In the automotive world the ‘barn find’ is equivalent to stumbling across a chest of buried treasure. The door is swung open and after sitting dormant for decades the hidden treasures within are revealed and reclaimed.
But this barn ‘find’ strays from the norm. This rare 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge was not ‘found’, but remembered.
Some 25-years ago the 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge traded hands to its now current owner. The owner, who does not want his name or the location of the Judge revealed, decided to keep it locked away in the safest place he could– his barn, according to Hot Rod.
He planned to restore the Judge but with an out-of-state job he simply never found the time to wrench on it. Or drive it. In fact this Judge, one of just 6,833, hasn’t breathed life into its 366hp Ram Air III engine since the 1980’s.
So, how has the Judge faired in those 25 years? The owner’s uncle, who also preferred not to be named, says its buried up to the rocker panels in, you guessed it, crap. You’re looking at 25-years of cow manure, rat feces and mud. The rats also found their way into the interior and turned that into a toilet, as well.
Will it be rebuilt, then? A complete overhaul? Unfortunately it doesn’t look like the Rally II wheels will be spinning anytime soon and, for us, that’s the saddest part.
“I hope he will get to it sometime, but I can tell you [it won’t be anytime] in the near future,” the uncle says.
In such a state, one wonders if this GTO worth saving. What would you do if you stumbled across this hallowed coupe?
Comments
W……T……F!!
Well, at least it’s not likely to be stolen by anyone. You’d have to be a really HUGE goat fan to attempt restoring this one.
Oh hell storage in two feet of Magrius.
This car is worth the salvage as even if the pan and fame are gone the rest can be rebuilt and there are more than enough reproduction parts made to fix it. I would expect the engine is numbers matching as is the tranny and rear that are important to the value of a Judge.
The fact is Judge values are such even a expensive restoration here would be worth the efforts.
Anyone who knows anything about restoration and Judges would jump on this one with a power washer ASAP. There is money to be made here and a car that easily could be saved.
I have seen worse come back.
Oh hell storage in two feet of magrius. LOL brilliant.
This car is in “cherry condition” compared to many un-restored cars. When it comes to Automobile collecting: cars have been brought back from far far worse condition.
Considering the current value of Judges and the loyal Poncho fan base that floats them, this GTO’s owner should be expecting quite a few- more than reasonable- cash offers in the near future.
what “true” car fan would do such a thing? There should be a law against a crime like this!
Send it to Legendary Motor Car and get a professional resto job done on it. Would cost a mint, but would definitely be worth it in the end.