Here come de Judge! This GTO was discovered in the second owner’s barn, where it had been parked since the late ’70s. They purchased it from the original owner in 1974, so they didn’t get much use out of it before parking it. The odometer is showing just 56k miles, which I think could be accurate. It definitely has some bumps and bruises, but the seller claims it runs and drives great! You can find this GTO here on eBay in Whitman, Massachusetts with a single bid of $30k.
The seller is rather light on information. It would certainly be nice to know if they have any documents to prove the mileage, what all has been done to it, and if there is any serious rust in the floors. Hopefully the seller will be more forthcoming with information if you message directly.
Of the 70k GTOs sold in 1969, only 6,833 were equipped with the Judge package, making this a fairly rare muscle car. The Judge came standard with the Ram Air III engine, a Hurst shifter, Rally wheels, higher performance tires, a rear spoiler and various other visual tweaks. The Ram Air III 400 cui V8 might be the base engine, but it was no slouch. Horsepower was rated at 366, with the Ram Air IV being rated at 370 horsepower. Both are great engines with more than enough power to get you into trouble. This one’s Ram Air III is pair with a 4-speed, so this car should prove to be a blast to drive.
Overall, this GTO looks to be in good shape. It has some cosmetic issues and I spot a few rust spots that need attention, but if you are in the market for a Carousel Red Judge, this one could make for a great project! And given the fact that it already runs and drives, you could actually drive and enjoy it while you work on it improving it. So will this Judge be holding court in your barn?
Very Nice! I’d preserve as a survivor/driver.
I’d want to at least add power brakes but, otherwise, drive it as is.
I recently saw a 68 that was made to look like a Judge. The owner was trying to pass it off as the real thing. I am not sure it even started life as a GTO
Vince, Funny….but not uncommon…
Many Lemans owners tried to pass them off as GTO’s back in the day…..
It still happens to this day. I know of a ’66 LeMans near me that is presented for sale as a GTO. Upon inspection of the rear tail lamp/valance panel revealed the poor welds and sub-standard finish work that proved otherwise. A look inside the trunk at the valance panel provided additional forensic evidence as well. They couldn’t even take the time to use proper seam sealer. If one is to clone something, at least have the moxy to clone it well and not advertise it as original.
Too funny, the GTO Judge was only offered 1969-1971.
A 1968 Judge must look pretty funny
One of my all time favorite cars!
A buddy had one just like this but an auto. Cheap transportation in 1983
Nice car but isn’t the engine painted the wrong colour blue for 1969?
It should present a tad bit darker but it could be the photography.
it shouldn’t be darker it should be a more chrome looking blue.
The engine, whether original or not has been poorly repainted in the wrong blue. This blue was used on 71-74 Pontiac V8’s as I recall.
The correct shade for 1969 is the silver blue Metallic pictured on the other GTO engine shown above.
Both the alternator bracket and heater hose support bracket on this GTO were not painted engine color at plant.
Whitewalls just seem so………wrong.
Indeed they do.
That’s not the “humbler” pull knob on the lower dash is it? I’m not really schooled on these cars but I know it’s a rare option. Could be for the Ram Air?
No, that’s for the Ram Air system’s hood ducts.
The so-called Humbler was an option for a short time for the 1970 model year called Vacuum Operated Exhaust(VOE). It was not available on Ram Air equipped cars. Only 233 were made before management killed it off right after it was featured in a Super Bowl commercial.
The humbler or VOE knob was a 1970 only option…super cool, super rare…I think they called it the humbler knob because there was a commercial called the humbler where some dude drives through a drive in burger joint and opens up the exhaust…wonder if it’s on utube?
Indeed it is!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JNj9sEdPF0
1970 GTO with VOE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mwov5Kp0SCE
1970 GTO with reproduction system from Waldron:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSEvVso21pM
The pull cable is for “Ram Air”. It was standard on the Judge. The Judge also came standard with black walls but you could order white stripe tires as an option.
These days there are probably more Judge clones out there than actual Judge’s.
When these came out, there was a local Sessions Court Judge who bought one of these new and drove it daily for many years. I used to see it from time to time and often wondered what happened to it.
Years later I found an original owner ’70 GTO 455 that had the Ram Air option with the under dash pull lever as previously mentioned.
This car has been listed locally on Craigslist for $45,000. As my former realtor used to say, the seller may be overly optimistic.
https://boston.craigslist.org/sob/cto/6179767389.html
The seller had previously listed it on eBay for that amount.
As mentioned, the engine is the wrong color, it’s a baby blue which was from an earlier model year. It would be good to know if the engine is matching numbers, the seller never addresses that.
Steve R
In his Craig’s List ad he says numbers matching but I have a feeling that the motor is probably from a mid 70’s trans am or something. The original owner probably blew the motor then sold it in 74 and the second owner probably put the later motor in it.
Have to agree with you guys about the motor, looks exactly like a ’78 T/A 400 (220hp) motor to me.
I worked at a Pontiac dealer in the early ’70s. The failure rate on the connecting rods was quite impressive. (I still remember the part number. 541000) On engines that had been over revved. These cars had (if I remember correctly) 5 year or 50,000 mile warrantys. I saw many oil pumps that had been knocked off by connecting rods flailing around. These usually were wedged between the crank and the block. (Crank don’t turn no more!!!)
Pontiac just kept paying the bills. As long as the car did not come into the dealership with drag slicks installed!
Hard to believe this icon is featured only two spaces away from the Chevelle 300 4-door. This is one of the definitive cars of the Muscle era. Anyone who doesn’t want one shouldn’t be on this site.
Great find.
With the interior wear, I’m going with 156,000 miles. Inside is not clean enough for 56k miles. If that’s the case, I think it’s already overbid.
O so nice a must have!
our are there more 69 z/28’s with auto and air out there
SOLD on EBAY for $34100.00 was it Money Well Spent?
$34,100 and I don’t believe that was the original motor even. It is the wrong colour for original.
“SOLD on EBAY” is a relative term. There may have been a winning bid for the auction, but whether a deal actually happens is not so certain. Lots of nonpaying bidders on eBay. Would not surprise me if the high bidder now does some due diligence and backs out or tries to renegotiate with the seller if anything is amiss.