Back in 1990, Chevrolet was given the honor of providing the pace car for the Indianapolis 500, and to pay tribute, the Bowtie brand produced a special edition Chevrolet Beretta. While the original 1990 Indy 500 pace car was a modified Beretta convertible, Chevy ended up producing a coupe version for its customers. This is one of those special edition models, and an extremely well-preserved example at that.
The 1990 Chevrolet Beretta Indy Pace Car edition was limited to just two colors – Yellow and Turquoise, with 1,500 examples painted in the Yellow paint finish seen here. Meanwhile, 3,000 were produced in Turquoise, making for 4,500 units total.
Standout features outside include a body-color front grille and red-lined Bowtie badge. There’s also a lower front air dam and a rear trunk spoiler, plus body-colored side skirts to match. Charcoal gray striping runs front to back, while 16-inch aluminum wheels with body-colored accents take up the corners. And of course, we can’t forget the special edition Indy graphics on the doors, which come in pink and black – perfect for the time in which this vehicle was built.
Inside, the 1990 Chevrolet Beretta Indy Pace Car edition features unique bucket seats matched to gray cloth upholstery with yellow inserts. The headrests also show the word “INDY” embroidered into the fabric. Behind the steering wheel, we find some eye-grabbing digital readouts to keep tabs on all the vitals, while a sunroof up top lets in some fresh air.
Under the hood, the 1990 Chevrolet Beretta Indy Pace Car was powered by a 3.1L V6 engine, which was mated to a four-speed 4T60E automatic transmission and FWD. Cornering prowess was enhanced with a sporty suspension setup, while power front disc brakes and rear drums hauled it all down.
This particular 1990 Chevrolet Beretta Indy Pace Car is ridiculously clean and well-preserved, be it inside, outside, or even under the hood. As well it should be considering there’s just 21 miles on the odometer. Now, it’s up for sale at Classic Auto Mall for $46,500.
Does this 1990 Chevrolet Beretta Indy Pace Car edition start your engines? Let us know in the comments, and make sure to subscribe to GM Authority for more Chevrolet Beretta news, Chevrolet news and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
Source: Classic Auto Mall
Comments
How come Save By The Bell and Fresh Prince theme songs just popped in my head?……
I remember seeing the Indys as a teen, the mistake IMO was the Quad 4 wasn’t available on any Beretta Indy.
It was in the GTZ and was a fun car till the head gasket let go.
I know, just the power would had match the look.
I think there’s a typo in this piece…looks like there’s an extra zero in the price. No way a Baretta – even an Indy Pace Car with 21 miles – sells for five figures.
3.1L V6 – how did Chevrolet get away with making these for so long when the 3.8L V6 was also available. The 3.1L V6 was not a great engine.
I think the Beretta also had a Quad 4 model, right?
Yes, the H.O. 2.3 Quad 4 was in the Beretta GTZ from 90′ @ 180 hp to the Z24 in 95′ @ 170 hp after the initial head gasket issues. The 2.3 Q4 was available in the Caviler Z24 from 95′ – 01′ before Ecotec took over.
And the 3.1 was garbage due to the intake gasket issue, once fixed the 3.1 was an decent engine but never a screamer like the Q4.
The 3.8 was a 90 degree V6 and would have been a difficult fit. These cars were designed for 60 degree V6 engines.
My Neighbors Barretta GT went 250,000 with no issues.
I had a lot of miles in the GTZ Quad 4 5 speed, while it was the best version it was far from a screamer in today’s terms. But back then everything was down on power.
This was a very dark era for GM and other MFGs and what really brought the bail out on.
GM spent a lot of money trying to make the Barretta into a convertible for the pace car. It was only used at the track and never made production. We were left with a paint job and even then it was offered in two colors?
This was not a good year for pace car replicas.
The 3100 had intakr gasket issues, not the 3.1. Usualy the block would crack
I spent a lot of time with the 3.1 and never had a head gasket issue, just lucky I guess. The first thing that came to my mind in reading this article was, how in the hell did this car pace the Indy 500? They must have bolted a super charger on the actual car used to pace the race.
IIRC the actual Beretta Pacer had a turbo Quad 4 that GM wanted to put in production…
They say the cluster wasn’t working when vehicle was brought in. I’ve got a Turquoise Metallic Indy Beretta with only 36k and my undercarriage is spotless. They undercoated that car for a reason. It still is a low mileage car but not 21 miles. Too many red flags with undercarriage. Also, whomever undercoated that car did a terrible job. But it still is a nice car. I’ve been a Beretta fan since they first come out. They were all the rage when I was in high school.
I believe I seen your car featured on Coverlay Manufacturing’s website. It is a beautiful car, one of the finest examples I’ve seen in sometime. These cars are only going to go up in value simply because most were handed down to the owner’s kid and beat. There were not many preserved to keep as a collectible. The Beretta Pace Car is in my top 10 list to buy right now, if you can find one.
Agree with poster above, that car was not undercoated for a reason. While it’s a low mileage car, no way a 21 mile car. Why would anyone undercoat a vintage car if there was not something to hide?
I’ve always liked the Beretta, still looks good and not dated. The track car did not have a super charged Quad 4, it had the 3.1 that was modified with a Corvette intake, different heads that produced 240 HP.
These cars have really been of interest of late along with most special edition GM vehicles from the period. Too bad GM does not care about this period as restoration parts are non existent. I miss these days, cars had character. Today they all look the same.
Thank you Wayne, that indeed is my car. That means alot coming from someone like yourself. I agree with everything you posted. The Beretta; Fiero, etc. in my opinion all will most certainly rise in value.
Thank you for an extensive article with all the guidelines and suggestions. I’ve compared it with a similar one at https://www.mspy.com/, can say your competence in parental control issue is astonishing.
I got a 1990, 500 pace car and its fast,only comes out in the sun,on the best days in summer..its teal,well maintained, 3.1 eng.its in perfect condition, I have a alarm on it,..wondering what’s the value on it?
My dad got me one of these when I was 15. I had the yellow one. It had been hit in the rear and the trunk lid had smashed the rear window. I got rid of it 7 years ago and have missed it since. It was the best car that I have owned or driven so far. I even kept it over the Mustang that I had for 2 years even though the Mustang was 10 years newer. Wish I could find one in my price range.