INDIANAPOLIS – When the Chevrolet Camaro Convertible sets the pace for the 2011 Indianapolis 500 this Sunday, it will showcase a top built to last a lifetime, operate worry-free and maintain the appearance of its Coupe sibling.

To assure long-term durability, the convertible top underwent extensive testing during development, being opened and closed more than 22,500 times – three times more than would be expected in a typical 10 years of use. Some of those cycles were performed in extreme conditions; temperatures ranging from minus-22° F to 170° F and humidity of up to 95 percent.

“This past winter we even had our engineers driving 80 of these convertibles back and forth to work every day here in Michigan,” said Al Oppenheiser, Camaro chief engineer. “They had to open and close the top five times each day no matter what the weather was like.”

Every Camaro Convertible undergoes a water test as it completes assembly in Oshawa, Ontario. In addition, vehicles are randomly chosen to undergo an eight-minute water test at the assembly facility in Oshawa and at an identical facility at the GM Proving Ground in Milford, Michigan. More than 7,200 gallons of water are hurled at the car in a hurricane-like downpour at a pace of 900 gallons per minute.  Read more and watch the video!

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“According to Street Legal Performance (SLP) in Tom’s River, New Jersey, this supercharged 575-hp LS3 V8 for the 2010 Camaro SS not only makes the feds happy but also carries a 3-year/36,000-mile warranty covering all the company-installed modifications, and everything else on the car remains covered by a GM warranty. To maintain those warranties, you must order the ZL575 package through any Chevrolet dealer in the U.S. and Canada at the time you purchase a new Camaro SS. Orders outside the dealership network and installed by any outfit other than SLP carry a lesser warranty.