Vehicle Description
400 cid Ram Air III V-8 engine, single Rochester four-barrel carburetor, 366 HP, GM M40 Turbo-Hydramatic three-speed automatic transmission, independent front suspension with unequal-length A-arms and coil springs, live rear axle with four-link suspension and coil springs, and four-wheel hydraulic brakes; wheelbase: 112"
Just in case the owners of competing muscle cars began thinking Pontiac’s groundbreaking GTO was getting soft in the middle by 1968, the folks at Pontiac reminded them on December 18th of that year that the GTO’s performance and image were indeed alive and well. That reminder came with the release of “The Judge,” an unrestrained performance GTO with an irreverent attitude and marketing to match, with famous taglines including “All Rise for The Judge” and the infamous line, “The Judge can be bought.”
While the Code WT1 Judge Option package added $337 to the standard GTO sticker price, it packed plenty of value. For starters, the standard Judge engine was Pontiac’s 400 cubic-inch Ram Air III high-performance engine with 366 factory-rated horsepower. Dual functional hood scoops fed fresh, cool air into the deep-breathing RA II engine, with the air intakes opened and closed as necessary with a push-pull cable actuated by a button marked “Ram Air” underneath the dash panel. A 60-inch wide wing graced the rear deck and the GTO’s innovative body-color, flexible Endura front bumper surrounded a sinister blacked-out twin-element grille with optional retractable headlight covers. The outrageous Carousel Red finish was topped by flashy body side graphic accent stripes and accented by a set of silver-painted Rally II wheels devoid of bright trim rings surrounded by fiberglass-belted tires. Higher-rate springs and recalibrated shocks brought handling and road holding up to the same standards as the engine’s performance, which propelled the car to easy 14-second quarter-mile times in bone-stock form.
Only 6,725 Judge hardtops and 108 convertibles were built for 1969 and their reputation has remained intact – and impressive – ever since. The survival rate of these road rockets has been quite small; however, the outstanding performance and massive charisma of The Judge – not to forget the visual impact of its flashy graphics – have made it a longtime favorite of performance-car fanatics. This 1969 GTO Judge is even more desirable as one of, if not the, first examples of the GTO Judge Convertible produced. According to a copy of the original dealer invoice provided by Pontiac Historical Services, which is included with the sale of this vehicle, this GTO Judge was shipped on March 25, 1969, and invoiced on March 31, 1969, to Queen City Pontiac in Plainfield, New Jersey. In addition to the Judge package, the car was built to run, having been equipped new with only the M40 high-performance Turbo-Hydramatic 400 automatic transmission, power steering, and a pushbutton radio. As equipped, the car carried a suggested retail price of $4,188.72. The current owner acquired The Judge from the prior owner of 30 years and then commissioned its total restoration by Acceleration Restoration, which was recently completed in 2014. Power is provided by a correct, date-coded “YZ” engine block and the transmission and rear end are understood to be original to the car. Exceptional detailing defines this stunning restoration, from the sleek “coke bottle” body lines to the eye-popping Carousel Red paint finish, black interior, and impeccably finished and detailed Ram Air III engine and surrounding engine bay. Historically significant as the launch of an icon, exceedingly rare with limited test miles on a recent impressive restoration, usher this Judge into the select chambers of muscle car royalty.
