It’s a bit surprising that out of the 72,287 GTO cars that rolled off the Pontiac assembly line for ’69 only 6,833 were equipped with The Judge package, making them a somewhat rare and sought-after offering in the late sixties muscle car market nowadays. The Judge got you some additional cool stuff on a car that was already good to start with, and it didn’t cost a fortune to add either, tacking on less than $350 to your bill. If you’re a Pontiac enthusiast and have been in the market for a nicely restored such-equipped example goat, this 1969 GTO Judge may have you covered. The car is located in Ellensburg, Washington, and can be found here on eBay, where the present bid is sitting at $68,300 but still short of the reserve, or it can be yours right now for $89,500.
The car has undergone time on a rotisserie, and from the looks of things this one’s been done right, plus it’s also been documented by Pontiac Historical Services as the real deal. Although we don’t get any information about what the car was like to start with, with all the attention that has been given here I’m not sure how much it really matters, as the body was media-blasted all the way down to the bare metal, then coated in an epoxy sealer. After the bodywork was completed, the finish was applied, and the results seem to live up to the seller’s description of stunning. Additionally, lots of work was done down below too, with the frame also taken down to bare steel during the restoration, with some nice finishing touches added such as the correct overspray of Carousel Red shot at a 45-degree angle to replicate how it was done at the factory.
Under the hood, the Ram Air 400 was treated to a complete rebuild, which included a .30 over bore. The Ram Air heads got new valves and springs, and to accommodate modern fuels hardened seats were added, plus the distributor was recurved to accept 92 octane gas. More good news is in the transmission department, as this is a 4-Speed car, with recent work performed on the transmission as well, along with a new Yukon positraction unit and 3:55.1 gears. The seller says it’s a tight car that runs and drives excellently.
Things inside don’t disappoint either, at least the parts we can see up front, and I’m guessing the back seat probably looks just as good as those front buckets. The only addition I question on the entire car is the installation of concealed headlights, as this Pontiac didn’t come from the factory with covers. I think they look great, and it would be quick and easy to undo, but with all the attention given to details like the factory stickers and decals, chalk marks, and overspray, I just found it interesting that the front end was changed. This one seems like a Judge that’s sure to please its next owner, in both looks and performance. What are your thoughts on this one?
Nice car! I’d take this car any day for 89k over that ratty white rusty gto that recently sold for 42.5k.The rusty one will need 100k to get in the condition of this one.
The white car was a numbers matching RAIV Judge. Spend $100k on the restoration and still sell it for a profit.
Like the painted steel wheels with small hub caps.Never saw this before.
The poverty caps are incorrect. The Judge package included Rally II wheels without trim rings.
True. I like that look in general, but it looks out of place on a Judge
I thought the hidden headlights were an option for the 1969 Judge? Maybe an option earlier in production?
“Concealed headlamps” (Sales Code 414; UPC Code T83) were a $52.66 option on all 1969 GTOs regardless of whether they were also equipped with the $337.02 “The Judge” option package (Sales Code 554; UPC Code WT1).
They were optional but I’ve always felt that they should have been standard on all ‘68-‘69 GTO’s. In my opinion they make the car look so much better
There’s over six figures invested in this car…….prices out the old guys unless the wife says OK….the millennials would/could buy a house for this $$…market is getting smaller every day…good luck to seller…
A beautiful Judge with a couple personal liberties taken during restoration.
As previously mentioned the concealed headlamps were originally optional for all GTOs but just were not original to this particular car. And equipping this car with steelies and hubcaps in lieu of the stock Rally II wheels without trim rings is an interesting aesthetic choice that I’ve never seen before on a Judge, and it harkens back to the original concept of a budget supercar vs. what Pontic ultimately produced.
A couple other very minor nits: 1) the stripes are the wrong color
This car has an early February 1969 build date, and at that time the central color of the tri-color Judge stripe was blue. It changed to black in late February.
2) there originally would not have been a decal on the glovebox door
The first 2,000 Judges(which would have included this car given the build date) were shipped without the glovebox emblem, which was late arriving. It is certainly possible that it could have been added back in the day by the owner or even the dealer depending on when the the car was originally sold.
Overall a great car that I’d love to own. The L74 400 Ram Air motor is a sweetheart of an engine and I’m sure this car is a blast to drive. GLWTA.
Nice car
Worth every penny IMHO!!!
So we all agree about the hidden headlamps having been added…I personally, don’t think that detracts from the car at all (if they work properly, obviously)…the tires & wheels are not correct, wheels should be Rally II, minus trim rings….every new 69’ Judge I saw back then, had blackwall tires on the Rally wheels when new…..there were plenty of those cars cruising both Philly & Jersey back then…..each one I saw had the Ram Air III engines either Muncie 4 speeds or Turbo 400’s…the trans. in this car appears to be an M20….I like the glovebox emblem, correct or not…..
The Ram Air lll engine, 3 speed manual, Rally ll wheels with no trim rings, rear spoiler. Carousel Red paint with side stripes was the what the option consisted of when introduced. Later you could order the Judge package in any standard Pontiac color. Many were ordered with the optional 4 speed or automatic transmissions. This one was ordered with the M20 as identified by the 354 option code, the M21 close ratio was code 358. Interestingly, they were the same price, $184.80. I like dog dish hubcaps on some cars, however I don’t think they work so well on this car.
It wasn’t produced in large numbers because it was considered by some to be sIlly at the time, being named after a catch ohrase on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In and all, a rather goofy TV show.
History has been very kind to it though. Judges always bring a big premium, as I’m sure this one will, liberties and all.
I don’t care about what anyone says about the headlights or the steal wheels. This is a awesome ride. I would love to be able to wash and wax it in my driveway.
At a minimum, the vin stamp on the engine block has been forged.
Out of curiosity, what makes you say that?
I assume it’s a reference to the partial VIN of “9G125” shown vs. seller listing the VIN as “242379G121212” in the description. I think the production number(last six digits) of “121212” that the seller used is just a place holder. Seller does seem to be careful to cover up the actual VIN in photos of the paperwork and stamping. Nevertheless I hope the buyer(listing says car is sold) is careful to make sure everything matches up and independently verifies the car with PHS.
One thing I am curious about is the fact that the original selling dealer is shown to gave been in East Lansing, Michigan and yet the plant code in the VIN is not “P” for Pontiac, Michigan but rather “G” for Framingham, Massachusetts. Not saying there is anything wrong, but I am curious about it. It would have been helpful to have a pic of the body data plate.
Pontiac always started the vin stamp with a 2 and the font is wrong.
Thanks Zephyr424, I’d forgotten about that. I believe Pontiac began adding the “2” to the stamping sometime late in 1967, so this 1969 400 block should have it.
Again, I hope the buyer does their due diligence before completing their purchase.