Topless Chevrolet Camaro Makes Open-Air Driving Easy

The new 2016 Chevrolet Camaro convertible made its debut today in Detroit, and now seeing it in person it is undeniable — GM’s sports car looks as good topless as it does with a hard lid. But there have been some improvements to the car’s convertible top versus the outgoing model that give it something of an advantage over its cross-town rival from Dearborn, the Ford Mustang.

Related: 2016 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible Drops Top Remotely

Chevy took several pages from the Corvette convertible’s book in developing the new Camaro convertible, as evidenced by the new look and operation of the soft top. First, the top now disappears beneath a hard tonneau cover just like the Corvette, a rigid plastic top that seamlessly continues the bodywork instead of requiring the driver to wrestle with a flimsy vinyl soft tonneau that would normally store in the trunk.

The top also can be operated at speeds up to 30 mph, which is handy — it allows you to get in the car and drive off while you put the top down, or lets you put the top up as you trundle to a stop at a traffic light as it starts to rain.

It takes less than 20 seconds to put the top up or down, according to a GM spokesperson, meaning that quick operation while in motion is entirely feasible.

Like the Corvette, the top can be put down using a button on the remote key fob – but it cannot be put up using the fob; GM’s lawyers apparently fear that putting the top up remotely could endanger a child’s safety if he or she were standing on the car’s seats while the top is in motion.

Check out the gallery below for a few more photos of the new 2016 Chevrolet Camaro convertible.