While it only appeared for a mere three model years and didn’t sell in significant numbers, the Pontiac GTO “Judge” has become one of the most legendary American muscle cars. Hiding under this heavy layer of dust is a 1970 model that will require some restoration work. However, “The Judge” ticks two crucial boxes for any muscle car enthusiasts. The first is that their values remain extraordinarily high, which potentially makes them a solid long-term investment. The second, and possibly most important, is that they provide breathtaking levels of performance. This one appears to have been sitting in a shed for quite a long time, but it does show a lot of promise. It is located in Roopville, Georgia, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. The owner has set a BIN of $40,000 for this classic, and the fact that 132 people are currently watching the listing provides an accurate indication of just how desirable these cars are.
It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. If this is true, then the owner of this Judge must be a pretty quiet type. What we receive is a total of four photos, along with a description that runs to a staggering eleven words. However, scrutinizing the pictures does allow us to draw a few conclusions about the vehicle. The signature paint color for the 1970 Judge is undoubtedly Orbit Orange, although buyers could choose any color within the GTO range. In this case, we have a Pontiac that is finished in Verdoro Green with a Black vinyl top. It is hard to be sure whether there are any major rust issues present in the vehicle, but there are some very obvious bubbles under the vinyl, especially in the filler panel below the rear window. The state of the floors and lower body extremities is unclear, although it does appear that the paint might be in reasonable condition below all of that dust. Otherwise, the Pontiac seems to be complete, with the correct rear spoiler, graphics, the oh-so-cool hood tach, and Rally II wheels.
The single interior shot paints a reasonably positive picture because although it needs a thorough clean, it does appear to be in quite good condition. There are no apparent problems with the upholstery, while the dash and pad look like they are free from any issues. The carpet looks a bit faded, and a perfectionist may want to replace it. There have been no aftermarket additions made to the interior, but I do believe that the original owner may have ordered The Judge with air conditioning. As for what is going on under the hood, this is a great unknown. It isn’t clear what is hiding there, but the odds are firmly stacked in favor of it being the 400ci Ram Air III V8. The Ram Air IV was also available, but very few buyers chose to tick the box beside that upgrade. Also, air conditioning wasn’t offered on vehicles fitted with the Ram Air IV, so if I am right about the car featuring A/C, then that should tell the story for us. The 455ci V8 wasn’t initially offered in The Judge in 1970. However, it did reappear in the final quarter of that year. If I am right and this is the Ram Air III, then it would have produced an “official” output of 366hp. Many manufacturers had become a bit coy by this time, and there was a tendency for them to underestimate power outputs mainly for insurance purposes. The truth with these engines is believed to be quite different, and there have been many knowledgeable individuals who place the figure somewhere closer to 400hp. Regardless of the truth, this engine is backed by a 4-speed manual transmission, and as I stated earlier, the result was breathtaking levels of performance. In this guise, The Judge was capable of acceleration from 0-60mph in 5.3 seconds, while the ¼ mile would be a distant memory in 14 seconds. It isn’t clear what state the drivetrain is in with this vehicle, so I suspect that the owner is going to be fielding quite a few questions on that.
By 1970, sales of the Pontiac GTO were falling markedly, and The Judge was not an exception to that trend. Only around 3,700 people laid down their cash for one, meaning that due to natural attrition, their numbers have dwindled quite markedly. If this is a real Judge, and it is a numbers-matching vehicle, then its ultimate value once restored could be quite significant. Original and unmodified examples equipped as this car is can quite easily sell for $60,000, although higher figures are achieved regularly. With that fact in mind, it is easy to understand why this car has generated so much interest. I suspect that the owner will be fielding a lot of inquiries on this classic.
Signature color is called “Carousel Red “, which is as orange as orange can be.
“Orbit Orange ” is orangey yellow,and true red is called “Cardinal Red “.GM did not want Pontiac to use the Chevy “Hugger Orange” .That’s the explanation I’ve always heard.
The signature color for 1969 was Carousel Red (orange). The author is correctly stating that the signature color for 1970 was Orbit Orange (yellow).
The author might have this car’s color wrong, though. It appears to be the darker Pepper Green to me, but I might be wrong.
The signature color for the 1969 Judge was Carousel Red (orange), but the author is correctly stating that the signature color for 1970 was Orbit Orange (yellow).
He might have the color of this car wrong, though. It appears to be the darker Pepper Green, but the two are pretty similar and I could be wrong.
