Five Quick Facts About The Pontiac GTO Judge

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All rise for the Judge.

Gran Turismo Omologato, or GTO, is a name that inspires images of pure muscle car dominance on the roads of America. Even bigger than the GTO name alone, arguably, would be the calling of 'The Judge' - a nickname adopted from the “Here Comes the Judge” made famous by Sammy Davis Jr. on the popular comedy television show Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.

Read about the history of the muscle car here.

The original run of the Pontiac GTO was produced from 1964 to 1974, as an aggressive performance car, with big displacement engines, and unforgettable body-lines. Pontiac intended The Judge to be a more affordable competitor of the Plymouth Road Runner, but ended up making it slightly more expensive than the Mopar.

To celebrate this amazing GTO variant, here are a few grab bag facts that make the Judge awesome.

Initially Only Available In Carousel Red

When you conjure images of The Judge, you're probably picturing one in Carousel Red - other than being striking in this color, it was originally the only color you could get one in. Although the color is called red, most would argue that the famous paint color is a deep orange. After the first thousand cars were made, the GTO was given more color options, but the original is still the most highly coveted.

Convertibles Are The Rarer Version

Back in the 1960s and 1970s, demand for convertible body styles was way down. Gone were the days of dreamy cruises with your sweetheart with the top down in your Tri-Five. This was the main driver of lack of higher production of convertible models, but those low production numbers make cars more desirable today. Since only 108 convertibles were made under the name in 1969, the convertible Judge is the rarest of the trim.