locke577

I think he's referring to these seats:


But that didn't come on all berlinettas, so I don't really understand his point.

ghost91

didnt berlinetta's have on the seats the word Camaro going horizontally across the entire seat? i just think its an ugly design. thats really the only thing i have against them

ghost91

i thought they just came on berlinetta's? im sorry then. i take back my previous comment. sorry haha

locke577

No worries. I'm actually a huge fan of them. If anyone knows where I can get a set of them, or even just the cloth, I'd be greatly in your debt.

ghost91

definalty an 80s thing. guess cuz i wasnt born in the 80s i dont respect them as much haha

locke577

Sorry. What? I wasn't born in the 80s.

ghost91

haha idk then. i guess i just cant get around them! not trying to offend you or anything lol

locke577

Not offended. Just once again, it's a personal choice. There are guys who took their third gens and turned them into 4x4 monster trucks. Not exactly my thing, but why not, right?

If you want to paint your car pink, who's to say that that's not a good look besides the owner? lol

Stevolwevol

iTrader: (1)

Seats are cool.

cIaRmOaCrZo

a car with everything an iroc has, or appears to be, EXCEPT the VIN. certain car models were MEANT TO BE WHAT THEY ARE. if you want a model to look like a certain model trim, then buy that car instead of immitating it. the classic is the 88-89 rs-Z lol. but hey who am i to say what to do with your own cars lol, my opinion shouldnt matter to anyone but myself i guess, so i just expressed my feeling lightly for someone to agree or disagree.

cIaRmOaCrZo

and yes the lier segelar (i think its spelled right) seats are COOL

2007xl50

I think the Berlinetta's are ok, not my style, buy like them. When I was a kid i use to hang out with a guy that had a built 79 brown berlinetta and it was fun as hell, but I know they were differant in the 3rd gens.

Slater126

iTrader: (1)

Right. Some called this class "secretary sports cars" back in the day. The Mustang Grande really started it and it pretty much disappeared completely with the "cute ute" and crossover era in the late 1990s. By contrast, performance V-8 American cars like the IROC/Z28/Trans Am/Formula never really went away. Well, the F-Body did of course but the Mustang GT remained popular. There's just little interest in the luxury pony cars now.

Stevolwevol

iTrader: (1)

During the 80's Corvettes had a digital dash, and I wouldn't call them a secretary sports car. The new muscle cars come with navigation. Therefore the Berlinetta was just a sc with a digital dash. Berlinetta is Italian for "sporty coup" That would imply the berlinetta is a sporty sc. Some of the ferarri models were called berlinetta.

Slater126

iTrader: (1)

The fact that it had a digital dash is not what defined it as a secretary sports car. It was defined by the class of car -- a pony car which emphasized style and comfort over performance. Not all Berlinetta's had digital dashes, nor did Mustang Grandes, Mustang Ghias, Mercury Capris, low-po Integras and Celicas, and other examples of that breed.

xcalibur

Yeah, what's this mean in English, ghost91 ?

andy74

i had a 84 berlinetta, it was a pretty cool ride, i did build up the 305 with a cam/intake/headers carb upgrade,and shift kit/hi stall convertor -also i stripped the graphics,painted it and tossed the stock wheels for some 15x8 chrome steelies- it was fun,although parts for the digital stuff and the funky turn signal switch were hard to find at the time. I sold that car to a young guy in mt dora florida in may of 2001,and saw it running around as late as 2010, moved away and never saw it again-i would have liked to have it back!

ghost91

yeaaa...i was really tired when i typed this and at work. sorry about that. i was trying to say that i dont particularly like how the seats said camaro all over them a bunch of times. maybe if it was on the seat once it wouldnt look so bad to me but thats what i have against berlinetta's. haha. sorry for my awful english

cIaRmOaCrZo

^ those seats werent only in berlinettas though irocs had them too. and not only are they just in berlinettas, not all berlinettas even had those seats. mine doesnt. so i dont think you hate berlinettas, i think you just hate those seats lol

ghost91

i know that..thank you. i said in a revious respons im sorry to those i offended haha. i thought they only came in berlinetta's in the early 80s. but i wasnt a fan of the berlinettas motors nonetheless.

