Could the Chevrolet Camaro Convertible compete with the drop-top Ford Mustang?

WHY must Australian petrol heads be subjected to such torment?

Chevrolet's muscular Camaro has been given a haircut and the result is tantalising.

In the great red land we have vast open spaces connected by beautiful arrow-straight roads, relatively inexpensive fuel, a profound love of V8s and a thirst for high-performance cars.

But despite all of the ingredients to support a lucrative muscle car market, only one of the major American brands has yet recognised the significant potential for big rear-drive V8 coupes and convertibles Down Under.

When the Ford Mustang launches late this year it will effectively arrive unchallenged with both General Motors and Chrysler sitting on their hands and refusing to offer anything similar in their ranks as a right-hand drive.

Including the freshly unveiled, drop-dead gorgeous, drop-top Chevrolet Camaro Convertible. Oh, the frustration!

With V8 muscle, look-at-me styling and a folding soft-top, the Camaro is begging to hit Australian roads.

Last month we reported on the coupe version of Chevrolet’s classic muscle car, but just when we thought the beefy highway bandit couldn’t turn any more heads, GM took the tin-snips to its top and created one of the most butch drop-heads on the market.

Despite the coupe breaking cover first, the 2016 Camaro was always destined to be a cabriolet, and its fully-automated folding fabric roof hides in the all aluminium body with just the press of a button on the key fob.

Once on the move, the roof can also be lowered at speeds of up to 50km/h, is made from multiple layers of fabric for improved sound and weather insulation, and is stowed under a body-coloured tonneau for a more refined and tidy appearance.

When it goes on sale in the United States next year, the new Camaro will parallel the coupe’ s specs. This means three engines will be on offer; a 205kW/400Nm 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder, an all-new 250kW/385Nm 3.6-litre V6 and a range-topping 339kW/617Nm LT1 6.2-litre V8.

The electro-hydraulic and fully-automatic roof stows under a neat tonneau cover and can be lowered remotely using the key fob.

All engines will be available with a choice of a six-speed manual gearbox or a new eight-speed automatic transmission.

The Camaro uses a multi-link MacPherson strut rear suspension with a double-pivot design up front, while at the back, a five-link independent suspension is said to reduce squat on acceleration, improving traction.

Holden hasn’t completely ruled out a Camaro for the Australian market but is being decidedly coy with the details, stating only: “We have no announcements to make regarding our future product today, but we will continue to leverage GM’s global portfolio and, as promised, will deliver a true sportscar as part of this strategy.”

Quite what that sportscar be though is yet to be revealed. Could it be the wind-in-the-hair Camaro?

With straight-line speed, cruising comfort and wind in the hair, how perfect would the Camaro Convertible suit Australia?

Australia has more than just a romantic connection to the Camaro. The outgoing version was actually designed in Melbourne and shares the current Commodore’s Zeta platform.

On a recent trip to Europe we scored a steer of the fifth-generation Chevrolet Camaro Convertible to sample a little of the Aussie magic that we are missing out on here.

How could you order a Camaro in anything other than the fantastic Bumblebee black-striped yellow?

Curiously, although it wears the unmistakable clothing of an American sportscar and is remit of roof, the Camaro handles a lot like the VF Commodore SS, which is no bad thing.

Its planted and stable stance is bolstered by strong performance, acceleration and the correct soundtrack, thanks to its 6.2-litre LS3 V8 that you may recognise from under the hood of an HSV.

With 300kW on tap, blasting on to the Autobahn and up to 240km/h was a breeze, quite literally, because with the roof down things tend to get a little noisy north of 200km/h. But while the cabin is a little blustery at speed, the Camaro’s chassis is like a rock.

At more sedate speeds, cruising is a real treat, with a firm but comfortable ride and even when pushed through corners, only a little scuttle shake could be felt - not bad for any four-seater convertible.

We liked the little GM/Holden reminders throughout such as the head-up display identical to the Commodore, but Ii the fifth-gen Camaro could have shared the excellent interior of the VF Commodore it would have taken another step up again.

Even with the roof up, the Camaro Convertible still looks devilishly inviting with traditional soft-top fabric roof appeal.

Performance and spec aside, what the Camaro does so well is make the people on the inside feel special and those on the outside green with envy. In our short time with the big brash convertible we turned a lot of heads.

Love or hate the vulgarity of American muscle cars, you can’t help but look, and there is no mistaking one of the most iconic. We love the Camaro.

The new version promises to improve on all of the fifth-generation Camaro's attributes and that’s what makes it such a good fit for Australia. It’s got pace, personality, presence and purist appeal, and if it costs similar to the sub €40,000 ($A60,000) European showroom figure, price.

So come on GM, stop teasing us with yet more variations on an already tempting theme. Get your top down and bring the drop-top Camaro Down Under.

Daniel Gardner GoAuto.com.au