A lot of guys talk about their cars being rare and go to great lengths to prove it. I often laugh at pedigree reports on some of the cars I’ve seen at shows: "One of 4508 built in this color, and of those only 2369 had power steering, and of those only 648 also had an 8-track player, and of those only 36 were delivered to South Dakota, and of those only one was sold on March 18, 1969 – THIS IS THAT CAR! "

As you undoubtedly know, we specialize in the rare, the unusual, and the unique. Witness our 1-of-5 1964 Dodge 440 with a 426 street wedge and a 4-speed, or our 1-of-368 1971 Hemi ‘Cuda. Documented, rare cars like these clearly have value to collectors, but while a unique combination of options makes a car cool, there’s really nothing we’ve seen lately that can compare with an entire model run that consists of just 17 cars.

Yes, this is one of only 17 1971 Pontiac GTO Judge convertibles built. Ever. Not one of only 17 Laurentian Green ones (in fact, there are only 2 of those this is the one with a black top and interior), not one of only 17 remaining cars, but one of only 17 EVER BUILT. In the muscle car world where they were all mass produced by the tens of thousands, the 1971 Judge convertible, like the Hemi ’Cuda convertibles, stands out in its rarity, and any top collector aspires to have one in his collection. There are no questions, no asterisks, no explanations needed with a car of this caliber it is fully documented, fully restored, and numbers-matching.

For a long time, nobody was even sure whether any of these were actually built, and if they were, whether any had survived. There was a sighting of one in Hemmings Motor News sometime in the early 1980s, but that trail went cold pretty quickly. It wasn’t until this very car was discovered in the mid-1990s and restored by Pontiac expert and noted restorer Scott Tiemann at Supercar Specialties that Pontiac fans really started getting excited. This car has an extremely interesting history, and was the catalyst that led to the eventual discovery of the remaining convertibles (it appears that two or three have been relegated to the great scrap yard in the sky). At some point the stripes and spoiler on this car were removed, making it look like any of the other 660 garden-variety GTO convertibles built in ’71, but the guys at PHS (that’s Pontiac Historical Services to you non-Poncho lovers) did some digging and found the original invoice on this car and proved it was one of the 17 original Judge convertibles. And, having discovered the Holy Grail of Pontiac muscle cars, they scanned through hundreds of thousands of microfiche images to locate the documents on all 17 cars and show how they were equipped. Talk about the spark that ignited an inferno!

Today, this car is very, very well known in Pontiac circles, and shows up on dozens of websites and in books and magazines too numerous to count. It was restored to top concours condition and is 100% factory accurate throughout. And before you question the price tag on this car, consider this: a Judge ragtop in triple-white (the most common color for ’71 GTO Judge convertibles) just sold at the Mecum auction in May 2010 for more than a quarter of a million dollars. This is a serious piece for the big kids to play with, not a toy.

I have copies of the original invoice and window sticker, and they show the following options:

The Judge package
G70-14 white letter tires
Stereo 8-track player
Outside mirrors
Power disc brakes
Rally gauge cluster
Turbo hydramatic automatic transmission
Stereo radio
Console
Power steering
Ride and handling springs and shocks
Hood-mounted tachometer

If you’re familiar with Pontiac muscle, you know Scott Tiemann, the man who restored this car to its current breathtaking condition. Sure, it’s about a zillion times nicer than it was originally, but seriously, who wouldn’t make a car this rare and valuable as perfect as possible? The 2-stage Laurentian Green paint is deep and rich, and has been color sanded and buffed to an eye-popping shine. There’s no orange peel, no waviness, no paint defects anywhere on the body of this car. Panel gaps are even all around, and the doors open and close effortlessly. Correct Judge stripes and emblems were installed, of course, and the callouts for the engine were added on the ends of the rear wing. The hood has been properly dressed as well, with a functional tach and Ram Air decals on the functional hood scoops. The Endura front bumper is in outstanding condition with virtually no signs of flexing or age. This Judge was restored more than a decade ago, and STILL looks ready to take the field at the Pontiac Nationals in August.

The chrome is perfect, including the rear bumper. No waves, dings, or rust anywhere. Glass is correct and unmarked all around, lenses are 100% accurate and clear, and, well, what else can I say beyond, "Wow, this is an amazing car! " In addition, this car was initially restored with a white top, but the current owner just recently installed a correct black convertible top that fits as well as any I’ve ever seen. That installation also included a new glass rear window, and if this top cost less than $3500, I’d be shocked.

