Al Oppenheiser and his group of engineers know about convertibles – the good and the bad. Given responsibility for design of the 2011 Camaro Convertible, which arrives in dealer showrooms this month, the Camaro engineers wanted to make sure that none of the bad got through.

“We wanted to have what we call coupe-like ride dynamics,” Oppenheiser explains in the video below. How they got there is outlined in the video by Mark Dickens, the Lead Development Engineer. Specific targets were steering column shake, windshield movement and floor vibration.

Extensive testing was part of the evaluation process, both in the lab and on the road. The result? Oppenheiser feels that the new Camaro “…has some of the best quality of any car that’s out there.”

Rick Hendrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. both visited the Oshawa Assembly Plant yesterday to mark the start of regular production for the convertible. Hendrik purchased rights to the first Camaro Convertible available to the public through the recent Barrett-Jackson auction. All proceeds from the sale went to benefit charitable causes.

Earnhardt Jr., who is a driver for Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, has more than a passing familiarity with the Camaro. ” While I still enjoy my 1972 Camaro, I can’t wait to take home one of these awesome new convertibles,” he commented at the Oshawa facility.