The Judge trim level of the Pontiac GTO was the top of the line for the namesake, from 1969-1971. It earned its name in a peculiar way; picked up from a popular character from the 60’s Television show Laugh-In.
On a recent episode of Jay Leno’s Garage a Pontiac GTO Judge, owned by President of Coker Tire Wade Kawasaki, rolled into the spotlight. Coker Tire is known for making tires for muscle cars and classic cars, as well as other rare tires. Wade Kawasaki is also the 2017 Chairman of the Board of SEMA, so of course he’s got to own a muscle car this cool.
The GTO rolls on a set of tires that serve as an example as to why the muscle car guys are all about Coker. It’s equipped with the Firestone Wide Oval tires that were an original part of the car, except this is a radial design, made with modern materials and technology — you can keep the original look, without giving up tire performance.
Wade’s passion for muscle cars started in the 70s when he worked at a Shell station owned by his dad in downtown Los Angeles. He watched muscle cars roll in and out all day long, and dreamed of owning a GTO Judge, what he refers to as his dream car. When he bought this GTO, it wasn’t exactly the looker it is today — it’s undergone a restoration since Wade bought it from a friend in Hawaii three years ago.
Even though it was from Hawaii, the factory ziebart coating saved it from rust, so after it was media blasted to remove the various coats of paint, they discovered a really solid body underneath. It’s fresh off of the three year long rotisserie restoration when it visits Jay.
This GTO is equipped with a Ram Air III 400ci engine that makes 366 horsepower. You’ll notice that it even has the air scoop seal, a once hard-to-find restoration part, but they were able to get a brand new one thanks to OPGI. Everything in the engine bay looks like it did when the car was brand new. It also has the original 3.73 rear end, and bold spoiler.
Only about 2,000 of the Judge models were made in 1970, so there’s not a lot of them out there, especially in this condition. Many of them still around are not restored to this level of accuracy, so riding in it would be the same experience as those who rode in one new got.
Elizabeth is hardcore horsepower enthusiast with unmatched intensity for making things faster and louder. She wakes up for power and performance and only sleeps to charge up for the next project that’s heading to the track. From autocross to drag racing, Elizabeth is there with you, so stay tuned for her unique perspective on horsepower news, builds, tech info, and installs — with her, it’ll never be boring!