chazman

iTrader: (4)

Those seats never came in Berlinettas. They are the LS Conteur seats available in Z/28 or IROC-Z. These particular seats have been re-upholstered by someone, and not 100% correctly. Also, only the driver got the actual Lear Siegler seat,this car has it for both fronts.

cIaRmOaCrZo

lol i was just waiting for someone to come clear this up.

ghost91

im just gonna stop talking now. sorry i made myself seem like an idiot

SuperCamaro64

I love Berlinettas man! I have an 86 berlinetta and i love that thing more than anyone should love a car lol. Sure its not that powerful, but its still awesome! MHO is that in person, the 3rd gen camaros WITHOUT ground effects look better, while in pictures its the other way around. And i dont get why people would complain about putting a modern stereo in. I put a modern stereo in mine! Its not that hard, you just gotta be a little creative. The berlinettas have some awesome features though! Not a whole lot of cars come from the factory with a digital dash. At least they never used to. I know some new ones do, but they usually have a regular needle too. But whether people like the berlinetta for its awesome features or not, they should like it for what it is- a Camaro!! I dont understand how people who like camaros can say they dont like the berlinettas. The features are different, but its still the same car. Its like saying they like birds, but not hawks. Doesnt make sense to me! But whatever i guess. I love my berli and that matters more!!

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

Ok -- not to hijack the discussion about the seats, but what in the heck are all of the 7 switches on the center console for? I don't think I've ever seen this. The only configuration I've ever seen is a three switch layout: drivers power window, hatch release and passenger power window. This pic clearly shows more than that. Anyone know what the others are for?

FWIW: A local guy here has a pristine 85 Berlinetta with the digital dash and radio on a stick that he puts into shows. It's a very cool car.

locke577

It's John in RI's Berlinetta. He runs berlinetta.info He does a lot of customization on his camaros, particularly with the center console.

If I remember correctly, The extra switches were for his rear window wiper which he custom added and for the fluid for the rear. It's a really cool car, and he's a really cool guy. I wonder if he's on here.

Scorpner

iTrader: (4)

Lol, the Berlinetta was produced as a luxury version of the Camaro and of course they would market that feature to women since it is quieter and has a better ride than the rest. This was an inclusive – not an exclusive effort as many have taken it upon themselves to determine on their own. Also, as a luxury version, the resale value determined by NADA and some insurance companies is higher than the standard Camaro. I learned this when I went through the process.

The digital dash isn’t really that far off from the same year Corvettes and there were additional features like delayed interior lights as well as headlights that automatically turn off. These weren’t available with the standard Camaro at the time, but are standard in most any modern vehicle to this very day. It is kind of nice not having to manually shut off the headlights or being reminded by a buzzer. It also has a steering wheel with a horn button more similar to an IROC, but with a thumb relief that I really have gotten to like. The pods are also adjustable and once the buttons are repaired, it’s a lot handier to reach the AC controls. One thing I also noticed is the extra thick carpet backing. When I removed mine it held its shape sitting on the ground. It really sucked that the carpet itself was literally worn off because the rubber underneath it was like new and the body underneath never saw a hint of salt in the two years it was driven in the winter. There was quality put into these cars that most never know about. Had the carpet been good, I wouldn’t need to think about lining it with sound dampening material because it already had its own.

What don’t I like about Berlinetta’s? As an owner I don’t like the fact that even though it has the persona of being undesirable, it has the repulsive double standard of people price gouging when you need a specific part. I have accumulated quite a few examples of stereos and pods that were promised to be in working order, however, I still lack any that are reliable enough to use. That is unless I repair them myself. What little I have actually heard of the stereo sucks. It’s a mid eighties stereo after all, and is hardly worth the time and effort to repair. I’m out probably a couple hundred for my efforts as well.
The digital display on mine is also dim and the sun can affect visibility. I also don’t like the paddle turn signal, I’ve gotten used to it but I feel that was one experiment that was a bad idea.

