2013 Camaro ZL1 Convertible: Chevy’s Most Powerful Drop-Top Ever

Mid-life crisis and convertibles go hand in hand.  Yes, a hot trophy girlfriend trails closely behind.  If you’re at that age, this could be your next car: the 2013 Camaro ZL1 Convertible.

Owning the distinction of being Chevy’s most powerful soft-top ever, the vehicle is powered by a 6.2-liter LSA V8, blasting out 580 horses and 556 lb-ft of torque.  According to the company, the engine should trump those that power exotic rides like the 2012 Aston Martin DB9 Volante, 2012 Mercedes SL63 AMG, 2011 Porsche 911 Turbo S and 2011 Ford Shelby GT500.  Yep, really.

The 2013 Camaro ZL1 Convertible features a new front clip with stacked ancillary lights, a bulging and louvered hood, GM’s magnetic ride suspension with adjustable dampers all around, performance traction management adapted from the Corvette ZR1, beefed-up transmissions and stronger rear-end components.  Since it’s a drop top adaptation of a previously-announced coupe, engineers have reportedly built in additional structural reinforcements to minimize noise and vibration.

No performance details were released, but this shouldn’t fall too far off the coupe’s numbers.  That means, a 0 to 60 acceleration of just over four seconds (the coupe hits it at 4 flat), making for one exciting ride.

You can catch the 2013 Camaro ZL1 Convertible at this year’s LA Auto Show, with a showroom debut expected by late 2012.

[via Autoblog]