As a young man, I owned a 72 Lemans, convertible, with the factory GTO, nose and power train, let it slip through my hands, in the 1990s, one of life’s regrets! This Judge brings back good memories!
I prefer original. Cant get over the radio delete on that cameo white judge convertible. You should be able to cruise with your favorite station on. Thats a great car. Thanks for bringing us that one.
i have pictures I took back in '99 at an all Pontiac show in Maryland of a 1 of 1 of those 17 because of being red and other things. Should've gave him an offer.
strange to see the 455 H.O. badging on the side of rear wing...but i like it. Luv how u whittled down all those massive raw production #s to get to these 17. lol, good stuff man.
Oh, I see! I thought you were thinking the numbers were broken down to 17, just like what I've seen with Mopar folks trying to get their cars down to 1 of 1. Not many muscle cars rarer than this Judge ragtop. I can only think of the Trans Am ragtop as being rarer.
It really does look original; even down to what looks like A/C that is still R-12. Amazingly well kept for a car that age and still being driven. IMO, quite a rare jewel.
Its nice to see original as most of us can only afford that, restored is what we aspire to achieve, knowing that it may take 10-15 years to achieve that. Awesome videos,
Restored vs. Unrestored has always been the biggest debate and is ultimately decided by the potential buyer; its a buyers market. Personally, I think unrestored is cool to an extent. I think if you restore a car, there is the possibility to "over restore it" and loose its imperfect nature. Manufacturing was not as sophisticated as it is now. So having an unrestored car still captures the essence of what it was. Then again you can have the only "unrestored car" with its floor pans rotting away and having the car in disrepair, and therefore loose its essence. Id love a good condition unrestored car with some wear vs. a restored "perfect" car.
Pontiac's 455CID H.O. made even @sae net horse power on the high end for '71, made 310h.p & torque 410. Back in the day the TRANS-AM, w/455CID SUPER DUTY ,was faster because it was a lot lighter.Thats ALL.
I'd love to hear the "radio delete" backstory. It probably goes something like this; "My wife hates music, but likes to rod hot automatic convertibles".
It's hard to see, but it looks like this one got the Chevelle 12 bolt rear end. Nice original car. Without original cars like this we wouldn't be able to tell if other cars were restored correctly or not. When they are this nice they need to stay original.
the brothers have a bad a.. collection thanks for sharing be really cool to wake up every morning with your collection but your wives probably wouldn't like that maybe a camping trip or sleep over very blessed all the best to y'all
My favorite GTO of all is either a 64 389 tri power or a 69 Judge Ram Air IV/ 4 speed. My favorite Pontiac of all is a 62 Catalina 421 Super Duty. Man those big Ponchos were insanely fast for a big full size car, and styled beautifully as well. In my opinion, GM screwed up getting rid of Pontiac. Should've been Buick seeing how GM already had a luxury car manufacturer in Cadillac
Beginning of the end indeed. I prefer the '69 Judge though. Stripes and body style are more attractive to me. Restored/unrestored: Depends on what needs work to make a car licensable and, at least occasionally, drivable.
+Henry Ovalles Useless, really? Muscle cars aren't about comfort, its performance above all else. AC was an expensive and perfromance sucking option back in the day and thats why most muscle cars came without it. As well, many high performance options like rear end gearing did not allow the optioning of ac.
im nearly possitive the head number for 71 judge is 191 some see 197 but its a 1.. i thought you said 7f6 im possitive is 1972 455 ho..im not sure if they used 72 heads in later production cars that may have been built in 72 on the 71 ho motors.. another notice the formula flat 3 hole sterring wheel for judge is missing. i see standard gto steering wheel... might be an option? maybe formula wheel was used with telescopic im just comparing these from my car that was 100 percent original owner..
You are correct Robert. The 1971 455 H.O. motor used the 191 or 197 head. This was a very close clone to the 1969/1970 RAIV head. The 1972 455 H.O. motor used the 7F6 head which was also a round port head but it had a slightly different design with a 1972 exclusive crossover. Also, Pontiac did NOT offer a telescopic wheel. Only a tilt wheel was available.
here come the judge, here come the judge, courts in session now here come the judge. funny...been watching rowan and martins laugh in lately. surely no connection there johnny brown. lol
All original is overrated. These cars weren't always screwed together all that perfect in the factory. A properly restored car can actually correct this and be safer. Everything deteriorates overtime. I don't believe a properly hand built cars is less than an assembly line slapped together car. Reminds me of the 1969 Trans Am with the whiskey bottle seam sealed in the trunk that was found during a restoration.
