In the heyday of the muscle car, vinyl tops were big. Even legit, no-nonsense cars like the first-gen Camaro Z/28 were available (and quite often ordered specifically by customers) with faux-convertible roofs. Then, things got out of hand…

By 1971, 42% of all domestic cars were sold as fabric covered hardtops, while convertible sales slumped to the point where in 1976, the “last American convertible” Cadillac Eldorado rolled off the assembly line. Outside companies got into the act too, putting vinyl tops on cars that never had them as a factory option, and including padding, Landau bars, and opera windows to the list of questionable styling touches.

So when Bakker Auto & Marine Trim of Muskegon, Michigan produced the vinyl-topped 2013 Camaro you see here, they were actually tapping in to a rich history of “coachbuilding.” Found on TheHogRing.com, a blog devoted to automotive upholstery (yes, there is a blog about everything imaginable), this Chevy is certainly well-executed, with attention to detail in the window edges and A-pillar; no matter what you think about the style itself, the work shows craftsmanship.

We’ve seen this kind of nonsense before on late-model Challengers, but Mopar guys are weird like that anyway, and you KNOW somebody’s going to do it to a Hellcat. What do you think, though? Would you like to see more of this on late-model Camaros, either as an homage to classic first gen cars, or on its own merit? Or is it an aberration that shouldn’t be encouraged?