Barreling down the highway with its obnoxious, Orbit Orange paint color and arrow-like, split front fascia, the 1969 GTO Judge was still more likely to be heard before it was seen. Although the ominous title came from a comedy routine, “Here Come de Judge” (courtesy of Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-in TV Show), the muscly brute of a car by the same name was no laughing matter. But before we get into the car itself, many wonder, why the name? As legend has it, Pontiac’s designers suggested “ET” (for “elapsed time”, not “extra-terrestrial”) be the name of the low-cost alternative to the Road Runner. Ironically, John DeLorean felt the name wasn’t catchy enough. Remembering the comedy skit above, he suggested The Judge – and so the name stuck.
But what makes the GTO Judge so iconic? The original design intent of the car was to compete directly against the Road Runner, affording budget-minded muscle cars the opportunity to own a stripped down performance car without spending an arm and a leg on features and creature comfort. With all the accouterments gone, what remained was all performance and no play: A mammoth Ram Air IV 400 motor arrived in 1969 and maintained a paltry rating of 370 HP and 445 lb-ft of torque (many reckon the motor made at least 100 horses and lb-ft more). The motor boasted a 10.75:1 compression ratio and inhaled air through a Quadrajet, while 722 round-port heads and an aluminum intake manifold shoved air through the aggressively loped 041 camshaft and valve. 1.65:1 rocker arms, a recalibrated ignition system (the crude version of modern tuning) and a Ram Air inlet allowed the 1969 GTO to make loads of power.
Helping manage all that power was a set of Blackwall G70 x 14 tires, Rally II wheels, and a Hurst T-handle shifter slapped onto a 4-speed manual transmission. A Safe-T-Track limited slip diff kept both beefed up rubbers spinning out back, the end result being a truly simplified, mean, bright, and in-your-face drag car that was street legal and cheap. Pontiac didn’t skimp out on good looks with the Judge. To drum up excitement in the press for the release of this relatively “economy”-based muscle car, Pontiac blacked out the grille, styled up a groovy, wavy printed “Judge” logo, and included a truck-wide spoiler. To finish off a bright introduction in 1969, the first 2,000 GTO Judges were produced in Carousel Red, though the iconic Orbit Orange and other color options were available for order later in the year.
In the end, the GTO Judge became a cult classic of the muscle car kingdom. Good looks and big motors aside, the Judge was able to consistently run mid-12s at 114 mph on the track, a staggering figure for its time – and even still a respectable number in today’s competitive muscle market. These days, you’ll find a Judge sitting in a green field of grass, resting quietly, silently judging those less endowed around it. Most Judges go for $75,000 and up, so seeing one of these powerplants barrel down the track like they did in the 70’s will be a rare sight to see.
