Here’s how the Chevy Beretta became known for more than just stealing a gun maker’s name
Here’s how the Chevy Beretta became known for more than just stealing a gun maker’s name
In this episode I provide the history of the Chevrolet Beretta, as well as its 4-door siblings, the Corsica and Canadian-only Tempest. After surviving a lawsuit for using the same name as an Italian gun manufacturer, the Beretta and Corsica were the second highest selling cars in America soon after their debut in 1986, but could still only maintain enough sales to last until 1996.
This is the first episode I have completed since returning from a 3-week road trip for my other channel about the Plymouth Prowler. More episodes from that trip will be uploaded to that channel over the coming weeks. Here is a link:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpiGaDhDWtwLCR3PXQGMMvw
We had a 81 Chevy Citation. That was the absolute worst car ever made.
I owned 2 1990 GTZs, one white, the other black. Absolutely fun to drive. People talk about issue with the Quad 4 but I never experienced any. I did notice that if you drove it around town and never on the highway, it would start to run rough and the oil would get milky. I though I had a blown head gasket but I took it apart for nothing. Later, I was told that that was common on the Quads. I just had to take it out on the interstate and blow the cobwebs out.I no they would do at least 135mph. They didn’t come with factory V-rated tires for nothing.
My second car as a teenager was an 88 Beretta with the 2.8 V6. Lots of fond memories of that car. Fun to drive. Not a bad looking little car. Got pretty good gas mileage. Well, I went from a huge 77 Buick to the Beretta so I thought it was great MPGs.
I worked where they made the door panels and then the dash for the corsicas
When did GM first start doing platform sharing sectorisation (similar to VAG?)
Was J-body was front wheel drive wasn’t it? That blue car looks more like an Opel Manta coupe derivative, rear wheel drive.
I remember these cars because my Uncle had a 88 Chevrolet Corsica . These were cars were quite popular and the Corsicas were fairly roomy and reliable .
With the release of the new Grand Wagoneer, have you don’t an episode on the original big Jeep from the 60s thru the 90s?
The American car makers have lost their way.
That was the time GM still wanted to sell cars in Europe. We had both the Beretta and the Corsica and they sold not bad. I liked most the Beretta. I tought we had that in an 1.8T but I must be mistaken.
Friend had an 88 gt that 2.8 was a killer motor was just reliable as all fuck. 10 solid yrs got out of it when he sold it was still running like a dream.
I saw a Baretta last year and followed the car for two streets while having multiple flashbacks
Man unfortunately I’ve owned this car as well ! It was my high school car . Grey with ugly red cloth interior , and not red trimmed . Everything was red!
I didn’t care for these when they first came out when I first noticed them in the 80s, but now I wouldn’t mind having a few.
My first real car was a 1989 GTU. White with red interior and pin striping, indestructible getrag muncie 5 speed trans and the awesome digital dash. Turned heads everywhere it went back in 2003.
I spun a main bearing beating a 305 RS Camaro from a red light. One of the best cars I ever owned outside my 96 Z26 which was a semi built and cammed 3.4l devil.
I’m not surprised there’s no mention of how the Quad 4 was out in regular production in the states as a near 200 hp NA 4 cylinder offering, which was more than even the V6 and rivaled the turbocharged 4G63 eclipse at that time.
No matter how much time passes this car just can’t seem to get the respect it deserves.
Edit: that car also had roughly 3.2 million hard pulls on it and like 180k miles on it lol.
Re-edit: IIRC the GTU stood for Grand Touring Under 3.0 liters, not 2.5, unless I’ve been mistaken.
Re-re-edit: You left out the W41 options on the Quad 4 L-bodies as well as the Grand Am, a somewhat rare option that had tuning tweaks as well as hotter cams which bumped the horsepower up and IIRC they added more suspension tweaks.
Number one if it was a Chevrolet front wheel drive vehicle. It was a piece of junk from the get-go. Chevrolet stop making good cars when they went to the front wheel drive platform. End of conversation
My first ever new car was a 1989 Beretta with the 2.8L MFI. Best car I ever had. Lasted my 12 years and 201k miles. Only major engine repair was having a head replaced at 146k miles. Started it up and "Bam" shot a spark plug clean out taking the threads with it. I filled up one summer day when it had 112k miles and drove 350 miles with 3 rest stops. I avg 67 MPH on the trip and filled up when I got where I was going. 350 miles and I only burned 10 gallons!
Luminas didn’t debut until 1989
In your opening comments you state slotted between Cavalier and Lumina
1986
I’d like to have that Beretta GTU and the 2 shotguns ,I wonder who has them
My youngest sister’s fiance had a Baretta GTZ. Man that was a nice car, inside and out. (Well for the times it was a beauty.)
Geo
Daihatsu Rocky please!!
I didn’t care for these when they first came out when I first noticed them in the 80s, but now I wouldn’t mind having a few.
I had a 94 Z26 Beretta….loved driving it!!! Also , the worst car I ever owned was my first , when I first got my license …An AMC Hornet…think it was an 80 or 81
I have actually scene the concept V8 Beretta, in GA
Man, i still very occasionally see these, not so much on the road but parked on someones yard looking as if they haven’t moved in years, such was the case with my 93 Pontiac Grand Prix 4dr with the 3.1 bomb. I’d love to once own a Beretta with an engine and trans combo that wasn’t as bad as the 3.1. Greetings from Finland (and to that Chevy Citation, i’d love a video on it, it was my dads 1st American car, after which he has owned over 30 American cars since).
