1988 Chevrolet Beretta vs the Competition Featuring Reggie Jackson
The Great White Hope of GM got off to a slow start in the spring of 1988 but it built momentum and still promised to be Chevrolet’s number one selling line. It was the first product to come out of GM’s massive reorganization, and the first to test GM’s new state of the art production facilities. As one Chevy official put it, “The Beretta/Corsica is the highest quality car made by GM now.”
Replacing the void left by the ill-fated Citation, the well-turned-outCorsica/Beretta were the first GM cars designed specifically to go after the Japanese competition. But GM chose to compete more with style and substance. The low nose, raked windshield, flush glass and high rear deck of the Beretta coupe was the best look to come out of GM since the Camaro, which wasn’t surprising since the Camaro designers had a heavy hand in designing the Beretta. The more family-oriented 4-door Corsica sedan was even more aerodynamic in a more formal manner.
Both cars shared the same 103-inch wheelbase and off-the-shelf mechanicals found mainly in the Cavalier. The decision was to forego innovation for reliability which was what GM’s extensive market research showed buyers wanted most in this price range. The result was a completely up-to-date, front-wheel-drive compact, but no technology to draw you away from Honda, Nissan, Mazda or Toyota.
Unless, of course, you were a sucker for the sweet sound of the optional 130-hp, 2.8-liter V-6, and throaty exhaust note, in the Beretta GT, which was capable of 0-60 mph in 9.4 seconds and a top speed of 126 mph. A crisp-shifting Muncie-Getrag 5-speed, surprisingly balanced handling, a noticeable lack of front-wheel-drive torque steer, and power assisted steering with good road feel and straight-line tracking made the Beretta GT a fun-to-drive package for any enthusiast. And its price made it accessible to the masses.
What was lacking in the Beretta and Corsica was the little extra refinement found in the “world class” compacts Chevy aspired to. But the “new” GM said it could now respond quickly to product changes and already had made several running changes in these cars-sport suspension for V-6 powered Corsica LT, reduced clutch pedal height, added gauges, new driveshaft joints, quieter, more durable power steering pump, to mention a few. With this kind of continuing effort, the Corsica/Beretta was a star.
accessible to the masses.
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