The 1970 model year was perhaps the pinnacle of muscle car production. Rising insurance premiums, shrinking compression ratios, and tightening Federal emissions regulations would soon see demand drop off. The Pontiac GTO was still the godfather of the performance car genre, and the convertible was rare that year as only 3,783 were built. The seller’s drop-top is one of them, but it’s not a Judge (contrary to the stickers on the car). It’s spent the last four decades in a basement and needs more work than some of the photos suggest.
Damp quarters are no place to store a vintage car, and this Pontiac found it a growth spot for corrosion. At a minimum, a lot of surface rust can be found below, and the seller is unsure of the condition of the frame. The gas tank may have to be replaced as will the rear frame brace behind the bumper. The rear quarter panels have issues as does the trunk lid. The car was repainted in the 1980s and some of it has begun to bubble up (the color was changed from the original Baja Gold).
The top half of the engine has had some pieces removed and they may or may not be in the photos the seller provides. The 400 cubic inch V8 is not original to the car, so if you have to replace it going forward, the numbers won’t match anyway. The interior may be okay, but the convertible top is old and has some pin holes, so it will have to be replaced, too.
Since a RAM Air hood is on the car, if this was a RAM Air vehicle, to begin with, the rarity of the Pontiac shrinks to perhaps 1 out of 127 since the GTO has an automatic transmission (TH-400?). The VIN provided by the seller confirms it as a real GTO — but to reiterate, it is not a GTO Judge. Located in Everest, Kansas, this Poncho is available here on eBay. While the current bid is $11,300, the reserve is unmet. The Buy It Now price is under $20,000 due to all the issues the project has.
Non-original colour, fake Judge stickers, non-matching engine with zero parts, total refresh needed on the chassis, ancillaries and the body will need new sheet metal and a new paint job. Oh and a new hood. So what exactly are you buying here? A VIN for 20K?
Wowza a drop top late model goat.!!
If the numbers don’t match and not period correct then get an engine period correct to put in the car. I hope a ram air can be found “ if correct” for car (not the chrome breather shown).
It needs a trunk pan or possibly a plate welded in plus a new fuel tank. The interior, carpet plus top are toast and need an upgrade to from tears on drivers seat.
This can be a sweet ride with some love applied .
Good luck with sale on a future sweet ride.
This is a rare car, If I bought this I would get it back as close to stock as the VIN will show me. Hoods and interiors and trunk pans can be located. I can’t help but imagine rolling around in this gold beauty, black top and interior on a nice summer day. I hope the owner takes the highest bid so someone can get started on this ultra rare goat. Where it’s currently sitting is hurting it by the minute.
glad that the only things i store in my basement only stink till they decompose. it’s a shame that someone thought this would last forever….someone should be in jail! LOL
A ’70 GTO convertible is a good find. Probably deserves restoration. My brother had a ’69 4-speed with a notchback bench, of which I’ve only seen one other. This is the only bucket seat, column shift automatic GTO I have ever seen although I’ve seen many Firebirds with this setup.
Definitely a gorgeous car the day it left the factory. I love Baja Gold and it would be a crime not to restore it back to that color. Obviously it deserves a full resto even though the original engine is missing. Like someone said I’ve not seen too many column shifted Goats but my friends 70 Lemans was column shifted and this reminds me of those good times. The gas tank and rear frame are very scary…of course she needs to be totally disassembled and sent to the dipper to accurately assess how bad it is and my guess is it would be way worse then it looks..6 figure resto easy…and years…glwta
I have plenty of life left in me but i really don’t have the patience to deal with delays and the incompetence that floods our specialized automotive labor force , body work , welding and painting are needed on this , i do lots but need help and cannot get it , its the reason i have dropped the old cars ! Not out of loss of passion but out of disgust
A beautiful car that i hope gets restored
Ended at $12,300.
Reserve Not Met.