The Chevy Beretta was an FWD, 2-door sports coupe built between 1987-96. It was designed by the same folks who brought you the Camaro and Corvette of the same era. It was built on the L-body platform that also gave us the 4-door Corsica. A convertible version of the 1990 model paced the field at the Indianapolis 500 that year and 4,500 replicas were built, all coupes. This is one of those facsimiles with low mileage but had a mishap with some tree limbs and will need a bit of bodywork and paint. Located in Elma, New York, this somewhat rare car is available here on eBay where the bidding is holding at $7,800. Thanks for the heads-up on this one, Larry D!
Under the hood of the Beretta GT was a 3.1-liter V6 engine which was rated at 135 hp. It was paired with a 4-speed 4T60E automatic transmission, and the cars were capable performers. Whether this attracted the Indy people or the looks of the car and GM’s deep pockets, we don’t know, but for whatever reason, they selected the Beretta to pace the “big” race in 1990. While a convertible handled those duties, Chevy built 4,500 replicas for John Q. Public, of which a third were painted yellow like the seller’s car. The balance of the cars were finished in turquoise. Both had interiors that were color-matched to the car.
According to the ad, this Beretta is a two-owner car. It has under 4,000 miles on the odometer and the window sticker is still affixed, so the original purchaser likely bought the car to keep it. Fast-forward 30 years and the Chevy had a run-in with a tree during a windstorm and one or more limbs fell on the car, causing some damage. The seller estimates the cost to repair should not exceed $2,500 for the following:
- Right front fender has a one-inch dent while the left side has a three-inch dent
- Roof was slightly damaged, but that does not prevent the sunroof from operating
- Scratches on both sides of the car, some of which are barely noticeable
In my opinion, the photos provided don’t show much of the problem, so it may or may not be more than it looks. Except for this mishap, we’re told the car is in excellent condition otherwise. The undamaged portions of yellow paint and Indy graphics look to be in great condition and there are no signs of any rust. The interior comes across as being pristine, i.e., what you would expect for a car that was intended to become a time capsule. We’re told that it starts, runs, handles, and stops just like a new automobile.
We’re told the Beretta has only been registered once and that occurred 30 years ago. That being the case, this car has seen very little time on the road. That’s a plus because stuff won’t be worn out, but that’s also a negative because the same parts were hardly used. For example, while the tires look great, are they the original rubber from 31 years ago which would surely need replacing by the next owner? The 1990 Beretta is priced online as just another used car, but the Indy package surely adds a premium. If this car were to sell at the current bid, once the damage is repaired, you’d have at least $10,000 invested.
My Dad had the Z24 version of this car. Very impressed with the driveability and power. It was fun to drive but that’s why he bought in the first place.
bob hess- i think the z-24 would be a cavalier not a beretta. berettas had a z-26 model.
– lowthar
I worked as a lot attendant in the body shop of a local Chevy dealer when these were new. Yeah, the “z” version was relatively fun to drive (I might be wrong, but I thought these were Z26, not Z24). Anyhow, whatever they were called, they were relatively quick for the time, handled well, and were just plain fun.
The bad was the doors fell off them. They used Corsica hinges. These heavy doors would tear those hinges up lol.
At 6 or 8 months old the doors were falling off. That part was pathetic!
Eventually, I believe there was a recall, if I remember correctly.
you’re right. The Z24 was the “sport” Cavalier, while the Beretta was the Z-26.. and oh the Lumina of that sorry car-making time was the Z-34.
Dated a girl that bought a ’88 GT. I thought hers had the 2.8 litre?
I had a 1988 Beretta GT with the 2.8 litre V-6. The 3.1 came out later. The Z24 was for the Cavaliers, the Berettas were Z26.
As a 17 year old the year Beretta was introduced, it quickly became my second favorite GM, behind their contemporary F-bodies. And I didn’t even know at the time that the thing rode on the same body as the Corsica.
And this one has a rare MOONROOF, making it most appealing to me! Too bad about the dings and dents in the forward sheet metal though…
My buddy bought the new Beretta GTZ, around 1990 when it first came out. It had the new Quad-4 and a 5spd. Looked really cool with a monochromatic black paint scheme with black rims. Fairly quick, couldn’t beat my ’86 GT, but quick for what it was. He definitely spent a lot less on gas
Current bid from this article is higher than I would expect from the damage to the car hopefully the high bidder follows through with the purchase then in a few months we will see it on bring a trailer for $30k
Wouldn’t it make better sense to spend the $1500 – $2500 to get those “flaws” repaired and then it will be in the excellent condition that the seller is claiming?
That feels like a low estimate and the seller could easily make more than that back in the sale.
Ummm…1990 called. Said they want their wild colors and graphics back. Good news is they said you can keep the Don Johnson suit though along with the gold chain and hair gel found in the car.
I hate to admit it but I completely forgot about these cars, they weren’t terrible looking and they were EVERYWHERE! It makes me wonder where they all went? This is likely the first one I have seen in 20 years.
The color reminds me of Gerber Squash baby food.
I never liked these cars
I never knew they made convertibles
Will search on line to find/see one
A cute redhead that i played with for a while drove around with her mothers white v6 loaded beretta gt
And it was nothing great and a gas guzzler
No good memories from the car or the girl !
Why do I remember these being mint green metallic with the pink graphics?
https://gmauthority.com/blog/2020/10/1990-chevy-beretta-gt-indy-pace-car-sells-for-12000-on-bring-a-trailer-video/
just an fyi from lothar…
Indy had some pretty ugly Pace Cars over the years. But the worst one was the 1998 Corvette.
Didn’t the dash boards on most of these cars warp so bad they blocked the view out of the windshield? All in all I liked these cars. The 3.1v6 was quite peppy. Even the 2.8 in earlier years had a little throaty exhaust tone. I would keep away from the “quad 4” motors.. yes they were a bit better on gas and did make some power at higher RPM’s buy not as good as the V6 for stoplight to stoplight acceleration. And let’s not forget they eat head gaskets! Many techs would simply slide in a new headgasket without proper removal and cleaning of the head and block for a quick fix. I agree. Get the car cheap and fix the damage. Drive it. It’s never going to be gold. Oh and did I mention I owned a Cavailier wagon with the 3.1v6! It wasn’t even a “rs” model so it was kind of rare. It only had the 3 speed auto like all cavaliers ever had. But this 3.1 v6 in this wagon had guts for its day!
For a 1990 GM product
Those seats look pretty good
I met my future then wife with her ’90 indy pace car Feb ’91 seafoam green I liked the look. We got the custom matching floor mats and dash cover with the indy pace car logo. It was a fun ride got some attention in the early ’90’s. Chevy had to put 2 intake gaskets in it and strip it down to bare metal and complete repaint. We always kept it pristine. It went 120mph so nice quiet and easy. With the 55 series wide tires was good cornering. Use to roll it up hwy 9 in Saratoga. Cud fly coming down that road.