• Ask Jeeves
• 1990 Chevy Corsica Steering Column

The Chevrolet Beretta and Corsica were introduced in the 1987 model year as replacements for the Chevrolet Citation, which had been discontinued in 1985. Built off the company's L platform, it was mechanically very similar to Pontiac Grand Am and Buick Skylark, but with sloping rear windows. The Beretta and Corsica were initially available with either a 2.0-liter four-cylinder or 2.8-liter V-6. In both cars, the V-6 was available with a five-speed manual transmission in higher trim levels, although the option was eventually dropped for the Corsica by the 1992 model year. In 1989 the two engines grew in displacement to 2.2-liters and 3.1-liters respectively, staying that size for the rest of the car's life, although power improvements continued through the life of the cars. The Corsica and Beretta sold strongly in their first years, and the Corsica was the second-best selling car in the U.S. In 1989, a hatchback version of the Corsica was introduced, as was an LTZ performance model that borrowed many suspension pieces from the sporty Beretta coupe.

Ask Jeeves

In 1991 the Corsica's hatchback model was dropped, and the Corsica received a more modern interior with cupholders and a driver-side airbag. Going forward, the Corsica had very few changes, mostly confined to power increases and rearrangements of various trim packages until the Malibu replaced it in 1997. As the sporty version of the platform, the Beretta boasted more appeal to enthusiasts.

The Beretta GT was available with a five-speed manual and V-6 engine, making it the sportiest of the two cars until the Beretta GTU was introduced as a special edition. The Beretta GTZ introduced in 1990 had an even stiffer suspension supplemented by a high-output 180-hp Quad 4 four-cylinder from Oldsmobile. The Quad 4 version of the GTZ was available only with a five-speed manual, but a V-6 version with a three-speed automatic was introduced for the 1991 model year. The GTZ and GT were both replaced by the Z26 model in 1994, and the Quad 4 was gone by 1995. The Beretta was unchanged for the 1996 model year, and was not replaced.

1990 Chevy Corsica Steering Column

An interesting footnote is the Beretta convertible, designed to be replica of the 1990 Indy pace car. Engineering difficulties prevented its sale, but not until after Chevrolet had promoted the car heavily, and even gone so far as to establish an ordering code for dealers. Mercedes sprinter repair service manual.