SUN SHINES ON CAMARO CONVERTIBLE COMING SOON

The 2011 Chevrolet Camaro convertible

comes with a V6 or V8

By Joe Duarte, QMI Agency - The 2011 Chevrolet Camaro goes into production in January and drives into showrooms in February with an enhanced body structure (for reduced cowl and steering wheel shake), well-tailored soft top (with acoustic foam for a coupe-like cabin ambience) and trim designations similar to its full-bodied sibling.

The new Camaro was originally designed to accommodate a convertible model. As such, four strategic reinforcements -- tower-to-tower brace under the hood; transmission support reinforcement brace; underbody tunnel brace; front and rear underbody "V" braces -- make for a stiff body structure to eliminate common convertible maladies. A telling example of the Camaro convertible's body stiffness is evidenced in suspension tuning -- specifically, the lack of changes from the coupe model -- resulting in performance capabilities nearly identical between the two models.

"To compensate for the reduced structure of an open car, engineers often will make the suspension softer, making the convertible a boulevard cruiser," says Al Oppenheiser, chief engineer for the Camaro convertible project.

As for the top, designers and engineers wanted to eliminate the typical support-rib appearance of a convertible top.

By revising the structural components, extending the top material below the belt line and revising the stitch lines, they were able to create a smooth, taut, tailored appearance.

In just 20 secondes, the heavy canvas structure folds in a "Z" manner at the push of a button and features a single windshield centre header latch. It also holds a glass rear window with defogger.

A folding one-piece tonneau cover finishes off the open-air profile, and a windscreen is available as an accessory.

Standard power will come from the 312-horsepower direct injection V6 engine (in the LT, which starts at $33,995), with more performance-minded types perhaps opting for the SS models (starting at $43,255), with its 6.2-litre V8 that produces 400 or 426 hp, depending on whether it's linked to a six-speed automatic or six-speed manual transmission, respectively (the manual is standard with either trim).