Verdero green is the correct paint color. I have a 70 GTO in Palisade green. It is much lighter. I believe that those were the only two greens available for the year.
In my opinion Carousel Red was the signature color in 1969, and Orbit Orange was the signature color for 1970. When the Judge was introduced in late 1968, Carousel Red was the only color available until February of 1969, when all colors were available. Signature colors seem to be the color most people think of in a particular car. GM used many of the same colors across the board, but have different names. Chevrolet for example had a very popular color called Marina Blue. Pontiac called it Tyrol Blue, Buick called it Blue Mist, and Oldsmobile called it Ermine Blue, all code F.
Pontiacs ‘carousel red’ & Chevys ‘hugger orange’ are the same color. Both use the same color code of 72. https://www.sw-rodandrestocustomcolor.com/colors/PCCL50
Orbit orange is really wheatland yellow (which is GM’s school bus yellow). Carousel red is really GM (Chevy) Hugger Orange. The white GTO Judges were GM’s cameo white (GM code 11) the Corvette white (and GM’s truck) white was brighter code 10.
You had my interest at hood tach, it’s probably one of my favorite options of all time ( hidden headlamps a close second ). I know they have heads up displays, but if someone would put this option on new sports cars it would be a success. Way too rich for my blood, but this car will make its next owner very happy. Too many cars, so little time
My driver today is ,in fact,my 70 Judge vert in Carousel Red with tan top and interior.It is my favorite in a pretty large multi brand collection,and has been for 15 years.There simply isn’t any other muscle car (or ANY car of the era ? ) which drives as well ; goes,stops ,handles and has a very smooth ride without wallowing around like so many do.Back to the color , the vibrant orange is very common on the hardtops for sure,but mine is the only convertible that I’ve run across ,at least in a 70.This featured car needs a wash regardless of the barn find claims.Like ,can we actually SEE what we are bidding on ?
Hmmm, a seller with zero feedback selling his first item for $40k? Definitely requires an in-person look. While it at first glance appears to be decent, the lack of photo’s is a bit concerning. The front bumper is shifted a bit to the right, and there is a fair amount of rust under the vinyl top at the rear window. No under-hood or trunk photo’s, no PHS. I don’t understand why any seller, especially those with a relatively rare car do not invest in a PHS report.
Lovin the optional solo cup wheel chock. though i saw a lot of them back in the day, it’s good to see this one is still so equipped.
I’m one of those GTO fan weirdos who doesn’t care much for the Judge and never fully understood the premium over the regular GTO. Sure, I like the Ram Air III but that was also available on the regular GTO.
Then again, I also dislike the hood tach. It’s not that I per se dislike it, but literally everyone who has restored a GTO over the past 30 years has seen fit to give their credit card info over to Year One and stick a replica on the hood.
In this climate, 40k as an ask actually seems somewhat low to me. People who love these really love them, so I’m surprised it hasn’t been snapped up yet.
OMG. I HATE that I don’t have the money for this one. I’m the odd fan of green as a car color. I have a 72 LeMans with the endura package, buckets, console, A/C, and rally IIs like this one. I dream of owning a Judge. Apparently the Judge’s exhaust rumble was music. And this one has A/C. A must in Southern California. I’ll go whimper in the corner for a while. LOL.
Exhaust note? One of the coolest options ever was the W-73 VOE option, Vacuum Operated Exhaust. It used engine vacuum to open a flap in the mufflers to basically bypass the internal baffling. It used a knob under the dash, much like the Ram Air control. It didn’t hang around too long, rumors had it that it wouldn’t pass local noise ordinances, but it had to do more with GM management. They only made somewhere around 250 GTO’s with the option, but there is (or was) a company that offered it as a reproduction. Pretty cool for 1970!
Love the description – why he wrote so much is beyond me – he should have just written “car for sale”
Boy we don’t see a lot these around anymore. It hard to gauge true condition based on just these pics but if it’s a true 400 ci stage III that made for a good setup for it’s time. As a kid I used to walk by an orange judge every day around Jr high I liked it but it sat out on the street year around with lots of salt all around it all winter, it was a cool car but being young and not that bright I never saw the potential for where they are today!
Love all Gtos, but all beancounting aside, I would crawl in a 68 over the rest.
