The Pontiac Judge: Just As Fine Today

By David Ashton

Some car designs come and go, while others have a certain something that lasts through the ages. One of these is definitely the Pontiac judge.

Born from the Pontiac GTO line in 1969, the name or phrase ‘Here Come de Judge’ originated from a comic entertainer called Dewey ‘Pigmeat’ Markham and was then popularised on the Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In TV show.
The car was built to compete against the Plymouth Roadrunner and featured the Ram Air III engine, Turbo Hydra-Matic transmission, Hurst shifter, wide tires and rear spoiler. Judges came in the standout colors of the time originally only in Carousel Red, but later in standout colours like Orbit Orange.

Many stories abound around the Judge such as it could have possibly be called the ‘ET’ for elapsed time, but thankfully John DeLorean didn’t agree and use the judge line instead.
By 1971, insurance prices and reduced horsepower made some dealers remove decals and sell judges simply as Le Mans models.

The judge model was originally a $400 option on top of the $3,600 1970 GTO. 40,000 GTOs were produced that year, with 3,629 being hard tops and 168 convertibles.

In today’s automotive landscape The Pontiac Judge stands out as a classic of its time and still defines the muscle car era.

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