In 2009, when the company was at rock bottom, General Motors basically held a fire sale of cars they had been holding onto in a quick bid for some cash, and one of the bargains of the bidding process was this car, a 1987 Chevrolet Beretta known as the “Feretta”. Visually, other than the hood louvers, light bodykit, and twin pipes out of the back, it was just a surprisingly clean Beretta…right up until the key was turned and the Isuzu-sourced V8 barked to life. Much like the story of the Ford Mustang, by the mid-1980s the manufacturers were looking to front-wheel-drive platforms as the answer. Ford was offering up what ended up becoming the Probe, and managed to piss off the Mustang faithful so badly that they were soon inundated with mail bags full of pleas and quite possibly threats. Ford relented and the Fox Mustang got a second refreshing.
Over in the land of General Motors, the F-body was under a similar ax and the new-for-1987 L-body Beretta looked like the answer to a question that few were asking, but even the top-tier 3.1L V6 was not going to be able to satisfy the fans of the Camaro that would be left out in the cold. The V8, which has been rumored to be “about 3.5 liters” in displacement, would be the replacement for the long-standing small-block V8. With Chevrolet running the Beretta in Trans-Am racing, the motorsports link would be there and hopefully the sales figures would follow.
The concept didn’t go too far, and at the 2009 auction it sold for six thousand dollars. Compared to the other concept cars GM unloaded, this one slipped so far under the radar that it wasn’t funny, but then again, you try to convince someone that owning a Chevrolet Beretta with a mystery motor under the hood that isn’t street legal or registrable is a good idea. Luckily, since the auction that whole “street legal” issue has been resolved. The Feretta is now sporting a VIN number issued by the state of Florida and is up for auction. The owner might be reaching asking $26,000, especially since there are signs that the Feretta hasn’t lived a babied life in the last six years, but now that it’s legal and drivable, maybe it’s worth it…what do you think?
eBay Link: 1987 Chevrolet Beretta “Feretta” concept car
Meh, its FWD. Pretty much a deal killer.
I remember when they were new and plenty of dorks around my town thought they were driving a Camaro. Yeah, your red Beretta Gtz or whatever is a Camaro,douche.
The Chevrolet Ferret?
So that would make it a stinking slinking thing that vanishes down dark holes then – no wonder we never got to see one until now.
No disrespect intended towards ferrets – especially the ones nesting in my trousers….