MotorMouths

The Camaro SS may not be the perfect vehicle — small quibbles here or there — but for this car, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It looks good, feels good and rides great. What more could a cruiser ask for?

I had a decent time, especially on the highway with a flood of sunshine pooling into the cabin. I’m not sure it was $36,000 worth of fun — the price as tested — but it clarified my opinion. The Camaro with a V-6, top down, in a state where the sun shines.

The Camaro convertible offers a whole lot of performance and style for not a whole lot of money ($37,500, for a base SS). If you like the coupe, you’ll like the convertible at least as much.

The 1LE is conceived primarily as a track toy for the weekend warrior. Most of the 1LE package is devoted to sub-dermal handling enhancement, but there are some visual reminders that this is a little more than your garden variety Camaro SS—if any Camaro SS can be called garden variety.

The 2011 Camaro SS coupe brings echoes of the first generation Camaro with its styling. Where it totally destroys the classic Camaro is under the hood.

Infinitely more appealing with its top peeled back, the Camaro almost seems reborn as a convertible. In SS garb, it packs the motivation – and the exhaust growl – to harken back to the ’60s, but its rock solid structure and composed ride are positively 2011.

The Camaro could also use a little more trunk room and rear visibility. But that’s the cost of its gorgeous styling, the best thing out of GM in a while. Considering the Camaro SS costs just $37,065 in base form, it’s also something of a bargain.

I have driven my share of power-crazy convertibles, and the Camaro SS holds its own in the fun department for a fraction of the price of any exotic car.

The Camaro convertible is fun to drive, sounds great, looks great (if perhaps a bit cartoonish and exaggerated), but I no longer think it’s better than the Mustang.

There will always be die-hard Camaro guys, and the SS is a great way to get their fix. For the rest of us, it remains a forbidden and slightly taboo pleasure, something to indulge in occasionally, without the expense of owning or operating one.

The SS 1LE is a well-balanced, track-ready, and sufficiently powered performance edition that will make any Camaro fan proud.

The problem with the Camaro SS Convertble is that the attention and excitement that come with driving al fresco in a car so fast, sexy, and unapologetically masculine are dangerously addictive to the male ego.