Chevrolet Camaro

This is not the kind of thing General Motors just does well; it is what GM was made for. The Camaro convertible is so close to the perfect all-American car.

Anyone who was alive in the ’60s and saw the original Camaros, or saw the Judge or any of the many muscle-car variants of the day, will flip to see this car. Even those with bad backs. And we can legally say “flip” because that’s what we used to do back in the ’60s when we saw one of these. Now a new generation of car lovers, some of whom might not even know they are car lovers until they see one of these, will likewise flip.

“If this Camaro convertible doesn’t make your heart beat faster,” said Chevrolet general manager Ed Peper, “you should see either your optometrist or your cardiologist, because you have a problem.”

The production Camaro will ride on a new Holden platform with a 6.0-liter, 400-hp LS2 V8 driving the rear wheels through a Tremec T56 six-speed manual.

The interior was large, like those of old American convertibles used to be, and the styling cues were likewise nostalgic. The back seats have practical legroom for real humans and, in fact, held the photographer on our drive, though he was often contorted in weird angles that suffering artists like him use to get the perfect shot.

The exterior takes most of its cues from the ’69 Camaro convertible.

“It has the flavor of the ’69 without redoing it,” said exterior designer Brian Smith. “There are fresh and new surfaces, the line work will remind you of a ’69, but it is all still relevant to today.”

“This car really needs to appeal to a new generation,” added designer Sangyup Lee.

So look for a complete GM turnaround starting with the Camaro coupe debut in the first quarter of 2009, followed by GM’s return to dominance with the convertible a year after that.

Price: POA