The Humbler arrived on the scene for ’70 with even more to
offer than the ‘69 GTO. Still on the option list were hardtop coupe and
convertible body styles, The Judge package, Ram Air III and IV power, and
eventually 455 cubic inches of Pure-Pontiac performance.
Coupled with the performance and styling that had been
converting America’s masses into Pontiac people for more than a decade, ’70
promised to be another history-making model year for the Wide-Track division,
whose fresh advertising tagline boldly proclaimed, “This is the way it’s going
to be.
Tom Stutz man of Atlanta, Georgia, is one of these Pontiac
folks. His late father became a Pontiac enthusiast in the ’60s and shared his
passion with his son until his passing in 1996.
The code WS Ram
Air III 400 engine was standard issue in ’70 Judges and rated at 366 hp. The
Ram Air IV added a mere 4 hp over standard mill, if only on paper.
Young Tom always drove Pontiacs, which, in a way, helped
shape some of the events in his life. In the early ’80s, while driving his
SD-455–powered ’75 Grand Ville convertible, he met a young lady named Debbie
whose primary mode of transportation was a ’77 Trans Am. Tom and Debbie went on
many dates together in both cars but ultimately sold the Trans Am to wed and
start a family. The Stutz man’s daughters, Samantha and Katelinn, are Pontiac
people thanks to the dedication their parents have to the hobby.
Bucket seats were
standard in all ’70 GTOs, but a T-handle shifter was part of The Judge package.
Console (code 494) and four-speed manual (code 354) were optional in both
models. Also visible are: Ram Air control, tilt wheel, pushbutton radio, and
color-keyed seatbelts.
Tom and Debbie have amassed a collection of the rarest of
the rare Pontiacs, which brings us to our feature car. Tom has become known for
collecting desirable early GTOs and Firebirds, which sometimes means that these
vehicles find him when they come up for sale. Drop-top Judges don’t exactly
grow on trees, and a collection of rare GTOs would be incomplete without one,
so a conversation Tom held with Gary Cave in 2003 set events in motion that
filled the void in the Stutz man’s growing collection.
“Gary was selling this Judge on behalf of the owner’s
widow,” Tom recalls.
“I offered what I thought was a reasonable amount, but wound
up paying over market value for it at the time.” Tom admits that despite paying
a premium for the car, meeting the seller and learning the vehicle’s history
removed any anxiety he initially had regarding the purchase...
In the summer of 1970, George Smith of Hudson, New
Hampshire, received his high-school diploma, and his parents proudly presented
him with a brand-new GTO Judge convertible as a graduation gift.
One day a month or so later, George drove downhill
approaching a four-way intersection when a distraction caused him to rear-end
the car stopped in the lane directly in his path. The collision wasn’t terribly
severe, but the impact crumpled the new GTO’s fascia, hood, and fenders.
Model-year ’70
GTOs featured a new Endura nose bearing strong resemblance to that year’s
Firebird. Hideaway-headlight doors were gone for good.
A week after the accident, George approached the same
intersection (driving a different car) and noticed a ’70 GTO hardtop stopped at
the light. He pulled alongside the vehicle and exchanged pleasantries with the
fellow Goat owner when that GTO Code-JL Rally IIs measuring 14x6-inch wear
correct G70x14Wide Ovals. Note that the tire is clocked on the rim with the
centre caps installed right side up with the valves temin the six o’clock
position. This Judge’s stripes might raise a few eyebrows, but car owner Tom
Stutzman says they are his favorite feature of this GTO—they make him smile.
was suddenly rear-ended by a vehicle traveling at a very high rate of speed.
Unfortunately for the hardtop, the damage was severe enough
that the car was declared a total loss. George, however, seeing an opportunity
to make his Judge whole again with the undamaged front clip from the otherwise
totaled hardtop, tracked it down and bought the sheet metal he needed to fix
his Judge convertible.
