABOURY /
Manchester, MD
If you’re a big Corvette fan or just a lover of
the Chevy brand in general, the name Rod
Saboury should be more than familiar to
you. Over the years, the Manchester, Mary-
land, native has been featured in many pub-
lications, including Hot Rod, Super Chevy,
and, of course, Car Craft. His high-horse-
power, massively motor-vated street/’strip
builds are world-renowned, and it’s through
these motorized marvels he’s been able to
etch his name into the record books more
than once (eight times, to be exact!).
Back in 2015, we took a stroll through
Rod’s ample garage space, checking out
some of his choice rides that he had at the
time. Though some of these machines have
stayed over the years, Rod’s been known
to sell/swap/trade to procure cars that he
wants or just really needs in his life. So the
garages are always in constant flux, which
makes for good reading here at Car Craft.
Though Rod is most noted for his fondness
for Chevy’s plastic hot rod, he’s also owned
and raced other Chevy products.
One of his first and favorite rides is his
’69 Z/28, which he recently purchased
back after letting it go 30 years ago. He
bought the car brand new and, luckily, he
got the opportunity to bring it back to his
garage for keeps. Other cars in his collec-
tion include his well-known ’53 Corvette
racer, which he used to crack a 6-second
quarter-mile pass back in the ’90s. It was
the first door-slammer ever to accomplish
that feat. Now Rod drives it on the street,
which is always a crowd-pleaser.
Strolling through his garage, one can
only be amazed at the amount of press
Rod has received over the years, and the
majority of that coverage was before the
Internet. The walls are stuffed with maga-
zine articles, advertisements, and posters,
all featuring Rod and one of his road-ready,
custom-built street/’strip whips. Today,
Rod is still doing what he enjoys most. He
takes all of his cars to the street, usually
detuning the racers slightly to make them
a little more friendly on the local roads. But
believe us, this guy never skimps on the
horsepower. If you are lucky enough to see
Rod in his favorite environment (drag race,
car show, or cruise-in), don’t forget to say
hello while ogling his main ride for the day.
Odds are the Chevy in question will not fail
to rouse your hot rod senses.By Scotty Lachenauer /
Photos: Scotty Lachenauer