I have researched and came up with ... close to nothing .. in 86 they only made 4479 of them .. and stoped earlie in 86 .. but whats so special about them ? who is "berlinetta" ?

I love my 86' Berlinetta sports coupe !

 

the berlinetta was a digital version of the camaro, with the digital dash,electronic heater controls etc

 

It was the "dressed up" version; not intended for performance. They never came with the good engines, the best they ever got was the LG4. They were heavier than Z28s in most cases. They were marketed typically to young female buyers who wanted a little of the "sports car" image, but didn't want a rough ride, didn't want to race it, etc.; just wanted the "look". That's why it got the lower engines, the soft suspension, the gold trim, etc. etc. as opposed to any of the available go-fast type stuff.

There was some Eurpoean car (duh) that it was named after, I can't recall what it was or who made it. Seems like it was a small coupe that was marketed about the same way.... as a "town car" for young women.

In prior years, from about 73 or so up until about 77 or 78, that same model was called the "Type LT". Alot of less-savvy people used to think that it somehow had something to do with the old LT1. They changed the name to Berlinetta in about 79 or 80.

 

The name Berlinetta went away in 86, but the model lived on one more year in 87 as the "LT" again, although this time the word "Type" was dropped.

 

Your car appears to be a Sport Coupe,........... Check your VIN numbers to be sure.

MANY people assume that because their plate frame says "Berlinetta" than that is what the car is. ( I have seen this more than once !)



If the 5th character of your VIN Number is a

P= Camaro
S= Berlinetta

Your car appears to still have the factory Sports Coupe park lights and wheels.

Berlinettas were know for being loaded with options like full gauges, upgraded interior and lots of power buttons ! Most of the 16 V8 Berlinettas I have parted out were equipped with the same drive-line as the Z28 for that model year (LG4/Auto/POSI) and most had disk brakes on the rear end. I've only had 2 V8 Berlinettas with drum brakes.

The Berlinettas only weakness ------- No suspension. It's missing at least 6 pieces of the Z-28 suspension and has very soft springs. Add that to the little 205/70/14 factory wheel & tires and the ride was about 1/2 as hard as the ride in a Z28.

Chevy was building the Berlinetta to compete with the Mercury "Cougar" in the 80's luxery car market and actually started selling the camaro "look" in 88 when they dropped the Coupe line-up completely ! The; every camaro was called an "RS" "Z28" "IROC" or IROC-Z" & had ground effects on it !

 

John, you've parted out 16 V8 Berlinettas with Posi?!?! I didn't know there was such an option

I had an 85 Berlinetta that became a donor car for my 87 SportCoupe. My brother now has an 84 Berlie Hardtop with the anemic LC1 engine & 700r4.

Everyone that drives his car HATES the location of the turn signal "lever" but I personally think it's ingenious... I can reach out & hit it like I would any other signal lever

 

Berlinetta was supposed to be the luxury Camaro. It cost the same as the Z28 but had unique options also.

 

MY MISTAKE !! Too many thoughts running thru my head at once !!! 16 Berlinettas Owned,....... most V8's. Most parted out with a few sold to freinds and 1 still in the garage.

Of the V8' Berlinettas I have owned, only 3 were Without POSI and only 2 of them were Drum brake rears.


here's the option tag from the Black 84 I wrecked a couple of years back. You can see the POSI/Disk codes..........

 

The 1987 Camaro's no longer had a sub model such as the Berlinetta with the "S" code in the VIN. The 1987 LT actually was option code B4E for the sport coupe. The digital equipment died with the Berlinetta. The LT had front and rear stablizer bars unlike the Berlinetta which lacked the rear one. Berlinetta was and is more plush than the 1987 LT.

 

Berlinetta isn't so much a who, but more of a what. In Europe, the common name for a sedan is saloon. If you had a little saloon AND if you were Italian, the literal translation for little saloon is berlinetta.
As time went on, the Italian term berlinetta began to be used more and more to describe cars that were small and sporty, usually 2 seaters, or 2 seaters with small useless seats in the back, or 2+2's. Also these cars were sporty cars that also had a touch of European flair or elegance.
Quite a few cars used the name like the Alpha Romeo 6C 2300, Ferrari 250 GT, Maserati A6GCS/53, and the Opel Manta 2.0S. These are all Berlinettas. Back to Camaro, when the design team thought they would like to offer a more luxurious sports car vs the more performance orientated style like the Z28's, etc, they picked a name that they thought would match the model . . . The Camaro Berlinetta joined the club.