I don't disagree but, in my experience, a well preserved original (not a thrashed out heap) will often have a 'it just feels right' quality that is sometimes hard to find in a restored car. *Properly* restored, as you mention, is a key factor...as some restorations have not been dialed-in and sorted out ... and just don't 'feel right' Just my opinion/experience.
As a young man, I owned a 72 Lemans, convertible, with the factory GTO, nose and power train, let it slip through my hands, in the 1990s, one of life’s regrets! This Judge brings back good memories!
Priceless
Pretty cool Keven!
I prefer original. Cant get over the radio delete on that cameo white judge convertible. You should be able to cruise with your favorite station on. Thats a great car. Thanks for bringing us that one.
Amazing ride!
I had a 67 LeMans convertible in 69 to 71 and my mom had a 69 GTO convertible from 1972 72 to 1980.
I really miss my 71 Lemans sport =(
i have pictures I took back in '99 at an all Pontiac show in Maryland of a 1 of 1 of those 17 because of being red and other things. Should've gave him an offer.
convertible ESO that I have not seen and like put and car just super
MUST have been MEGA expensive in 1971.
They're only original once! What a car. Thanks for sharing the story! What torque monsters those 455 HO's were! Low compression or not, just amazing!
If I could choose just one car it would be a 1971 GTO Judge. Every line on that car is gorgeous.
Thanks for the valuable information.
Nice, but nothing beats staring over that bad-ace twin-scooped hood of the '68-70 GTOs.
How much would this car cost in 2022? Just curious love the car.
strange to see the 455 H.O. badging on the side of rear wing...but i like it. Luv how u whittled down all those massive raw production #s to get to these 17. lol, good stuff man.
Nothing was whittled down because quite simply 17 Judge ragtops were built.
no man, i just meant that it was cool how Kevin spat out all those American automobile total yearly numbers. I wasnt doubting his total of 17.
Oh, I see! I thought you were thinking the numbers were broken down to 17, just like what I've seen with Mopar folks trying to get their cars down to 1 of 1.
Not many muscle cars rarer than this Judge ragtop. I can only think of the Trans Am ragtop as being rarer.
Beautiful car love all The Judge Models I like the originals and restored ones .
It really does look original; even down to what looks like A/C that is still R-12. Amazingly well kept for a car that age and still being driven. IMO, quite a rare jewel.
Its nice to see original as most of us can only afford that, restored is what we aspire to achieve, knowing that it may take 10-15 years to achieve that. Awesome videos,
A/C on a car convertible car at a time that few convertibles had A/C, was heavily optioned ($$) plus was barely driven, go figure.
Watching that thing blow the rust plumes out of the exhaust brings me joy. Also, do more Olds stuff.
One of my all time favorite cars! Amazing!
Lindo
Better than a cliché-red '70 Chevelle.
Original
How many have survived up to today?
Restored vs. Unrestored has always been the biggest debate and is ultimately decided by the potential buyer; its a buyers market. Personally, I think unrestored is cool to an extent. I think if you restore a car, there is the possibility to "over restore it" and loose its imperfect nature. Manufacturing was not as sophisticated as it is now. So having an unrestored car still captures the essence of what it was. Then again you can have the only "unrestored car" with its floor pans rotting away and having the car in disrepair, and therefore loose its essence. Id love a good condition unrestored car with some wear vs. a restored "perfect" car.
Pontiac's 455CID H.O. made even @sae net horse power on the high end for '71, made 310h.p & torque 410. Back in the day the TRANS-AM, w/455CID SUPER DUTY ,was faster because it was a lot lighter.Thats ALL.
The SD455 Trans Am weighed about 3800 pounds...not really a light car. It actually probably weighed more than a 71-72 GTO...or maybe about the same
Only original once
455 came out in 70
I'd love to hear the "radio delete" backstory. It probably goes something like this; "My wife hates music, but likes to rod hot automatic convertibles".
I bet it's more like, look honey, I didn't even get a radio.
Very nice
All Rise - Here Come THE JUDGE !
thank you, that is really irrelevant, still the best Muscle Cars YT channel! Greatings from Poland, where we ride a lot of them!
Is it me or does this 15K mile car seem to have a lot of surface rust?
