1971 Pontiac GTO BORN WITH Drivetrain TIME Capsule Muscle CAR for sale

1971 Pontiac GTO Judge Unrestored Survivor 1 OF 1 455 HO 3 Speed Factory PAINT
Since 1998, I’ve been a seller on eBay, with 100% positive feedback since day 1. Please take a peek at my feedback, and don’t hesitate to reach out for references. My classic car listings on eBay are designed to make a buyer as comfortable as possible with a sight-unseen purchase and leave no stone unturned. Please enjoy the following presentation of a 1of 1 car I’ve been honored to have in my collection since 2015…

It’s with a bit of reservation mixed with excitement, that I announce it’s time for a 5th caretaker for The Judge, as it’s affectionately referred to. Available for sale for the first time publicly, this 1971 GTO Judge survivor is an important part of muscle car history. Its Tropical Lime green paint, wild stripe scheme, “The Judge” callouts, rear wing, and legendary powertrain speak to its place at the top of the American muscle car chain. Along with the LS6 Chevelle, W30 442, and Stage 1 Grand Sport, The Judge is a flagship muscle car; the one all the fabled racing stories are told about, the one in the commercials, the one you remember seeing at the stoplight as a kid, and dreamt about owning…

This isn’t just a ’71 Judge, though. This special survivor car wears 100% of its original paint and interior components (sans carpet and package tray) and has a completely born-with drivetrain, including important parts like its carburetor, distributor, intake, and exhaust manifolds. The Judge has managed just over 99,000 miles cruising only Wisconsin roads these last 50 years. Amazingly, the car has remained within about 75 miles of its original home in Reedsburg, Wisconsin its entire life. Other than this car’s VIN leaking years ago for its addition to the Judge Registry, it has purposely remained out of the public eye.

A brief synopsis of important information will be below, followed by the story of this incredibly rare, important, and sought-after car. Let’s begin with its low, low, low production numbers and provenance:

1 of 357 ’71 Judge Coupes
1 of 11 3-Speed manual transmission cars
1 of 1 ’71 Judge cars with Tropical Lime and Sandalwood paint and interior colors
I believe 3 of the 3-speed cars are known to exist, and that’s likely it. For a Judge collector looking to add a 3-speed, this is your shot

The engine, transmission, and rear axle are born-with factory original to this car. Other important components, like the 455 H.O. only carburetor, distributor, intake, and exhaust manifolds are also born-with and on the car.
Documentation to back up this car’s high level of provenance, include: an original build sheet, warranty card, and PHS documentation. It’s the trifecta of Pontiac documentation and leaves no doubt of this car’s place in muscle car history.
Finally, The Judge still wears all of its original Tropical Lime paint, as well as having nearly all of its original interior, minus carpet and a package tray.
After my purchase in 2015, The Judge had been off the road for about 25 years. Over the course of about a year, a thorough preservation was performed, making The Judge safe to terrorize the streets once again. With preservation in mind, my goal was to stop any further deterioration of the unrestored car, and keep as many original components intact, without performing paintwork and other restoration practices. This is a turn-key, safe car to drive, ladies and gentlemen. If any replaced components were original to the car, they were saved. If parts had already been replaced at some point, like hoses, plugs, and wires, the ones removed were discarded. Mechanical work on The Judge includes:

a complete tune-up, including plugs, wires, cap, rotor, and points
Hoses and belts
All fluids, including oil, transmission fluid, rear gear oil, coolant, and brake fluid. The entire fuel system was also flushed. Note that the original gas tank has the build sheet attached in a such a way that it cannot be removed without being ruined. A decision was made to mount a used ’71 gas tank on the car and keep the original gas tank for documentation purposes.
A no expense spared Gardner exhaust kit has been installed, which nearly perfectly mimics the factory exhaust for this car. The original exhaust had several holes and the original mufflers had been replaced with glasspacks. I have the original splitter tips, as they were still on the car. New exhaust manifold gaskets have also been installed.
The Judge has new brakes on all four tires, including a master cylinder, drums, shoes, wheel cylinders, and seals. Original parts were saved and will be included with the sale.
The clutch has been adjusted, along with the shifter linkage. The carburetor has been adjusted, and timing set per Rocky Rotella’s recommendation for the 455 H.O.
Tires are a set of reproduction Firestone Wide Ovals in the correct G70-14 size, because the original Uniroyal Tiger Paw tires are not reproduced. The original spare tire is with the car and in the trunk.
The Judge starts, runs, and drives like it’s 1971…please watch the videos. The 3 speed transmission is an absolute blast to drive. and 2nd gear will put a smile on your face every time. The car pulls hard. A compression test was performed when the brakes were done last fall at Park Automotive (Camaro Supercar fame) and the 455 H.O. is healthy. With that said, she will puff a bit of blue after long periods of storage. It clears up with a drive and doesn’t reappear with semi-regular drives.

