Chevrolet Camaro Convertible Concept – First Drive: The first Camaro I fell in love with was the vehicular equivalent of a pound dog. My buddy’s car, it was a hideous collage of primer, weird green paint and scratches, a mean-sounding and rough ’68 model on its last legs. Sadly for him, that was one year shy of what many think of as the most notable Camaro version, so notable, in fact, that they modeled the new Camaro Concept after the vintage ’69 edition. But no matter. It would have taken a miracle to get that ol’ beater in Barrett-Jackson shape, and we scarcely cared; it was our ticket to freedom. We’d meet up at the AM/PM, get ourselves a coke, sit around for awhile and then, eventually, take off into the night, cruising for girls (fat chance) and challenging the Camaro’s mechanicals and our own guts to see how fast we could go around one certain sweeper on the outskirts of Orange County.

Made it past 100 mph. Once. And breaking the century mark around that corner felt like a rite of passage.

The second Camaro I fell in love with was a bright yellow 1979 edition, far different than the old 1968 model and fun in an entirely different way. My Dad’s car, it was fast and bodacious – fitting for the time. That Camaro made me realize – to be a Camaro was to be powerful, sure – but it also was to be something special to look at. And brother, the old man’s Camaro was like a shiny penny in your hand. Unfortunately, he loved that car as much as I did, so I knew when he’d let me take it out that the mileage had been checked and the body examined. That took all the damn fun out of it, except for the part when we’d open that sucker up on a nice long straight-away just to see how fast we could go.

In that car, we always made it past 100. I never forgave him for selling it to a brother-in-law who didn’t really appreciate the Camaroness of it. He was a Mustang guy, of all things, rarely washed it and eventually blew the engine on the 405 freeway. Left it for scrap in the middle of LA and broke my young heart.

It took sometime to fall in love with a Camaro again. Almost 20 years, in fact, and through that time I watched it complete a long slow fade into obscurity. From a car that said something about driving to a nothing special vehicle for people looking to get to work and home with a yawn, I watched in stunned amazement as General Motors tossed away the Camaro legacy with boring designs, shoddy interiors and inefficient V-6 powertrains. All the while, Camaro fans struggled to keep it relevant: the car eeked out enough sales to keep the production line open all the way past the 2002 model year. Yet even with that tug on the sleeve, GM still didn’t get it; they didn’t get that the Camaro was about power and style, about making a statement stronger than your typical Camry-Accord insanity. Eight-cylinder or six, the Camaro gave us poor working stiffs something to look forward to when we closed the front door of our homes and headed out for the day.

They get it now. Yes sir, it sure looks like they get it now.Designers say that the exterior design of the Chevrolet Camaro Convertible Concept is very close to the real thing, that it goes back to the classic Camaros of the past – particularly the 1969 model. From the grille to the side vents and rear haunches, the Camaro Convertible Concept has a definite retro-sixties-meets-the-Jetsons vibe. Other features include a long hood, a short deck and wheels pushed out to the corners that measure 21 inches up front and 22 in back. Then there’s that Hugger Orange pearl tri-coat color with gunmetal gray racing stripes. The original Hugger Orange, by the way, was offered in the 1969.

Inside Based on my brief drive of the concept, interior style is a comfortable, futuristic take on the sixties and seventies model Camaros, with wide seats and plenty of legroom – for front passengers – in true Camaro style. Where the Mustang offers a minimalist interior, the Camaro will give passengers plenty to look at with deep-dish gauges, chrome touches throughout the cockpit and on most of the instrumentation. There’s a light-and-dark color scheme that is supposed to enhance the “airy” feel of the convertible. As for concept touches, the shifter was the showpiece. A tall, exquisitely designed aluminum stalk, it made the act of shifting rather cumbersome, but was still a delightful piece of work to behold.

Under the Hood Baby Boomers will love this Camaro because it takes them back to when they were wild and free; youngsters will love it because it’s a flat-out, smoky-tire cool ride. Automotive journalists and car enthusiasts will love it because it flat rocks, and looks like GM is doing it right: the right powertrains, with a rumored Corvette-derived engine. That would be the 6.0-liter powerplant, making 400 horsepower and just as many smiles, driving the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. There will be the now-common Active Fuel Management, of course, and the V6 engine/automatic transmission for those who can’t afford the V-8 experience. And Mustang fans, take note: the Camaro is built on a four-wheel independent suspension system.

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