Muscle cars are loosely defined as being two-door coupes with big, powerful engines under the hood. These tend to be V8s, although the odd six-cylinder also gets caught in the net, and generally they are designed to sell in large quantities, just like other American staples such as Coca-Cola and McDonald's. But while many muscle cars are two-a-penny, there are some that, even when new, sold in such small numbers that they are way rarer than some exotic Italian supercars. This means that, while very similar models of these muscle cars sell for save-up-a-few-years money, the rarer examples go for sell-the-house kind of money.Pontiac may have shut up shop in 2010 after the G6, but it was once one of the big players in the world of muscle cars. After a string of great performance metal – – Pontiac has many memorable models in its history. But there was one that sold in tiny numbers straight out of the showroom, making it the ultimate muscle car unicorn for many. Read on to find out more about this ultra-rare Pontiac.HotCars used reputable sources and trusted auction sights to establish what is the rarest production Pontiac muscle car, looking at specific models and engine and transmission variations. The 1969 GTO Judge Ram Air IV Convertible Is The Rarest Pontiac Muscle Car Ever RM Sotheby's 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge Ram Air IV Convertible Specs Source: PontiacThe Pontiac GTO is seen by many as the car that kicked off the whole muscle car era. However, while the 1964 Tempest GTO may have broken new ground and kicked off the genre, by the late '60s the market was becoming rather flooded. The GTO now had plenty of muscle car competition and Pontiac’s General Manager John DeLorean decided the car needed a halo model for 1969, at the same time saving Chevrolet from disaster.This special edition would be called “The Judge,” decided DeLorean, borrowing the catchphrase “Here come ‘Da Judge,” from popular TV show Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In. Marketing at the time took an equally jovial stance, with taglines that included “All Rise for The Judge” and “The Judge can be bought.” Anyone meeting one of these cars on the drag strip or at traffic lights on a Saturday night wouldn't see the funny side. The Judge Option Transformed The GTO RM Sotheby's The Code WT1 Judge option package added $337 to the standard GTO price and included a Pontiac 400 ci Ram Air III mill with a factory-rated 366 horsepower. There were lots of eye-catching features, such as a 60-inch wide wing on the rear deck, a flexible Endura front bumper surrounded by a blacked-out twin-element grille, and functional hood scoops that directed fresh, cool air into the engine.There was an option to get a fire-breathing Ram Air IV V8 engine which was conservatively rated at 370 horsepower and 445 pound-feet of torque – specialist magazines say the power output was closer to 425 horsepower. This more powerful car is extremely rare as it is, but as a convertible it sold in tiny numbers – in fact, just five were ever built in a four-speed manual, convertible configuration in 1969. Here's Why The Convertible 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge Ram Air IV Manual Is So Rare RM Sotheby's Ticking the Judge box added $337.02 to the base price of $3,156 for the GTO hardtop and $3,382 for the GTO convertible. The Ram Air IV option added another $390 over the price of the RA III, making this a fairly pricey muscle car. Many drag racers prefer a more solid coupe body, so, combined with the extra price of the rag-top, it is understandable that the coupe GTO Judge sold better. To put this into context, Hemmings says that the cost of upgrading a ’69 Camaro SS 396 from the base 325-horsepower model to the (also extremely rare) 375-hp L78 396 was just $252. Pontiac Sold A Lot Of GTO Judges, But Not Many Were Convertibles RM Sotheby's In 1969, Pontiac shifted a total of 6,725 hardtop GTO Judges, but of these, just 239 were manual RA IV Judges and 58 were autos. The company only managed to shift 108 GTO Judge convertibles, and of these, just five were RA IV manuals. For 1970, only 3,797 Judges were sold. Despite the low sales of the top-flight Ram Air IV package, the Judge was a success. Not only did thousands find owners, the car featured heavily in print media of the time. A Closer Look At The Pontiac Ram Air IV Convertible Via: Mecum Auctions The rarest GTO features Pontiac’s race-ready Ram Air IV 400 engine, which has a 10.75:1 compression ratio. The Ram Air IV has a four-bolt main block, an aggressive “041” high-lift hydraulic camshaft with 1.65:1 rockers, an aluminum high-rise intake manifold, Rochester Quadrajet four-barrel carburetor, Pontiac aluminum, dual-plane manifold, and GM mechanical fuel pump. The engine was mated to either a 4-speed or Turbo 400 automatic. The GTO Judge Had The Looks To Match The Engine Also included with the Judge package were the driver-controlled Ram Air, Judge logos and stripes, HD springs and shocks, plus Rally II wheels fitted with G70 x 14 tires. The Pontiac GTO Judge Ram Air IV can hit 60 mph in 6.4 seconds and cover the quarter mile in 13.90 seconds at 100.5 mph, according to Hemmings. In many ways, the drop-top GTO Judge was the all-time dream muscle car. Buying A Pontiac GTO Judge Today Via: Mecum Auctions Pontiac GTO Judge Prices (1969 and 1970) 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge RA III Coupe: $69,200 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge RA III Convertible: $150,000 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge RA IV Coupe: $136,000 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge RA IV Convertible: $504,000 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge RA III Coupe: $65,500 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge RA III Convertible: $118,000 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge RA IV Coupe: $103,000 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge RA IV Convertible: $410,000 Source: Hagerty Valuation Tool (Good Condition)Something that is fascinating about the Pontiac GTO Judge from 1969 and 1970 is that the price varies wildly depending on which box the original owner ticked. Of course, this has a huge effect on rarity, so the prices are not that much of a surprise. However, you can get the keys to a 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge RA III for just $69,200, whereas if you want the more potent version without a roof - AKA a 1969 Convertible RA IV - you will be looking to part with almost three-quarters of a million dollars. The Rarest GTO Isn't Necessarily The Most Expensive According to Hagerty, of the 1970s Judge Ram Air IVs that were built, just seven convertibles were fitted with an automatic and another ten cars got a four-speed manual. Even though this makes it the auto 1970 model a fraction less rare than a 1969 with a four-speed, it is the later car that has a claim to being the most expensive GTO sold at auction. In 2023, an Orbit Orange Ram Air IV drop-top sold for $1.1 million at auction - a record for GTOs at the time, said Hagerty.