The radio works. The rear de-fog works. The horn works. All lights work, along with the directionals and hazards. The gauges work. The reverse lockout works like it should.

In the end, I lost count of the hours spent honoring The Judge’s legacy. Honestly, with this car, I didn’t care about the hours; the important part was to preserve it properly and make it safe to drive again. I have been privileged to care for The Judge for the last 6+ years, and it’s time to pass the torch.

The next section will detail the story of The Judge. Please watch the videos and scroll through the photos for additional information about condition and documentation. The videos and photos are part of the description and I talk about things in the videos not mentioned in text as well. The videos also cover every portion of the car, and along with the photos, offer an incredibly comprehensive overview of The Judge.

The Story

January, 1971 was cold in Wisconsin. Records show the low temperature was -3 the day Mr. Verlyn Braun took delivery of his beloved 1971 GTO Judge. I can only imagine how completely bad ass the Tropical Lime Judge looked like on the showroom floor of Matousek Motors, the local Pontiac dealership in Reedsburg, WI on that cold January day. By all accounts, Mr. Braun had a mechanic’s mind, and loved speed. He absolutely loved speed. A conversation with Mr. Braun’s granddaughter confirmed the Aircraft Association sticker in the rear window of The Judge belonged to her grandfather. His granddaughter said he loved flying his own plane, and had several motorcycles over the years. It’s befitting, then, that Mr. Braun wouldn’t purchase just any ordinary muscle car. Mr. Braun was 50 in January, 1971, and with his kids now grown and out of the house, he treated himself to a new adrenaline rush: The Judge.

By 1971, the muscle car era was quickly winding down, as Federal emissions laws put an end to high compression engines requiring high octane fuel. Insurance rates were also curbing enthusiasm for these four-wheeled rockets that could have even experienced drivers doing all they could to keep them straight down the road. The engineers at Pontiac weren’t ready to throw the muscle car towel in yet, though. Although compression was lowered to work with 87 octane fuel, Pontiac found new ways to make power. By redesigning the already popular 455, the 455 H.O. for ’71 proved to be the best engine ever put in a GTO. Its power came from monstrous round port heads, a special intake manifold, exhaust manifolds that flowed like headers, an H.O. only Quadrajet carburetor, and a distributor with a unique timing curve designed just for the 455 H.O. The rest is history. The 455 H.O. was tweaked one more time for the ’73 and ’74 model years, becoming the legendary Super Duty installed in Firebirds. The 455 H.O. is no joke, and is absolutely revered among hard core Pontiac enthusiasts in the know.

Reedsburg is a cozy, rural town in central Wisconsin, and I’ve spent some time there asking locals about The Judge. Without offering too much information, one gentleman I struck up a conversation with at The Corner Pub (literally, its name), remembered The Judge well. He said Mr. Braun found great joy in street racing the car against kids half his age, and Mr. Braun had a reputation for winning. A lot. One more gentleman I spoke to in town said he remembered the car being Mr. Braun’s daily driver, including winter. He recalled snow tires on the car in winter months…what a sight to see that must’ve been! Along the way, exposure to winter roads caused corrosion, and The Judge encountered some bruises from mishaps.

