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Early Example of the John DeLorean's Pontiac GTO Judge Is Up for Grabs

The car you see here is a true gem, an American legend, and a highly collectible car. It is an original 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge, of which only a little over 6,800 examples were ever produced by the American car maker.
1969 Pontiac GTO Judge 20 photos
Photo: Bring a Trailer
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Pontiac first introduced the GTO variation in 1963 as a performance option package for the Pontiac LeMans. The car gained so much popularity by 1966 that the car manufacturer decided to give it its own model line. The Judge options package came to be a few years later as a solution to reverse the steady decline in GTO sales, and indeed it managed to turn things around for the marque.

The Pontiac GTO was the creation of John DeLorean, who acted as Pontiac’s division chief engineer at the time.

With its name derived from “Here Comes Da Judge,” a popular catchphrase from the comedy television show Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, the Judge version included a rear spoiler, a unique color scheme with “The Judge” decals, wider tires, and a Hurst shifter.

Additionally, buyers of the Judge had the option to choose between two engines - the 366 hp (371.2 ps) Ram Air III available for $332 and the 370 hp (375.2 ps) Ram Air IV for $390.

An original early 1969 example of the Pontiac GTO Judge is now up for grabs via Bring a Trailer. It’s a model featuring the 400 cubic-inch Ram Air III V8 rated when new at 366 hp (371.2 ps) and 445 lb-ft of torque. The engine is mated to a 4-speed manual transmission and a Safe-T-Track limited-slip rear differential.

This particular Pontiac GTO was assembled in Arlington, Texas, and comes with a Carousel Red livery adorned with side stripes and “The Judge” graphics. A refurbishment was carried out by Scott Tiemann of Supercar Specialties in Portland, Michigan, before 2020, when the current owner bought it.

Other features worth mentioning include a body-color Endura front bumper, a blacked-out front grille, a chrome rear bumper, and a Ram Air hood.

As for the interior of the car, it boasts front buckets and a rear bench seat trimmed in black upholstery. There is also a color-coordinated dashboard, a three-spoke wood-rimmed steering wheel, a Hurst shifter, as well as an electric Rally clock, and a multifunction gauge.

The odometer currently shows under 44,000 miles, but the car’s true mileage is unknown.

If you’ve been hunting for a Pontiac GTO Judge to add to your collection of muscle cars, this is your chance to put your hands on an example of the coveted Pontiac model. The current bid on Bring a Trailer sits at $73,000.
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About the author: Ancuta Iosub
Ancuta Iosub profile photo

After spending a few years as a copy editor, Ancuta decided to put down the eraser and pick up the writer's pencil. Her favorites subjects are unusual car designs, travel trailers and everything related to the great outdoors.
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