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SORRY...SOLD TO WILMINGTON, DELAWARE

1970 PONTIAC GTO "JUDGE" SPORT COUPE

WE SPENT EVERY DAY, 12-15 HOURS A DAY, LOOKING FOR RARE CARS....WELL, WE CAPTURED ANOTHER ONE! DEPENDING ON WHAT BOOK YOU READ, STATS VARY, BUT ACCORDING TO PONTIAC MOTOR DIVISION THEY BUILT 3,054 ACTUAL "JUDGE" SPORT COUPES WITH A FOUR SPEED AND RAM AIR III. MOST OF THEM WERE RED. THIS CAR IS A RARE CODE 58 GRANADA GOLD, CALIFORNIA BEAUTY, RESTORED COMPLETELY IN 1990 (AND DRIVEN ONLY TO CAR SHOWS) WITH CORDOVAN BROWN BUCKETS AND FOUR SPEED.......ENHANCED BY SANDLEWOOD TAN VINYL TOP, GREEN/YELLOW/BLACK JUDGE STRIPES AND REAR WING. SHE'S A TRUE "RPO 332" JUDGE WITH #"15" CYL. HEADS AND CORRECT NUMBERS. SO HARD TO FIND WITH THE ORIGINAL TYPE M-21 TRANSMISSION W/ T-BAR SHIFT HANDLE, 14 X 6" RALLY WHEELS (WITH OPTIONAL TRIM RINGS), AND 400 CUBIC INCH/366 H.P. RAM AIR "WS" CODE V8. THEN, ADD ENDURA BUMPER, EXHAUST EXTENSIONS, POWER DISC BRAKES/STEERING, GAUGE PACKAGE, SAFETY TRAC POSI, CUSHION GRIP 3-SPOKE SPORTS WHEEL, CHIN SPOILER, CLOCK, ORIGINAL AM PUSH-BUTTON RADIO, HOOD SCOOPS AND MORE....THE RESULT IS THE 'REAL BANANA'....EVEN IF IT'S A BIT 'RIPE' IN COLOR!!!! MILEAGE SHOWS 33,000 (TMU) AND IT'S ACCOMPANIED BY PLENTY OF PAPERWORK INCLUDING P.H.S. DOC'S, BUILD SHEET, MANUAL & A WINDOW STICKER. $32,950 FIRM

THE STORY:

Initially introduced to compete with Plymouth's "Road Runner" the name and the graphics were a spin-off of TV's super successful "laugh-in" comedy show featuring (still) major fox Goldie Hawn (oh yeah, and Rowan & Martin.) Remember Sammy Davis Jr.'s rendition of "Here Comes Da Judge....Here Comes Da Judge"????- Like later catch phrases by famous people this phrase was on everyone's lips at the time, like "dy-no-mite", "where's the beef" and "d'aaoh." Pontiac's Judge was initially meant to be a bare bones GTO, race ready, with a powerful "Ram Air" motor as standard equipment. Originally priced a mere $332 more, prices later climbed upward for the option. Remember, $300 might not sound like much but, it could buy a second car or several color TV sets in 1968-70. In addition to the 400 cubic inch, 366 hp Ram Air III V8 (which 'coincidentally' had the horsepower split between the 335 of the Road Runner's 383 and 425 hp of the Hemi) one got a Hurst shifter, three speed transmission (four speed was optional), heavy duty suspension, Rally II wheels (without trim rings), an exterior trim kit (which varied between two different rear spoilers, over the 4 year period, chin spoiler or no chin spoiler, etc) side stripes, special badges and decals. The first 200 Judges were painted carousel red but, by Feb. 1969, customers demanded and got some other choices. The coveted Judge Model only lasted up until 1971 when Federal Mandates killed horsepower and laid it to rest.

By 1970, GTO advancements included a beautiful revised nose, tail and anti-sway bars. The 400 cubic inch V8 was dropped late in the year for the 455 but, by that time, G.M.'s intermediates were gaining some serious bulk and weight. Even Car And Driver's staff stated that Pontiac's biggest block 455 motor was "a low revving device that makes very little ruckus." By 1971 the big 455 was only churning out 335 h.p. By 1972 even the Ram Air Package only pushed out 300 h.p. With emission controls running rampant, safety conscious legislation and intimidating insurance rates looming overhead, the actual horsepower of the early Judge "barn burning" goats was never revealed. However, with Federal mandates taking effect, the "Judge" model became an overnight collector's item, even in the seventies. As far as stats; Hot Rod Magazine posted quarter mile times in 14.4 sec. at 99.55 mph while the other manufacturers were posting times of low 14 seconds and high 13 seconds.

Pontiac stats show 3,629 Judge coupes were built and only 168 convertibles in 1970. 3,054 coupes were Ram Air III's/4-speeds.....627 Ram Air IV/4-speeds. Taking attrition into account (accidents, rust, overseas sales and eventual non-original motor transplants), it doesn't take a math wizard to figure - very few of these are left in existence. Hence the ticket: $32,950 FIRM