Orlando Sentinel's view

Two immediate thoughts after a week with a 2002 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 convertible, with the SS package, and the 35th anniversary trim.

Thought one: $37,460 for a Camaro?

Thought two: What a shame it will be when this car is gone.

So many of us have grown up with the Camaro, a General Motors staple since 1967, when it was introduced to counter Ford’s incredibly successful Mustang. The Mustang beat the Camaro to market by two years, and it will outlive the Camaro. GM will cease building the Camaro and its corporate twin, the Pontiac Firebird, after this year’s models are gone.

Chevrolet commemorated the 35th birthday of the Camaro with this “35th Anniversary Special Edition,” which carries a $2,500 premium over the regular SS, which alone adds $3,625 to the price. The Special Edition model – mostly the red paint, some decals and badging, and some interior trim – is available as a convertible, like the test car, or a hardtop.

The regular Camaro Z28 has plenty of punch, with this same engine pumping out 310 horsepower instead of the SS’s 325. A base Z28 convertible lists for $30,378, and it’s a perfectly delightful car – subtract the $2,002 cash rebate that Chevy is offering this month, and the price becomes pretty attractive.

In Z28 or SS form, this 5.7-liter V-8 engine is just wonderful. It’s still a basic push-rod design – no need for overhead camshafts or multiple valves per cylinder – and it works so well you wonder why engines have gotten so complicated. Fuel mileage is rated at a remarkable 19 mpg in the city, and 28 mpg on the highway. That’s because this big engine doesn’t have to work hard to propel you around at normal speeds. At 70 mph in sixth gear, the engine is turning only about 1,500 rpm – barely more than an idle. That’s also why this engine, properly taken care of, should last a long, long time.

The test car had a six-speed manual transmission, which has improved by leaps and bounds over the past few years. The four-speed automatic transmission is a good one, too, and would be my choice.

Handling is exceptional, due in equal parts to improved chassis rigidity, the stiff SS suspension, and big 17-inch radials on aluminum wheels. The ride can be jarring on rough pavement, but is more than acceptable everywhere else.

Inside, the Camaro shows its age. Seating position is uncomfortably flat on the floor, the windshield is slanted back at a near-horizontal angle, and the tiny rear seats are best left for groceries and pets, never for humans. The trunk is deep but narrow, with much of the space taken by the folded convertible top.

That said, though, the Camaro is not entirely bereft of technological features. The traction control makes it driveable even in snow. The anti-lock brakes are excellent. The 500-watt Monsoon stereo with a 12-disc CD player is exceptionally good. The convertible top is easy to use – flip two latches and hit a button, and it’s down.

The departure of the Camaro will leave a far larger hole in the Chevrolet lineup than many executives there will admit. The SSR limited-edition pickup truck will not take its place, and the Bel-Air concept car shown at the Detroit auto show last month is downright absurd, and GM is nuts if they build it.

Which leaves – the Corvette. Note to GM executives: Hands off. Please.

Base price: $29,390

Price as tested: $37,460

EPA-rated fuel mileage: 19 mpg city, 28 mpg highway

Details: Four-passenger, two-door, rear-wheel-drive convertible powered by a 5.7-liter, 325-horsepower V-8. with a six-speed manual transmission.