After owning one for a while, even though it is more complex than their counterparts in many ways, I also feel that some of the features were an attempt to save production costs. I feel that the car was literally a working experiment in what was possible and some of the ideas they tried led to what we enjoy today. For example, the move to the electronic speedometer was something the Berlinetta brought to reality. Also as mentioned the lighting and electronic AC controls were something that was new. In these respects it was a groundbreaking vehicle that did so in a very subtle way.

These are great sleepers. It doesn’t take much to improve the suspension with stock parts and you can do it almost for a song. They could also be ordered with the F41 package BTW, so not all had anemic handling characteristics. Mine came with the five spoke 15” wheels.
Almost every single Thirdgen is underpowered and comparing engine output between them is ridiculous IMO. Most are worn out and obviously current power output is going to vary more by the decision of the current owner than what they were originally built with.

Ha ha ha, I never heard Girlinetta before, although I’ve heard almost everything else.
Besides, most girls wouldn’t own a Berlinetta today. They’re not as convenient as they originally were, and require more resourcefulness than a standard Camaro does. I can’t recall how many full grown men I’ve seen filled with terror with the thought that their display may suddenly quit and then not know what to do. I think they may actually fear reading, experimenting and getting their hands dirty.
None of the girly comments bothers me I guess maybe because I’m older and don’t care. I picked mine up because the body was in pretty good shape and it was cheap. After driving it around I started to enjoy the more modern features it has along with having something unique. BTW, I stole the performance parts for mine out the higher performance IROC’s/WS6’s that smelled like refer and beer inside. Maybe the Burly is one of the few Thirdgens that lack the Red neck stigma after all.

Jim, I respect your opinion and have learned a lot form you over the years, and I’ve heard similar things many times. Yes, the gold painted trim is a little cheesy, and it could look dated I guess. I've grown to like the SC's because they're not like everyone else's. I've seen some with decent color schemes and have grown to like the simple styling. It's understated and classy IMO.
However, I am replying to say that Burly's are an almost perfect car for a carputer. The AC controls are out of the way, they are also not cable controlled which may help in moving the controls to a touch screen. I’ve been slowly collecting parts for a cheap carputer but at the rate I’m going it may be decades before I get anything worth posting. (J/K)
I’m also not sure if I want to use the stock Berlinetta radio shell or a modified standard console. Replacing it with a standard console is a relatively easy way to resolve the stereo issue which also leaves the AC section to do whatever a guy wants with it. The car lends itself for me to easily do whichever I choose.



I post this in good fun. I never took the comments people say about our Thirdgens seriously or personally. I’ve learned about its history over time, I like the styling and the adaptability of the platform. I’ve learned to respect the technology and efforts that went into the design our cars, from the rear hatch window and low drag coefficient, to its jet fighter cues and superior handling. It was a bold attempt IMO and an unrecognized success mostly because of its original poor engine performance mandated by our government. That being said its sales were something to be respected by any measure.

Dale/89RS

haha , - WIN

Dale/89RS

i noticed that too ha however my 89 rs is simply my 89 rs, totally agree though some people with rs models would have been better off buying a z in the first place.

Bearhead

I have an 84 Berlinetta. Currently it's in the shop getting stripped to the metal and repainted/restored. It was the chocolate brown metal flake color. 305 V8/4BBL/4 speed auto, 4 wheel disc, A/C, etc.

After it's done there in six weeks, it's getting the engine swapped for a 350 crate motor, Hedman headers, new exhaust, etc.

The interior is stock, still in decent shape (headliner / visors redone), the rest is original. The body shop is moving right along. I was surprised to find the rear quarter panels already primed. They had the doors off to dial those in, so there was a blanket over the car, but I got this shot of the car seats for those interested in what the standard seats were in 84.

The front end was replaced in 97 with a Z-28 setup after an accident took out the left front fender. They couldn't get the sheet metal for them even then since they'd been discontinued and it was over 10 years old.

I'll be documenting the work as it progresses. Repainting the car midnight blue with black trim/stripes as the original color wasn't my cup of tea.