Standard power plant on all the Judge convertibles was the vaunted Pontiac 455 cubic inch High Output V8. Assisted by a Ram Air system, it churns out 335 horsepower and a mountainous 480 pounds of torque, all despite the drop in compression in anticipation of unleaded fuels. This is the original engine, and Scott Tiemann thoughtfully left the stamping pad unpainted to verify the numbers stamped thereon. Heads are correct, the intake is correct, the carburetor is correct, the air cleaner with flapper valves for the Ram Air system is correct, the exhaust manifolds are correct, and, well, should I continue? Hoses, wires, clamps, and all the hardware is accurate in the smallest details. The engine paint does show some signs of heat cycling, but this car has not been driven any significant distance since the restoration was completed I bet much of that heat comes simply from driving on and off the trailer at shows. Correct inspection marks and indicators have been accurately replicated on the firewall and various engine parts, and as you can see in the photos, are still 100% visible today. Amazingly, it appears that this car was an amazingly well preserved original before the restoration, since the radiator cradle seems to still be carrying its original emissions sticker, wrinkled though it may be. The cradle looks beautifully restored, but I just don’t see how they could remove that sticker intact and reinstall it, and there’s no sign of masking around it this was an incredibly clean car from day one.

Underneath, there’s more proof. There’s no pitting on any of the hard parts, and the floors are beautiful. Clearly done on a rotisserie, the chassis is highly detailed throughout, with correct inspection markings, components, and fully functional in every way. The TH400 3-speed automatic was rebuilt at the time of restoration, and works exactly as it should. It feeds a correct 12-bolt rear packing 3.55 gears, which were standard with 455/automatic Judges. The exhaust system is an exact reproduction, and all the lines and hoses are better than new. Drive it if you dare, and rest assured that mechanically, this car is in top condition.

It rides on a set of cool Pontiac “honeycomb” or “polycast” wheels, which, believe it or not, are steel, not aluminum. GM liked the design and knew that it would be plenty strong, but the costs of casting the intricate pattern in aluminum were prohibitive. Instead, the centers were cast in steel, and then welded to spun steel rim halves like a regular Rally 2 wheel. Finally, the entire assembly was sprayed with a polyurethane elastomer coating to give it its final finish, which does, indeed look very similar to cast aluminum. The wheels on this car have been expertly restored to the correct finish, and now wear reproduction G70-14 Firestone Wide Oval white letter tires.

The interior is stuffed full of more amazing workmanship and accuracy. The black bucket seat interior is the correct color for this car, and the materials used are exact reproductions of the original weave. The seats have new covers and foam, the carpets are new, and the dash pad has been perfectly restored. The gauges were rebuilt when the car was restored and new wood grain appliqués were used. Even the sporty engine-turned panel surrounding the steering wheel was professionally restored to better-than-new condition. The optional 8-track player is functional and mounted to the console, while the stereo radio in the dash was restored. A matching black vinyl convertible top boot hides the top when it is folded for a clean look, and it is in fine condition. Under that deck lid and heavy wing is a clean trunk with a correct mat, matching spare, an ancient, unused Firestone Wide Oval spare, and a correct jack assembly. And again, like the decal on the radiator cradle, the jacking instructions under the deck lid sure look original and the decal was somehow preserved during the restoration. Nice!

Documentation includes a full PHS package, including a copy of the original invoice, window sticker and other related pieces. This car is a multiple award winner, having won Best of Show at the GTOAA Nationals and the Muscle Car Restorations and Performance magazine Award of Excellence, among others. Of course, any search for ’1971 Judge convertible" on the Internet will turn up dozens of additional places where this car has been noted and documented, making it one of the best known Pontiac muscle cars in the world. Showing up with this car in your trailer at virtually any show will be a very big deal, and there are very few venues where it will not be welcomed and embraced.

We are incredibly excited to be representing this amazing car. In terms of significance to collectors, it’s awfully hard to beat, and there are very few cars outside of celebrity-owned vehicles and old race cars that can even come close to matching its popularity on the Internet. All the documents are in order, and it is matching numbers throughout. Without question, this is a blue chip investment for the most discriminating of collectors, and there are only 12 or 13 other guys in the world whose Pontiac collections are as complete as the man who owns this car. Top it all off with an award-winning restoration by the best in the business, and there’s not much I can add that make this car sound any more amazing that it already is. At this price, you might think that this car will be a tough sell. However, I’m going to respectfully disagree at this price, to a top collector, a car like this is a screaming bargain. Call today!