By the late ’70’s, I’m told Mr. Braun bought a new car, but The Judge wasn’t sold. Mr. Braun had a 3rd garage stall, and The Judge sat idle for years. And years. Mr. Braun’s granddaughter told me she remembers the car in the garage, but doesn’t recall he grandfather ever driving it. By 1990 or so, Mr. Braun was now 70 years old and made the decision to sell…

In a complete stroke of luck, Dick Tarnutzer, a well known Wisconsin car collector, saw The Judge available for sale and without hesitation, made a deal on the car. Mr. Tarnutzer owned the Wisconsin Dells Auto Museum, and had a collection of cars in the hundreds. At one time, Dick had the most extensive Pace Car collection in the country, with an example of nearly every Pace Car in his buildings. I’ve been told by several folks that they remember Dick driving The Judge in his hometown of Lake Mills, WI, which is about an hour south of Reedsburg. But again, with so many cars in his collection, The Judge again started sitting…

By 2010 or so, Mr. Tarnutzer’s health was failing and several cars in his extensive collection were put up for sale, including The Judge. Another prominent collector, and friend of mine, in the area, knowing how special this car was, made sure it didn’t fall into the wrong hands. Although a preservation was intended, life got in the way, and The Judge continued to sit untouched in climate controlled storage. Its indoor storage since new has really helped preserve the floors and undercarriage of the car. As the photos and videos show, although the body has rust, the underside is quite nice. After over a year of negotiations and discussion about the car’s future, my friend and I agreed that I would be the one to bring The Judge back on the road, and as they say, the rest is history…

I purchased The Judge in 2015 (possibly 2014?) and started the painstaking preservation you see today. I remained mindful of markings and original parts, as outlined above, and only replaced items with safety in mind. As I pass the torch to the next caretaker, it’s your choice to unveil The Judge at a national show like the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals, or keep her tucked away as she’s been the last 5 decades. In its present state, The Judge is a turn-key, safe car to drive, if you choose to do that, too. Please don’t hesitate to call me with any questions you may have, but my hope is this listing leaves a buyer feeling they know The Judge inside and out. My name is Jeff and I can be reached at 414-940-8848. If you’ve made it this far, thank you. Thank you for taking the time to read about an important piece of American History that I’ve been honored to care for and get back on the road again.

Sale Terms and Conditions

Please let the 230+ photos and 40+ minutes of HD video of this incredibly special GTO Judge make you comfortable with a purchase. However, don’t hesitate to call me with a specific question. Please remember that your purchase is a COMMITMENT TO BUY this vehicle. Because opinions of vintage cars and trucks can vary, please have the truck inspected or inspect the truck in person PRIOR to bidding. Any inspection fees are the responsibility of the bidder. I cannot stress enough that I am asking bidders to follow through on their commitment if you purchase.

A $500 non-refundable deposit and communication from the high bidder is due immediately at purchase. The deposit can be paid via Paypal or cash, and I will eat any Paypal fees. The balance is due in full within 7 days of the auction’s end, paid via cashier’s check (must be verified), wire transfer, or cash in person.

Because of its age and mileage, this vehicle is sold strictly as-is-as shown, with no warranties expressed or implied. If you haven’t owned a classic car, please remember that this isn’t a 2018 Toyota Highlander. Older cars, even those with low miles, require an increased level of maintenance and attention.

When you place a bid on a vehicle, you are entering into a legal and binding contract to purchase the vehicle. This arrangement is outlined in the eBay User Agreement. We also reserve the right to cancel bids at our discretion.

We will not be liable for any cancellation of this auction for any reason. We reserve the right to cancel bids from bidders with negative feedback or a bid retraction history and members with zero (0) feedback need to contact us for approval to bid. As with all bids, bidders need to be 18 years or older.

As stated above, shipping charges are buyer’s responsibility. We will assist a buyer with shipping the car anywhere in the United States or Canada from zip code 53560, but will not be responsible in any way for claims arising from shipping damage. We assume no responsibility for damages incurred after the vehicle leaves our possession. We are not affiliated with any shipping carrier. Any claims or other communication regarding shipment of vehicles will be between you and the shipper, not with the seller.

The terms of sale shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Wisconsin without regard to any conflict of laws or provisions thereof that might indicate the applicability of laws of any other jurisdiction. The venue for all legal proceedings shall be in Dane County, Wisconsin.