As American as Bruce Springsteen, the Chevy Camaro is the archetypal two-door muscle car. And much like The Boss, with his guitar slung over faded jeans, a white tee, and scuffed Converses, the Camaro oozes pride and attitude.

With a long hood featuring a black grille and a low prow overhanging circular headlights, the 2012 Camaro sports a tough-guy sneer and the taut, powerful lines of a Great White shark. Like a tight t-shirt over gym-toned biceps, the fenders struggle to contain seriously large wheels, while a short, flat rear deck gives way to a bold, in-your-face taillight display. But there’s nothing pretentious or subtle about this car; it looks fast and mean because it is.

Power comes from your choice of a 3.6-liter V6 or a 6.2-liter V8 engine. Buyers valuing “Go” over “Show” will gravitate to the larger block, but don’t be too quick to dismiss the six-cylinder. Yes, its 323 horsepower (a slight increase over the 2011 output,) is outgunned by the 426 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque the V8 delivers, but V6 cars are some 120 pounds lighter and get better gas mileage while delivering almost as much fun.

And make no mistake about it: “fun” is the key when talking about the Camaro. No other vehicle delivers as much entertainment value for the dollar. Whether in the coupe or the convertible, it’s impossible to drive a Camaro without a huge grin--or a tough-guy sneer of your own--on your face. This car has an assertive presence like no other. People notice the Camaro, and even if they don’t see you coming, they’ll be sure to hear you thanks to the signature rumble of dual exhausts.

The Camaro is the kind of car owners want to personalize, and with a long list of options and packages there’s a pretty good chance each one is unique. In fact, it would take a spreadsheet to do justice to the various trim levels available, so pay close attention.

The coupe comes in three variants, LS, LT, and SS. The convertible comes only in LT and SS forms. The SS gets the V8, while the LS and LT make do with the V6. The SS also comes with 20-inch alloys with four-piston Brembo brakes, while the base LS sports more modest 18-inch steel wheels. But how is the LT shod?

Answering that means introducing the two levels of trim offered on each variant. Each one is available in level ‘1’ or ‘2,’ thus, there’s a 1LS and a 2LS, a 1LT and 2LT, and so on. In simple terms, a ‘2’ is better equipped than a ‘1,’ so while the 1LT gets 18-inch alloys, the 2LT wears 19-inch bright sliver-painted rims. The exception to this progression is the 2LS, which comes standard with an automatic transmission but is otherwise identical to the 1LS. All other Camaros come with a six-speed manual transmission--as befits a muscle car--but can be ordered with the six-speed automatic, if desired.

Other features of the 2LT and 2SS are a Head-Up Display that projects speed, RPM, and navigation info onto the windshield; heated front seats with leather trim; and a four-gauge auxiliary cluster (oil pressure, oil temperature, volts and transmission fluid temperature) that sits low in the center stack. For 2012, interiors have been upgraded, most notably with a new instrument panel and an improved steering wheel.

Possibly the most desirable upgrades to the Camaro are the RS, Interior Accent, and Stripe packages. RS adds the ultra sexy LED halo rings around the headlights along with 20-inch wheels, while Interior Accent provides Inferno Orange inserts on the seats, steering wheel, and shift knob. As for stripes, whether you choose hockey stripes along the flanks or twin stripes over the hood, roof, and deck…well, they’re a classic touch for any muscle car, aren’t they?

Pricing for the 2012 Camaro coupe starts at a very reasonable $23,200 for the 1LS, rising to $25,200 for the well-appointed 1LT. If top-down motoring is your thing, (or you just want to be noticed,) the 1LT convertible is priced from $30,100. SS performance is, of course, a little more expensive: the gorgeous 2SS coupe is $35,450, while the attention-grabbing 2SS convertible demands $40,600.

But what if the V8 doesn’t deliver quite enough oomph for your tastes? If that’s you, there’s a real treat in store. Some time in 2012, Chevy promises to drop a supercharged 6.2 under the hood of the Camaro, creating the ZL1, a monster that runs on 580 horsepower. It won’t be cheap, but it will give the performance of a supercar for the price of a luxury family sedan. As The Boss would say, “Born to Run.”