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A red Corvette convertible.

If ever there was an icon of the American highway, this is it.

The fifth generation of Chevrolet’s image-laden sports car finally has arrived with a ragtop, and all the raves and accolades from last year’s coupe debut still apply. That includes Motor Trend’s honors of 1998 Car of the Year.

The question has been whether the convertible’s body, without support of its roof, would be stable enough not to shake, rattle and heave when the going got rough.

The stiffness of the new Corvette chassis, and its lack of rattling and creaking, was one of the major pluses accorded the ‘Vette coupe over the old one. In the convertible, that stiff chassis succeeds in taming the shimmies.

As for curb appeal, the Corvette convertible did what was expected: It turned even more heads and dropped even more jaws than the coupe. Its swooping form, garish hue and rumbling exhaust embody the dream car of every hotblooded teenager and midlife marauder.

It’s also like waving a red flag at every traffic cop on the street.

Everywhere I went in the red ragtop, people would saunter up and question me about it.

Here are some of my answers:

Is it fast?

Very. The 5.7-liter V-8 has been completely redesigned, in aluminum, and it’s impressive. Still a pushrod engine, it delivers mountains of torque, launching the ‘Vette like a projectile.

The automatic-transmission version I drove is good for 0-to-60 in just five seconds, or 4.5 seconds with the standard six-speed stick shift. That’s fast. And according to Chevy folk, it tops out at 172 miles per hour. I’ll take their word for it.

Does it handle?

Quite. There’s a bunch of reasons why the new ‘Vette handles even better than the old one. The transmission has been moved to the rear, improving balance. With the stiffer chassis, the suspension is designed like a race car’s, and it’s adjustable for comfort or cornering.

The steering is wonderfully precise, and the four-wheel disc brakes stop so well it’s like throwing out the anchor. The foot-wide performance tires don’t hurt the handling any.

Does the top go down easily?

Yes. It folds manually, but with little effort. Unclip it from the window frame, stand alongside the car and fold it down under a hard, hinged body section. That section is curvaceously designed to invoke earlier Corvettes.

Do you fit?

Yes, actually. This is one of those tall-guy questions I often am asked. One of the best things about the new Corvette is the roominess. No more intrusive sills that crunch long legs, lots of shoulder and elbow room. Commodious, even.

The new ‘Vette is much more comfortable than the last one. The ride is better, the interior is better and the whole ambience is more refined. Other improvements: more-comfortable and supportive seats, vastly improved gauges, and better controls and materials all around.

And unlike Corvette convertibles of the past, there’s actually a trunk.

W hat don’t you like?

The long, low overhang out front causes the chin to scrape on too many occasions, even on some road undulations or depressions.

The automatic transmission (the way about 70 percent of Corvettes are sold) is a pain, with sudden downshifts and other weird behavior.

Also, the Corvette provides no comfortable way to manually shift its automatic, such as Porsche’s Tiptronic system.

Finally, there’s that midlife-crisis thing. For a forty-something guy like me, a red Corvette convertible just screams “Look, everybody, here’s a guy trying to relive his youth.”

Well, maybe, but most of the world looks on with envy or lust. And once you cut loose with all the power and fury lurking under the red fiberglass body, who cares what anybody thinks?

Except maybe that traffic cop.

1998 Chevrolet Corvette

Vehicle type: Two-passenger, two-door convertible, rear-wheel drive. Base price: $44,425. Price as t ested: $52,099. Engine: 5.7-liter V-8, 345 horsepower at 5,600 rpm, 350 pounds-feet of torque at 4,400 rpm. Transmission: Four-speed automatic. Curb weight: 3,246 pounds. Length: 179.7 inches. EPA fuel economy: 17 mpg city, 25 mpg highway. Highs: Great performance. Beautiful body. Roomy interior. Lows: Chin scraping. Slush-box shifting. Midlife-crisis thing.