The original Pontiac Tempest was not based on the Corvair, the Corvair was a car with an air cooled 6 cylinder engine in the rear where the Tempest had either a water cooled 4 or a water cooled V8 in front of the car. The only two things those two cars had in common were their automatic transmissions, The 1961-63 Tempest used a modified Corvair Powerglide transmission which was known as TempesTourque Drive, otherwise the Tempest was more of a kin to the 1961-63 Olds F-85/Cutlass and the 1961-63 Buick Special/Skylark. Oh and the LeMans was nothing more than an upmarket Tempest until they dropped the Tempest name in the early 1970’s, the LeMans name survived into the 1990’s though.
I had a ’91 GT with the 3.1L V6. I had to have the head gaskets replaced under warranty and the o-ring on the oil pump drive (dummy distributor shaft) blew and pumped all the oil out in less than a minute. The dash bubbled up as well. Not the greatest vehicle I’ve owned.
Bro I have a 96 beretta with a turbo 3.1 v6 and it still only has 80,000 miles on it and it’s all original and everytime I got for a part for one of my other cars they are like YOURE DRIVING THAT BERRETTA And ask how much I want for it
Man please do a review on my first car. The Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera!!!
I had a Z26 for a while. Looked great and was a blast to drive. Maintenance nightmare though. IIRC it burned out two alternators in the 10ish years I had it because of a common overheating issue, and ALL the external light sockets had to be repeatedly replaced because they were completely open to the elements. Plus the front fog lights were positioned in a way where you basically had to remove the front of the car to get at them without breaking anything.
I’ve owned a 94 Z26
92 2.2 5 speed
91 GTZ
Miss them all
They were fairly easy to work on
Parts were cheap,mods too but could barely get them over 200hp
I thought about putting a supercharged pontiac 3800 in one
From what I’ve researched,it can be done
They handled fairly well I stunted like hell w/my 92 5 speed it could take
A beating!
The 94 and 91 zs I beat on a little less
I loved all 3 of them
If u ever get a 5speed it takes a week or two getting used to 3rd gear cause it’s so close
And same tooth length as 1st and 5th unlike most 5 speeds but then it is one of the best
5 speeds to drive!👍
I can’t really find many of these anymore Its a shame!
They look 😎 cool and had a bit of pep,good gas mileage too,but wanted 1 w/like 3-500hp
At least!that’s where the 3800 was brewing on my backburner!!!
I didn’t own a Beretta butt I did own several other GM cars that had the same drive train 2 8mpi 3.1mpi 3.8mpi
what a shame this video has no sound clips of that sweet Beretta exhaust
I had an all-white forever gtz with a dual overhead cam and the 5-speed that thing was so f****** fast in the mountains if I found one for sale right now I would probably buy it I love that car and I’m not even a Chevy guy
I’m 42. I always liked them. I always thought they looked very sharp.
Chevy is not the Heartbeat of America anymore.
I had an 88 Berretta GT 2.8 with 5 speed getrag standard, Car was stable, nice ride, shifted nicely, was nose heavy, but that made it great in the snow. the 2.8L burned a quart of oil every 500 miles. Had to replace windshield washer pump 3 times, not expensive but a bit of a pain in the ass. Clutch gave out at 90K. But I enjoyed it – nice car to drive.
Have you ever done a video about the Chevy Citation and its twins from the other GM divisions? Thanks
People actually thought this car looked good? Even back then? Maybe one of the ugliest cars I’ve ever seen inside and out. But that’s 80’s/90’s GM for ya.
Chevy released the Beretta to compete with the Thunderbird. It only lasted one generation. ‘Nuff said.
Plastic piles of shit. Though the 60 degree V6 engine was pretty bulletproof~
I actually spotted a Beretta roughly 6 months ago. I took photos of it since I had never seen one before lol. It looked great for its age, so I bet the owner really values it.
I had a few 80’s to mid 2000s. 1989 Chevrolet Cavalier Z24, 1986 Mazda RX7 and 1985 Toyota Cressida
Wow that v8 must have been pretty decent
I worked at gas station back when i was in high school, one thing i can remember is it was rare to see a corsica that sill had a gas door on it. I don’t know if it was a widely known failing part or what, but damn near every corsica that came in had the little door missing that covered the gas cap. also my buddies mom had a z26 beretta it was a pinkish color, he put 2 12 inch pioneers in that thing and she rocked.
Everyone swears by these things but we had the opposite experience. My mom had a 94 Beretta. It was the the least reliable car ever! They were constantly chasing Gremlins! My dad was in the Army and we got orders to go to Germany. It was so bad after only 1 year of ownership they ditched it instead is shipping it and figuring out how to get it repaired overseas.
Please make a video on the Chevy Lumina Z/34, or all the “Z” cars from chevy during the 90’s. I bought my 92 Z/34 from my brother when I was 16 (1999) maybe it’s nostalgia but I loved that car so much.
Very nice content. Love to see you doing mazda rx7 im super fan of those little rocket.
Friend of mine has one of these with surprisingly no rust.
You should do a video on the VW new beetle!