One Rare Pepper Green 400c.i. Ram Air IV 1970 GTO Judge Convertible
In the world of vintage muscle cars, there are rare, kinda rare, really rare, and ultra-rare cars. Phil Mitchell’s 1970 GTO Judge convertible may require a higher category: outrageously rare.
Consider that his Ram Air IV four-speed convertible is only one of just 162 Judge convertibles made in 1970. And only 37 had the Ram Air IV V8. While the numbers are not exact, the consensus is that only 12 were equipped with four-speed manual transmissions. And the Pepper Green paint is almost as rare. While numbers for Judge sales by color don’t appear to exist, overall fewer than 10 percent of all GTOs were sold in Pepper Green, making this droptop an incredibly rare example.
The GTO Judge was created by Pontiac in hopes of cutting into the Plymouth Road Runner’s sales. The name came from a popular skit on the Rowan and Martin’s Laugh In television show. Produced from 1969 through 1971, a total of just 11,004 Judges were sold.
Phil has an incredible collection of rare muscle cars and found this Judge a few years ago not far from his Washington state home. The rust-free car spent most of its life in Colorado and Wyoming, so it was essentially a rust-free car. The restoration was done with a combination of original and NOS parts.
The standard engine for the 1970 GTO Judge was the RAM Air III, a 400c.i. power plant that produced an advertised 366 horsepower. The Ram Air IV engine was advertised at just a few horsepower more, but the claimed 370 horsepower was conservative. Enthusiasts suspect it likely produced closer to 400-450 horsepower. Contemporary quarter-mile tests of the Ram Air IV GTOs and the Chevelle SS with the 454c.i. LS6 V8 produced almost identical mid-13-second times, even though the LS6 V8 was advertised at 450 horsepower.
The Ram Air option included dual hood scoops that fed fresh air directly to the Rochester Quadrajet carburetor. The RA IV engine included a two-piece aluminum intake, special high-performance heads, and Pontiac’s advanced 041 cam, one of the company’s most aggressive camshafts modeled after the earlier years’ Super Duty cams.
Other 1970 GTO Judge options included a blacked-out grille, large rear spoiler, unique vinyl striping and Rally II wheels without trim rings. Phil’s Judge has the optional hood-mounted tachometer. The interior is the basic vinyl upholstery offering, with a console, push-button AM radio and optional Formula steering wheel.
You can debate the success of the Judge models in the sales arena, but the final verdict, without question, is that Phil’s Pepper Green Judge convertible is among the rarest of the rare. Case closed!
Photos: Todd Ryden
