Of the 357 GTO Judges that Pontiac sold in 1971, only 17 came in droptop form, making a 1971 Judge convertible a desirable muscle car in and of itself. Clones abound nowadays, of course, but find a real one – for instance, the Laurentian Green example that crossed the block this past weekend – and factor in a full restoration by Pontiac expert Scott Tiemann, and the result is a selling price of $232,500.
The Judge’s original YE block 455-cu.in. V-8 engine, with an output rated at 335 horsepower and 480 pound-feet of torque, still resides under the Ram Air hood. A three-speed Turbo Hydra-Matic 400 transmission sends power to the car’s 12-bolt rear differential, which uses the same 3.55 rear gear ratio specified for all automatic transmission GTO Judge models. Both engine and transmission were rebuilt during the restoration, ensuring that the GTO still performs as Pontiac’s designers intended.
