1988 Chevrolet Beretta Manufacturer Promo
Chevrolet’s seventy-fifth anniversary in 1988 was marked by the introduction of two new cars, the Corsica sedan and the Beretta coupe.
In glossing over the sluggish early sales of the pointy-nose Beretta and Corsica, Chevrolet division manager Bob Burger told the press, “The days of the spectacular launch are gone.” Never mind that Ford’s Taurus/Sable introduction flatly disproved that statement; it may have been true in Chevrolet’s case, unless the ponderous division could muster some of the personality, focus, and enthusiasm that were driving the folks over at their sister Pontiac division.
Corsica and Beretta exemplified the problem: basically good and promising shapes that had yet to find themselves. They drove reasonably well, but the vague, darty steering descended from the J-car platform took away any real fun. So did the ergonomics inside. You sat low in the cars looking at a high flat dash panel reaching way up to the steering wheel. The Beretta in GT trim and with the “performance handling package” (stiffer dampers and anti-roll bars, P205-15 tires, and the 2.8-liter V-6 in 130-bhp trim instead of the base 2.0 four) had the right idea.
In the fall of 1987, numerous changes of the minor running variety came along: an up-shift light, new bushing for the power steering pump, a nicer radio.
Tim Allen Chooses Beretta over Cavalier and Camaro: 1987 Chevrolet Promo
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