However, Pontiac ended up making the Judge an expensive powerful option with an outrageous psychedelic look, which eventually turned out to be really ‘cool’. With the Judge, Pontiac was to enter the ‘economy’ supercar market initiated a year ago by Plymouth’s Road Runner.
69 GTO CONVERTIBLE VALUE TV
Named after a popular skit in a TV show, the JUDGE was actually supposed to be Pontiac’s answer to Plymouth. Instead, it was the arrival of the ‘JUDGE’ which made the year memorable for Pontiac GTO. The Judgeĭespite bringing the most powerful GTO engine to the market, 1969 is not marked by the RAM IV. Being strictly a true collector’s delight, Air Conditioning was not available for RA IV equipped Goats. Only 700 coupes and 59 convertibles were equipped with RAM IV. Being the most powerful engine to ever reside in a GTO, RA IV was a rare option. This engine had special unique cylinder heads, round exhaust ports and unique camshafts. With its 370 hp, RA IV could easily turn the Goat into an ultimate demon muscle. RAM Air IV was the choice of true power and performance enthusiasts. Unlike the RAM Air offered for the previous year’s model, RA III featured functional hood scoops. It included a factory Ram air system, free-flowing exhaust manifolds and D port cylinder heads. Instead of the RA II, RAM Air III and RAM Air IV were available as options. New for 1969, was also the optional power flow ventilation system. Power brakes with front discs were also standard GTO equipment for the year. The economy option was again available at no extra cost, but only with a Turbo Hydramatic automatic transmission. The standard powertrain was also the same 400 cubic inch V8 delivering 350 hp. As we mentioned, the interior and exterior were almost indistinguishable from the previous model. The 1969 Goat had all the standard offerings of the 1968 GTO. Once again, the coupe was not offered and only hardtops and convertible 1969 Pontiac GTOs were available. The three spokes of the standard deluxe steering wheel was color keyed to the interior. A few notable differences were added padding on the instrumental panel and a slight redesign of the seats and door panels. While the hidden headlamps kept the exterior much like the 1968 GTO, the interior also seemed pretty untouched. The grille design was slightly change, but the difference was hard to tell for a not-so-enthusiastic Pontiac owner. The endure bumper was back, and this time with no optional chrome. A few changes included removal or replacement of the emblem from several locations. Both the exterior and the interior remained largely unchanged. The design was a carry over from the previous year. By that year, Pontiac had developed a two-year restyle cycle. While Pontiac’s sales were a little overshadowed by the competitors, the image of the goat remained indestructible. Many consider 1969 as the last golden year for the muscle era.