Welcome to the only site (as far as I know) dedicated to the Chevy Beretta's often overlooked 4-door sister, the Corsica, which I happen to believe is one of the best Chevys ever made. I bought mine brand new back in 1995, and it has faithfully endured over 60,000 miles and counting, in brutal Florida heat; the engine runs like a Swiss watch, the transmission shifts steplessly and the paint glints in the sun. My love for the car is reflected in a religious maintenance schedule, in addition to keeping 'er clean inside and out. I live for the day these cars are as desirable as the old Caprices (yeah right!) so I can refuse any and all offers to sell it.

The Corsica/Beretta are important cars in GM's history, in my opinion, because they were GM's first truly modern front-wheel drive cars.

Unfortunately, my Corsica has recently had to have nearly $600 worth of early Christmas presents installed, the first major mechanical service I've ever had to perform in 65,000 miles. For a summary of what I had to have done, click here.

PICS

-Click   here to view a small picture and some notes about the 3100 V6 engine that powers my Corsica. This engine is probably the most popular passenger car engine GM currently builds.

-Click here to view the "Friends of the Corsica" page featuring readers' rides!!

MY CORSICA:

1996 Model in "Cayenne Red Metallic" (don't you DARE call it Maroon or Burgundy!!!!) This was Corsica's last year and there were no trim levels and no changes from the 1995 model; paint was monochrome-style including the grille and rear-view mirrors, and the name "Corsica" was found only on the rear of the trunk lid, where it was a decal rather than the raised plastic lettering found on older Corsicas. All Corsicas have had CFC-free air conditioning since 1994 and daytime running lamps (with automatic headlights) since 1995.

POWERTRAIN:

3100 V6 Engine/4T60-E 4-Speed Automatic Transmission

OPTIONS/COMFORT:

Power Windows

Power Door Locks

GM "Electro-Motor" Cruise Control

Trunk Cargo Net

SOUND:

Delco Extended-Range (ERS) Speaker System

Pioneer 6-Disc CD Changer (in trunk) with RF interface to the Delco Radio

PERFORMANCE MODS:

A note on these: my mods to my Corsica's engine/trans are minimal so far and are aimed mainly at making the engine/transmission happier rather than faster.

Goodyear Regatta P195/70R14 Tires- The General Ameri-G4S Tires that my Corsica came from the factory with are an absolute disgrace; when one of them got out of round at about 38K miles and started making the car shake at speeds over 35 MPH I was delighted to have enough of an excuse to trash the entire set. These Goodyears are designed mainly for family cars but provide excellent traction, particularly in bad weather.

Auxiliary Oil Cooler

Auxiliary Transmission Fluid Cooler

Bosch Platinum Spark Plugs (pretty funny, huh? a Chevy with Porsche sparks! Seriously though, the engine runs considerably more smoothly with these than with the AC-Delco platinums that the car left the factory with- anyone who can get these plugs for their car should do so as they only cost about $1 more each than conventional plugs and improve performance noticeably)

MODS UNDER CONSIDERATION:

Shifter: I think the "ball" type that the old Camaros and Firebirds had would look cool in my car

I really want to get the Beretta Z26 Instrument Panel with the tach, oil pressure and voltage gauges.

Fog Lights (perhaps; if I can find a really tasteful-looking kind)

Beretta Z26 Rims and Tires (will these fit or will they crash into the wheel wells?)

K&N Air Intake System (Although I really don't like the idea of an air filter that you wash instead of replace)

Air Scoop (I think cutting one of these into the hood will make the car look BAD!!)

Ported and Polished Valve Heads- not until I need major head work though

3.4L Engine- this is more of a fantasy than anything else. But if the Chevy 210HP DOHC V6 can fit in a Lumina, which also fits the 3100 V6 and the same block once went into the Indy 500 pace car Berettas, why not a Corsica? What a sleeper car!!!

CORSICA SS

I still dream about doing an SS treatment on the Corsica. This would involve dual chrome plated exhausts, a 5-speed manual transmission (the Getrag one that the Berettas used to have would probably be best), DeCarbon shocks front and rear and Recaro seats. Power would come from a highly suped Citation 2.8 with a 4 barrel carburetor and supercharger, and the Beretta Z26 wheels would probably be just about the right size. The color of the car would either be black, black with a bright silver racing stripe or blue with a silver racing stripe.

CORSICA FACTS

-The Chevrolet Corsica was the first American car to be equipped with daytime running lights as standard equipment

-The Chevrolet Corsica was at one time the hottest-selling GM car in China

-At the height of its popularity, the Corsica outsold all other cars in the Chevrolet lineup except the Cavalier

-In its first year, the Corsica was Motor Trend's "Car of the Year"

-A little-known twin of the Corsica's is the Pontiac Tempest, which was identical to the Corsica with the exception of a slightly different front grille; all were sold in Canada as far as I know

-Over the years, the Corsica has been offered in sedan and hatchback formats, and in 4 trim levels: base, LT, LTZ and the somewhat rare XT, which offered a leather interior!

-The Corsica was designed as a 4-door version of the Chevrolet Beretta, but it is actually shorter than the Beretta by a few inches. Its powertrain and chassis are descendants of those of the Chevrolet Citation, GM's first true high-performance front-wheel drive car

CORSICA LINKS

-Check out Alison's Corsica Page, for a warmer and more personal outlook on the Corsica. This page is less technical than the one you're reading now, but it's much more colorful and I must recommend it as your first stop since this page inspired it!!!

-The GM Powertrain homepage, at http://www.gmpowertrain.com is a must-visit for enthusiasts. Here, you'll find spec sheets with diagrams for all GM engines and transmissions. The info is in .PDF format, so you'll need the Adobe Acrobat Reader.

-KWZ26's  GM FWD Performance Page is an excellent jumping-off point for fans of any GM front-wheel drive cars. It's full of information and you will spend hours browsing his links.

FUTURE PLANS

E-MAIL ME!

Got a questions or comments, a picture of a Corsica, a funny Corsica story, or a fond Corsica memory? E-Mail by clicking  here . If you think Corsicas are the worst cars ever made or that I'm crazy for being an enthusiast…well…go ahead and flame me if it makes your small world bigger.