Spotting The Ultimate Rarity: 1971 Pontiac Gto Judge Convertible

If you’re like me, you get excited when you stumble upon a cool car on the street. I’ve been this way for decades, and I know I’m not the only one because I was the recipient of such behavior while I was the owner of an Olds 4-4-2. When I was a resident of Los Angeles, sightings (especially in driveways) were my jam, but despite the good weather and being a good car town, Phoenix isn’t afforded this cultural opportunity. Additionally, Lamborghini sightings often seem to be a daily occurrence to the point where I don’t blink.

So, when I was between two office locations, I approached a stop sign and was faced with a vision much like what you see as our lead image above. “Is it a GTO? Or a LeMans with the T41 nose?” I asked myself. Getting closer, I was able to discern the “GTO” script in the grille. “Is it real or a clone?” I asked that question because it’s not unusual for folks to create phantom clones of 1972 GTO convertibles, cars that Pontiac never offered. When I reached the stop sign, I could see the grille was not inset, which meant it was a ’71 GTO. “Wow, one of 661 built!” I thought.

And then the car turned. “Wouldn’t ya know it, it’s one of the 17 Judge convertibles built in 1971!”

How did I know that this was one of the 17 and not a Judge convertible clone? Two explanations:

1. All 17 are known, including the colors – you can see the list here. Only one was built in Castilian Bronze.
2. I was already aware that this vehicle was in the Phoenix area.

At the Barrett-Jackson 2016 Scottsdale Auction, this exact car sold for $192,500.

Sure, knowing this Goat was local somewhat reduced my excitement, but randomly seeing any cool classic on the street still does it for me.