1974 I was gonna trade for one. It had the vinlyn roof and was between a blueish green color. Black in side 4 speed. The ONLY thing I did not like about it was the damn ugly PINK strips over the fenders. That was on a Friday evening close to closing time. I told the guy I would be back on Monday. I was their ,but he sold it to a girl on Saturday. I told the guy first thing I would do id remove the strips before I would drive it and he laughed and said me too. I,d see the car parked In Craigsville,all the time. The salesman said she was from Cowen ,W.Va. Have,nt seen it in along time,but I keep watching for it. I,d look this car over really good before I laid down any cash. One guy tried burning me once and it taught me to not trust people who are trying to sale a car.
I was a previous GTO owner and a next door neighbor just got a JUDGE through his uncle who was a Pontiac Dealer.
He let me take it for a drive with him in the passenger seat and a guy in a 426 Dodge pulls up reving his engine. I was never one to avoid a challenge but the light changed and the rest was history. I smoked him but I had a 4 speed and he had an automatic.
Needless to say that was the last time I drove the neighbors car but at least he saw what a good driver could do with it.
Only 4 pics? Wash and detail it!
$10k per photo. And that lame description. Sounds dodgy.
You Judge enthusiasts, don’t jump down my throat……
I never liked the Judge. Too big, too bulky & bad design. IMO…
As a former ’65 GTO owner, I loved the simple style of the ’65, ’66 & ’67.
Now those are the true classic GTOs. The first year(’64) was nice. But when they went to the vertical head lights & single hood scoop,that was it.
I purchased my ’65 tri-power, in Sept.’64. I asked for a pic, or brochure, but they didn’t have any. So I ordered it sight unseen. The salesman said if I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t have to take it.
The day it arrived, I happened to be driving past the dealership. The car carrier was just pulling in to the lot, when I saw my Montero red ’65, sitting on the top of the moving parking lot. I was only 21 & it was Xmas in Oct. The day that will live in imfamy….
BTW…. I still don’t understand why someone didn’t take a hose, to this ’70 Judge. Maybe the dust & dirt is included in the sale. Too many cars shown in BF, in this condition. I don’t get it.
It just blows my mind when a seller has something special such as this Judge but he doesnt bother to wash the car, put in a decent description and take at least more than 4 pics. If he did that he would probably have 300 people watching the car if not having it sold already.
At the start of the 65 model year there was a strike. I had order my burgundy rag top well before introduction. I was 19 or 20 and paying cash for it by my self. Only a 4 speed, Power steering, am radio and no posi. Loved the car so much that I bought a 67 in same color option with posi and power windows. That like the 67 Corvette were the BEST.
I was never a Pontiac guy but have a good friend that is. His Dad bought a 65 new that he still has is I think Midnight Blue. Clay also has a 66 steel bodied GTO that goes 167 MPH in 1/4 mile he has had for 35 years i think. He told me the other day he was going to sell soon. It is perfect and black.
He does high end restorations has a waiting list and never advertises and one local guy here had him do his 69 or 70 GTO Judge. It is black also seems like he said like only 3 were black. The same guy also has Pontiac 69 Firebird HO RA III 4 speed all original. You do see it occasionally at shows but he drives his 428 CJ Mustang most of the time. It was also restored by Clay.
Clay did restore a 66 GTO for another local that he took to the Pontiac Nationals in Ohio I think. It was first time out just finished the restore week before. It won best of show with over 800 entries and was judged to be no deductions except for radial tires and Interstate battery. You cannot find any fault with a restore Clay does. That car was so rusty that when you opened the door it would fall down A post rusted into. It was fixed using all Pontiac metal.
Knowing what it cost to restore one of these I could see the restore go between $85,000 to $100,000 add in the cost of the car and when done you could probably get $80,000 at auction at best. Most cars today cannot be restored correctly and make a penny on them. Sure a used car lot shiny paint job and make a little maybe.
The 1965 GTO his dad had was offered for sale in 1974 during the gas crisis for $350 and could not sell it, it is 389 4 speed tri power. I believe the only reason people are watching it is to see if someone is crazy enough to buy it.
I had a 68 enduro delete!! It was an automatic but I alway wanted the 4 speed!! Nice car mine was this color!!
First thing would be the under vinyl top rust. That needs to be addressed. I drove a ’77 Mark V everyday for 17 years. Went through 3 padded half vinyl roofs. The last one rusted underneath. Went out one day to the back floorboard being full of water. The car was covered. There was a mushroom growing out of the carpet. What a mess!!!
This car is Pepper Green. I had a 70 hardtop 32 years ago in Palisade Green. Nice car.