While some other muscle cars are getting more attention, the GTO Judge is often forgotten, even though it could run the quarter-mile in 14 seconds or less.
For starters, this Judge auctioned on the Mecum is a four-speed Ram Air III version. Of course, we know that the most valuable ones are the GTO Ram Air IVs since Pontiac built about 300 units, but the III was the one that made the Judge famous.
When Pontiac introduced the GTO Judge on the market in 1969 as an option package that cost $322, the carmaker made a fuss around it and launched a special campaign. John DeLorean was behind that version, which was sold in less than 10,000 units. That represented a little bit more than 10% of the total GTOs sold that year. When Pontiac launched the car, it was available only with a Carrousel Red and came with black or Parchment vinyl interiors.
This model, though, it’s Starlight Black with a black interior. On the outside, the chromed trims inside the grille make a striking contrast with the black fiberglass front panel. During the restoration process, the owner opted for a set of blue-red-yellow adornments on the sides. They might not be original, but they look cool on the shiny black, flawless paint.
Inside, the black leather bucket seats are all original, except maybe for the upholstery that looks new. The manual windows grabbed our attention, saying a lot about the restoration process. The owner didn’t want to add fancy power windows, which could actually decrease the car’s value. There were a few situations when some upgrades made a GTO Judge sell for better money, but usually, that only makes the price drop.
The seller didn’t say if the car is number-matching, but it has the 400 Ram Air III engine mated to a four-speed manual with the Hurst T-shaped shifter from the technical point of view. If you want to grab this car, see the video below for some tricks on how to make your Judge faster and, why not, look better.