The Chevrolet Beretta is a front wheel drive coupe produced by General Motors from 1987 through 1996. The Beretta shared the GM L platform with the Chevrolet Corsica (and Canadian Pontiac Tempest) sedan. The Beretta was designed in Chevrolet Exterior Studio 3, the same design studio as the Chevrolet Camaro and Corvette.
There were three versions of the Beretta produced, Base/CL, GT, and higher-end GTU/Indy/GTZ/Z26. The Beretta was the pace car for the 1990 Indianapolis 500.
The GTZ (and later Z26) was the high-performance Beretta, and was produced from 1990-1993. It came standard with GM's 2.3 Liter High Output Quad 4 which produced 180 hp (134 kW) and 160 ft.lbf (217 Nm) 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. The 3.1 Liter V6 could be had as an option on the GTZ (as well as on the Base and GT models), but it was only available with an automatic transmission that reduced the 0 to 60 mph time to around 9.0 seconds. The 1990 model year also included some major seating upgrades.
The 1991 model year saw major interior updates, including a new dashboard/center console and the addition of a drivers side airbag.
In 1994, the GT & GTZ were replaced by the Beretta Z26, which put it squarely between the Z24 and Z28 in Chevrolet's lineup. The 3.1 Liter V6 became the 3100 Series V6 and gained 15 hp (11 kW) for a grand total of 155. The Quad 4 sacrificed 10 horsepower (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).
By 1996, Chevrolet decided it would be too expensive to redesign the Beretta/Corsica to meet the 1997 side-impact crash standards and canceled them in favor of the new Chevrolet Malibu.
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 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 3100 V6, 155 hp (116 kW)
Models:
- 1987-1996 Base
- 1987-1988 CL
- 1987-1993 GT
- 1988-1989 GTU
- 1990 Indy
- 1990-1993 GTZ
- 1994-1996 Z26
