Chevrolet Beretta

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1990 Chevrolet Beretta Indy Pace Car replica

The Chevrolet Beretta was a front wheel drive sport compact coupé produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors from 1987 through 1996, and was built in the same Corsica production line in Wilmington, Delaware. The Beretta shared the GM L platform with the Chevrolet Corsica and the Canadian Pontiac Tempest sedan. The Beretta was designed in Chevrolet Exterior Studio 3, the same design studio as the Chevrolet Camaro and Corvette. The Beretta was the only sport compact car in the Chevrolet lineup.

There were three versions of the Beretta produced, Base/CL, GT, and higher-end GTU/Indy/GTZ/Z26. A Beretta convertible was the pace car for the 1990 Indianapolis 500, though no Beretta convertibles were ever in general production.

The GTU was a special Beretta model on sale from 1988-89. Each was made by taking a fully loaded Beretta GT and shipping it to Car and Concepts. They equipped it with 16x7" aluminum alloys, custom ground effects, stiffer suspension, a spoiler, mirrors, custom trim, and decals. With the stiffer suspension equipped on the GTUs, these cars were capable of 0.92 G on the skidpad, well above most cars available today and gave it a extra comfortable ride. GTUs came in black, white, or red.

The GTZ was the high-performance Beretta, and was produced from 1990-1993. It came standard with Oldsmobile's 2.3L High Output Quad 4, which produced 180 hp (134 kW) and 160 ft·lbf (217 N·m) of torque. Also standard was a Getrag 5-speed manual transmission and GM's FE7 performance suspension. Motor Trend's March 1990 issue ranked the GTZ's performance with the BMW M3 of the time. The car posted a 0-to-60 mph time of 7.6 seconds and one of the fastest slalom speeds of any front wheel drive car ever, even besting the rear wheel drive Chevrolet Camaro. Motor Trend's only complaint was the Quad 4's NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) and noted it was one of the most raucous engines of its time. Beginning in 1991 the 3.1 L V6 could be had as an option on the GTZ, but it was only available with a 3-speed automatic transmission that reduced the 0-to-60 mph time to around 9.0 seconds. The 3.1 L V6 was standard on 1990-1992 GT models and optional for all base models and GTs in 1993, in either trim the 3.1 L V6 could only be ordered with an automatic transmission.

The 1991 model year saw major interior updates, including a new dashboard/center console and the addition of a driver's side airbag.

In 1994, the GT and GTZ were replaced by the Beretta Z26, which put it squarely between the Cavalier Z24 and Camaro Z28 in Chevrolet's lineup. The 3.1 L V6 was redesigned and became the 3100 Series V6 and gained 15 hp (11 kW) for a grand total of 155. The new 3100 V6 was only available with a new 4 speed Automatic transmission. The Quad 4 sacrificed 10 hp (7 kW) in 1994, its last year of production. It was redesigned and renamed the "Twin Cam" in 1995 and used for the new Chevrolet Cavalier and Pontiac Sunfire. The newly christened "Twin Cam" engine had 150 hp (112 kW). During all years of production, the 2.3 L Quad 4 was only available with a 5-speed manual transmission.

General Motors was sued by Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta for trademark infringement over the naming of the Beretta. The suit was settled out-of-court in 1989; in the settlement GM donated US$500,000 and a Beretta GTU coupe to a Beretta-sponsored charity.

Sales of Berettas steadily declined every year of production and after 1996, Chevrolet ended production of the Beretta and Corsica. The Beretta exterior was never extensively updated during the course of its lifetime, probably adding to the sales decline in the style-conscious sport compact market. However, the car never looked dated even in its later years.

Engines:

• 1987-1989 2.0 L I4, 90 hp (67 kW)
• 1987-1989 2.8 L V6, 130 hp (97 kW)
• 1990 2.2 L I4, 95 hp (71 kW)
• 1990-1992 2.3 L Quad-4, 180 hp (134 kW)
• 1990-1993 3.1 L (191 in³) V6, 140 hp (104 kW)
• 1991-1993 2.2 L I4, 110 hp (82 kW)
• 1993 2.3 L Quad-4, 175 hp (130 kW)
• 1994-1996 2.2 L I4, 120 hp (89 kW)
• 1994 2.3 L Quad-4, 170 hp (127 kW)
• 1994-1996 3.1 L V6, 155 hp (116 kW)

• 1987-1996 CL
• 1987-1993 GT
• 1988-1989 GTU
• 1990 Indy
• 1990-1993 GTZ
• 1994-1996 Z26

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