It's hard to see, but it looks like this one got the Chevelle 12 bolt rear end. Nice original car. Without original cars like this we wouldn't be able to tell if other cars were restored correctly or not. When they are this nice they need to stay original.
sweet, but the 1970 Judge has my heart....
the brothers have a bad a.. collection thanks for sharing be really cool to wake up every morning with your collection but your wives probably wouldn't like that maybe a camping trip or sleep over very blessed all the best to y'all
Beauty !
Never would own convertible 😩
Wow 490 ft lbs of torque in 1971 you got to hand it to Pontiac this car still kicked ass in a time when it was not politically correct anymore
My favorite GTO of all is either a 64 389 tri power or a 69 Judge Ram Air IV/ 4 speed. My favorite Pontiac of all is a 62 Catalina 421 Super Duty. Man those big Ponchos were insanely fast for a big full size car, and styled beautifully as well. In my opinion, GM screwed up getting rid of Pontiac. Should've been Buick seeing how GM already had a luxury car manufacturer in Cadillac
Re-watching some vids and saw this comment. I've thought the same thing.
They only kept Buick because Buick was/is insanely popular in Chyyyyna......
Beginning of the end indeed. I prefer the '69 Judge though. Stripes and body style are more attractive to me. Restored/unrestored: Depends on what needs work to make a car licensable and, at least occasionally, drivable.
Me too. I liked the 68-69 GTO body style the best. Never liked the nose of the 70-72 all that much
Sweet! I will always take original over restored any day.
original all the way
The guy behind the Wheel = luckiest man alive....
Really like the Judge, but i'm not a convertible type of guy... still, really nice car!
that is gorgeous.
71 not a muscle car crusher food
Put it through the paces, like it was meant to be driven - Bud Lindamin(spl) style!
How does it match up to 428 /370 which is from Gp car I have this engine in it's orig. form from the factory 1969
nice job in the video. What about the cars history? why is the mileage so low? it's just amazing a car like that still exists
John Richards finally a classic car with ac all these old cars 50k and better with no ac buy a Sunday driver it's useless imo without ac
+Henry Ovalles Useless, really? Muscle cars aren't about comfort, its performance above all else. AC was an expensive and perfromance sucking option back in the day and thats why most muscle cars came without it. As well, many high performance options like rear end gearing did not allow the optioning of ac.
The boot lid and bumper dont seem to line up too well on the drivers sude
not HD or 720p? What happened? Great, as usually!
Perhaps the HD versions are still processing.
im nearly possitive the head number for 71 judge is 191 some see 197 but its a 1.. i thought you said 7f6 im possitive is 1972 455 ho..im not sure if they used 72 heads in later production cars that may have been built in 72 on the 71 ho motors.. another notice the formula flat 3 hole sterring wheel for judge is missing. i see standard gto steering wheel... might be an option? maybe formula wheel was used with telescopic im just comparing these from my car that was 100 percent original owner..
You are correct Robert. The 1971 455 H.O. motor used the 191 or 197 head. This was a very close clone to the 1969/1970 RAIV head. The 1972 455 H.O. motor used the 7F6 head which was also a round port head but it had a slightly different design with a 1972 exclusive crossover. Also, Pontiac did NOT offer a telescopic wheel. Only a tilt wheel was available.
It also seems odd that it doen;t have sport mirrors.
here come the judge, here come the judge, courts in session now here come the judge. funny...been watching rowan and martins laugh in lately. surely no connection there johnny brown. lol
Great Car !!!!
All original is overrated. These cars weren't always screwed together all that perfect in the factory. A properly restored car can actually correct this and be safer. Everything deteriorates overtime. I don't believe a properly hand built cars is less than an assembly line slapped together car.
Reminds me of the 1969 Trans Am with the whiskey bottle seam sealed in the trunk that was found during a restoration.
I don't disagree but, in my experience, a well preserved original (not a thrashed out heap) will often have a 'it just feels right' quality that is sometimes hard to find in a restored car. *Properly* restored, as you mention, is a key factor...as some restorations have not been dialed-in and sorted out ... and just don't 'feel right' Just my opinion/experience.
true, but isn't the imperfect nature of the car due to lack of technology the essence of the car and part of the era it was created in?
Indeed it is, Steven. No matter what your favorite type of car, from whatever era, you love it for what it is, not for what it isn't
Je veux voir des plymouth duster 340 wedge
71 junk
Je veux voir de plymouth volaré road runner 76. 77 a vendre
Mr gambini what's a ute
There's no Tachometer on the hood ?