Photo: adry53customs/instagram
As we currently live out what might be the final years of the modern muscle car genre's golden era, with the ever-stricter emission standards threatening to bring it to an end, we can take comfort in the fact that the digital realm will always provide a space where these smiles-per-gallon masterpieces can flourish. There has never been a better time for virtual builds to accompany real ones, and the 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge we have here provides a brilliant example of the former category.
Five decades ago, muscle car enthusiasts had considerably more choices than they do today, so the competition was fierce, naturally. Even though the original GTO is credited for having popularized the segment, by the time this reached its second generation (1968), the pressure for the increasing number of nameplates in the arena became a serious matter.
With the 1969 car only showcasing limited differences compared to the previous model year, Pontiac general manager John Zachary DeLorean (yes, that Delorean) demanded a special edition to be created to keep buyer interest alive. And while the initial proposal from his team came in the form of a stripped-down model that would go after the popular Plymouth Road Runner, the executive went with a high-end options package instead.
Popular culture of the time inspired The Judge nickname (it came from the world of comedy), while the package targeted the suspension, wheels, interior, and exterior, with psychedelic stickers acting like an attention magnet. The offering's success meant The Judge remained in place for the 1970 facelift of the GTO, which brings us to the model we have here.
We're dealing with a digital restomod, as you can easily tell by the super-sized overfenders, albeit with the candy-colored stickers still in place. While those fenders accommodate American Racing Wheels goodies with a mirror-like finish, we're more interested in the hardware sitting in between them. That would be the side pipes.
Timothy Adry Emmanuel, the digital artist behind the work, went one step further with the yellow finish of the vehicle, referencing 1971's Two-Lane Blacktop, an American road movie that involves a GTO with this sort of attire; "Blacktop" refers to an asphalt road.
And while the vehicle in the motion picture, which obviously gets its fair share of street hooning, was a '70 GTO with the 455ci (7.45L) V8 and a Mark IV Ram-Air hood, it didn't sport The Judge treatment. However, how could we complain about this when we've been staring at these pixels for way longer than we like to admit?
With the 1969 car only showcasing limited differences compared to the previous model year, Pontiac general manager John Zachary DeLorean (yes, that Delorean) demanded a special edition to be created to keep buyer interest alive. And while the initial proposal from his team came in the form of a stripped-down model that would go after the popular Plymouth Road Runner, the executive went with a high-end options package instead.
Popular culture of the time inspired The Judge nickname (it came from the world of comedy), while the package targeted the suspension, wheels, interior, and exterior, with psychedelic stickers acting like an attention magnet. The offering's success meant The Judge remained in place for the 1970 facelift of the GTO, which brings us to the model we have here.
We're dealing with a digital restomod, as you can easily tell by the super-sized overfenders, albeit with the candy-colored stickers still in place. While those fenders accommodate American Racing Wheels goodies with a mirror-like finish, we're more interested in the hardware sitting in between them. That would be the side pipes.
Timothy Adry Emmanuel, the digital artist behind the work, went one step further with the yellow finish of the vehicle, referencing 1971's Two-Lane Blacktop, an American road movie that involves a GTO with this sort of attire; "Blacktop" refers to an asphalt road.
And while the vehicle in the motion picture, which obviously gets its fair share of street hooning, was a '70 GTO with the 455ci (7.45L) V8 and a Mark IV Ram-Air hood, it didn't sport The Judge treatment. However, how could we complain about this when we've been staring at these pixels for way longer than we like to admit?
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