Congratulations to our Berettafest location winner, Mike Pride, on his Milwaukee, Wisconsin proposal. Berettafest last visited Milwaukee in 2003, and we hope to see you all there again in 2018!
Berettafest 2018, June 28th – July 1st in Milwaukee, WI!
BMAN – Marc’s GTZ 3400 Auto
Ryan Haenny’s 1989 Euro GTU Mock 2.8L Auto
I bought this car in early 2004 with my tax return money. I had always wanted a second car to learn how to tinker on. I actually bought the car a month or two before BFest was right here in Denver Colorado! But as I was so new to the car I didn’t have the passion and enthusiasm for the car and the community that I do now and didn’t attend. She was a 1989 Base model with beat blue interior and bone stock save for a remote start system, a hole ridden aftermarket exhaust and old faded tinted windows.
Shortly after I bought the car my friend turned me onto to junkyarding. HOLY COW did I learn a lot about this car in a short period of time! All the models produced, different engines, seat styles, different body kits, suspension bars and so more! That and the knowledge base that is Beretta.net turned me into an addict very quickly. The car went through a lot of different looks in a rather short period of time but one look caught my eye in particular… the GTU look. And after going through three different interior colors / setups I finally rounded up all I needed for a black interior, save for the dash.
Not only was I a fiend for the GTU look and equipped the car with a full GTU kit but I also stumbled onto the world of European Berettas and quickly fell in love. I became a sucker for rare European parts and acquired them just as fast as I could actually find them and click “Send Payment” on PayPal. Today, the car is a GTU mock with the most complete Euro conversion outside of the European states. And yes, I am VERY proud of that fact.
The car has been through a lot in its lifetime; Autocross, Rallycross, “off-road” camping trips, hellacious snow storms, two accidents and more. I have definitely put her through her paces. But she has been awarded for it all as well; it has earned a podium finish at many Autocross and Rallycross events, first place in a car show, first place at local Rallycross events, second place at a National Championship Rallycross, first place at a National Challenge Rallycross and even Best Modified Late Model Interior at BFest Denver 2013! Not to mention she has been spotted in SportsCar Magazine three times! One was even an article with an interview! Nothing makes me smile like having someone come up to me and say “You really know how to drive that thing!” Especially when they find out it’s an automatic! All in all the car is well known in the Colorado automotive community as well as within the Beretta community.
How about a small list of mods hmm? The list is MUCH bigger, but these are the highlights:
– Ported and polished upper and lower 3.1 intake manifolds
– Styluss cold air intake system
– Full 2.5” mandrel bent exhaust system with Magnaflow cat and muffler
– Fast Forward Performance ECU chip
– Fast Forward Performance billet dogbone
– Custom billet upper transmission mount
– Strut bar, lower sub-frame brace, radiator to strut bars, shock tower brace and Z51 rear sway bar piggy-backed over the factory internal rear sway bar
– Cadillac sun visors with lit dimming mirrors, extensions and second fold down visor
– Cadillac leather shift knob
– Z34 leather steering wheel with cruise control mod
– Custom black and gray Z seats
– Relocated cigarette lighter with console organizer
– Euro headlights, tail lights, side mirrors, spoiler, fender flares and set of owner’s manuals
– Z fog light and turn signal conversion
– Tinted windows
– Eibach springs
– Crappy ass matte white paint
Well, that’s my obsession in a nutshell! I would love to answer any questions you have about me or the car so please, feel free to ask! Thanks for taking a look at my baby!
Ryan Haenny
“Styluss”
Ron Hammers’ 1994 “ZR6” 3500 6 Speed
Ron sums up his feelings for his Beretta in just a few words: “Best purchase I’ve ever made, and the most fun I’ve ever had driving!”
Tyler Thomas’ 1996 Base 3450 Supercharged
Some words from Tyler about this beast:
Well, let me start by saying that it has been a long journey building this car. I have owned Berettas since 2008; this is my 2nd. My first was also my first car in high school. This car started out as a shell brought to me from some good people out west. They towed it with a van for a long road trip to my house in SW Pennsylvania. They seemed to be as happy to put it into my hands as I was to get it. I knew I wanted this build to be bigger and better than my previous supercharged setup, aka the garbage RSM kit I bought.
I completely re-machined every piece on the supercharger kit over time. I had a good friend of mine rebuild the engine, install forged internals, a cam, and lastly and most importantly road-tune it. Over the past three years of working on my girl, I finally feel like she is to a reliable point. I can wake up and take her to work, sit in traffic, and beat the hell out of her and not worry about something failing. I also had her on the dyno last fall. I found out after 9 psi my intake air temps went through the roof causing my timing to retard, I ended up making 308whp 368tq. I have since upgraded the water pump for my W2A intercooler system and also gone a stage colder on my plugs. I hope to make it back to the dyno sometime this year and improve those numbers with the newer modifications. I may even possibly go E47 or full E85 to see what type of power I make.
If you have any interest in learning more about my Beretta feel free to message me to talk, there are way to many modifications to list.