Chevrolet Brings Its Most Powerful Convertible Ever

The most powerful Chevrolet convertible ever made will debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November.

GM(GM) said the 2013 Camaro ZL1, which will go on sale late in 2012, will deliver more performance and technology than many exotic cars and ultra-luxury convertibles.

"The Camaro ZL1 convertible will be one of the most powerful and most capable convertibles available at any price," said Al Oppenheiser, Camaro chief engineer, in a prepared statement.

Like the coupe, the Camaro ZL1 convertible features a supercharged 6.2L "LSA" engine, SAE-rated at 580 horsepower and 556 lb.-ft. of torque (754 Nm). GM said that is sufficient to exceed the output of many 2+2 convertibles, including the 2012 Aston Martin DB9 Volante, the 2011 Porsche 911 Turbo S, and the 2011 Ford (F) Shelby GT500, which has 550 hp and 510 lb.-ft. of torque.

The architecture for the fifth-generation Camaro was designed to accommodate a convertible model, which gives the ZL1 convertible coupelike driving dynamics The reinforcements include a tower-to-tower brace under the hood, a transmission support reinforcement brace, an underbody tunnel brace and front "X" brace and stiffer cradle as well as rear underbody "V" braces.

>To follow the writer on Twitter, go to http://twitter.com/tedreednc.

>To submit a news tip, send an email to: tips@thestreet.com.

>To order reprints of this article, click here: Reprints