Yahoo Autos This Is What a $1 Million Pontiac GTO Judge Looks Like
These days, a Pontiac GTO Judge is far from a cheap car, but it’s not typically one you’d expect to cost Real Rich Person money. If it’s in good shape, sure, maybe it’ll go for $100,000. But if you make above-average money, live in a low-cost-of-living area, and save $1,000 a month, you could reasonably expect to buy one in cash in less than a decade. The 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge that just crossed the block at Mecum’s Kissimmee auction, though? Forget about it. That thing sold for $1.1 million.
Understandably, you’re probably wondering how a car that can be found for less than six figures could possibly be worth seven. Surely, it must have been owned by somebody famous, right? Did Johnny Cash buy it from Steve McQueen before selling it to Jay Leno? Nope. Did compete in a famous race or set a big record? Also no. It’s just an incredibly rare spec.
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According to the listing, this particular 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge is one of only seven Judge convertibles ordered with the Ram Air IV V8 and an automatic transmission. Pontiac reportedly built another 10 Judge convertibles with the manual transmission, making this car one of only 17 Judge convertibles with that engine. An engine that reportedly makes 370 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque, by the way.
As the listing puts it, “Pontiac produced a total of 40,149 GTOs in 1970, of which 3,797 were Judges and 168 were Judge convertibles, and of those Judge convertibles, 17 were Ram Air IV-powered and only seven were built with the Ram Air IV and automatic transmission.”
So you’ve got a car that’s in incredible condition thanks to a full restoration, has the best engine you could order at the time, is painted a seriously cool Orbit Orange, and is a rare enough combination that only seven similar cars were ever built? Yeah, you’re going to have to pay up for that. But on the other hand, more than $1 million for a Pontiac? Something about that still doesn’t seem right.
Pontiac GTO - Paul Revere & The Raiders - 1969
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