The 1969 model year may have been the pinnacle for muscle car sales. As 1970 arrived, demand was cooling thanks to market saturation and rising insurance premiums. The leader of the pack, Pontiac’s GTO, was already feeling the pinch, down from a peak of 97,000 cars in 1966 to 79,000 in 1969. This ’69 “GOAT” is said to have been tucked away in a garage since the 1990s and will run, but needs a head-to-toe restoration. Located in Billerica, Massachusetts, this ambitious project is available here on craigslist for $20,000 (negotiable). Hats off to Mitchell G. for keeping us busy in the tips department!

To help regain sales traction, Pontiac launched “The Judge” model of the GTO in 1969, and it’s perhaps the most desirable of the ‘69s today at just eight percent of sales output that season. The seller’s car is not one of those gems but is a Sport Coupe with a numbers-matching 400 cubic inch V8. With a 4-barrel carburetor (no Ram Air) and an automatic transmission, about 33,000 copies were sold that way, the most popular arrangement.

As the story goes, this car’s second owner bought it out of a garage a few years ago. The said owner got it running before the seller took possession in 2021. Other than rebuilding the carb, nothing else has been done to the Pontiac in a while. Time and Mother Nature have not been kind to the sheet metal of the machine, and you’ll find rust to be in ample supply. The list of problem areas includes the trunk, quarter panels, and fenders. Also, some bubbling is happening under the 56-year-old vinyl roof covering.

This is a well-equipped GTO with hidden headlights, Rally wheels, and even a power antenna that goes up and down. While the odometer says 86,000 miles, the seller cannot attest to that being the real number. Besides the car itself, the buyer has a couple of bins of parts to help with reviving this dormant muscle machine. Who’s ready to take on this challenge?