I do need someone to work on the cassette and fix that, otherwise it all works, except the wiper motor and switch. If anyone has any ideas on how to get that wiper motor rebuilt, PLEASE let me know!

usetaboost

iTrader: (1)

I personally am a fan of irocs and plain jane lg4 cars camaros. I like all 3rd gens for the most part.

dexleo2

I love the Berlinetta!!! I have always wanted one with all the digital guages and pods!!! Seems to be a little hard to find in this neck of the country. The only one I have seen my good friend owns and has had it since highschool and will never part with it. Hell I have the 1982 iron duke camaro bone stock, and I like that car. Different is what I like about the Berlinetta. Don't see many of them around here at the car shows.

ahankins32984

LOL not true about all girls/women!!! I prefer the bigger engine and I own a z28 BTW!!! But I'm helpin a buddy of mine get HIS 86 Berlinetta back on the road!!!

Stevolwevol

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, nobody said you need to wear a skirt to drive one.

kmcn47

ya see this guy gets it, all camaros/birds are beautiful

Duane's 91 Z/28

iTrader: (1)

I would love to have an 84 Berlinetta, with all those cool features. There is a really clean black/with gold pinstriping here in Yreka.That person takes really good care of it as it is always clean and shiny. I forget if it has the digital stuff or not.

Stevolwevol

iTrader: (1)

I think they have become rare due to relative unpopularity. I have a Berlinetta horn button nobody seems to want.

Da Spudro

I personally don't have anything against them. Whether or not they were designed or intended for a certain group (after all Harley Davidson marketed the sportster for women and plenty of guys have purchased them, though I will say some I've met I've seriously questioned their masculinity). I think the concept and technology is cool, but I have always been an analog kind of guy. I like the look of analog gauges and I think all the technology clutters the inside of the car. Additionally the exterior looked very plain.

I think a berlinetta with the body lines of a 91-92 Z28, and a decent amount of power would be kind of neat - but this would detract from the originality of the car and thus it's historical value. I also think it would be cool to see a good clean example that people could appreciate for what the car was and it's place in history.

Motown

Heres a respectable Berlinetta on ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/84-19...t_29633wt_1165

kmcn47

LOVE IT its got my interior except my seats are leather and tweed

Duane's 91 Z/28

iTrader: (1)

Wow,that is a really nice car!!

Junqueboi

You bring up several good points. I've always wanted a Digidash Berlinetta because I like them for what they are. I can't imagine how much engineering went into all the unique interior bits in these things. Finding a decent example close by has become pretty difficult though but maybe my time will come.

As much as I love the third gen Camaros & Firebirds...it takes a lot of work to weed out all the garbage & ego-battles & find accurate information regarding these fine vehicles in the forum world. I'm one of those people turned off by the modification/bastardization of complete and/or rare examples.

cIaRmOaCrZo

man that annoys me at how cheap that is going for. its not right seeing a 50k car with no mods and all stock going that cheap. although it is an auction thats not over yet...

BADNBLK

iTrader: (11)

That car is super clean! I'm a little surprised the price isn't a little higher also. There is one locally here same exterior (as I can tell from the CL adds), and I have been wanting to get it for my daily car.

My first car/Camaro was a sport coupe and I loved the styling except the holes in the nose. I actually filled them with plastic weld and smoothed with filled when I was painting it years ago. I totally want another one to eventually turn into a "sleeper"

Carry on...

kmcn47

i like the holes something different ya know, and a white netta with the gold trim and black accented spoiler and holes and headlights is a dream come true

Brock Lee

I think some of us look at it like when we were living through that period of time. You would see a Berlinetta and say "Why didn't they just pony up a few more bucks and get the Z28?".

cIaRmOaCrZo

^ i didnt live through that period, but iv always heard the berlinetta cost as much as a z28 (granit the options were the same in both models).

brando54009

im sure my next one will be a Berlinetta

MY87LT

iTrader: (2)

From the 1986 Camaro assembly manual, the extra switches for at least a 1986 specific model year Berlinetta from the factory would be right and left window switches, rear hatch release, cruise control switch, rear wiper/washer switch and fog light switch and rear window defroster.

Pretty cool way to fill up the space in the center console besides the clock. I wouldn't mind a fully loaded 1986 Berlinetta to compliment my LT.

kmcn47

i'd love some fuly loaded berlinetta interior peices, and everything to make all those switches do what there supposed to