By 1971, muscle cars had passed the point of no return on a path to extinction, stifled by stricter government regulations and rising insurance premiums. Not even the car that ushered in the era in 1964, the Pontiac GTO, was able to dodge this bullet, and in 1971, the A-body’s most colorful option package, the Judge, would find itself on the list of casualties. But before being permanently de-robed, 374 1971 GTO Judges were built, including 357 hardtops and 17 convertibles, each of which were equipped with the 335-hp 455 HO big-block, a rear deck wing spoiler, a redesigned nose and hood, and the characteristic tri-colored body stripes and Judge decals. Even though the Judge’s production took a nose-dive in 1971, it maintained its performance for the most part and proved it was plenty capable of dropping the hammer on its competition.
Thanks to the crew at GMP, the final chapter in this automotive adjudicator’s storied history has been immortalized as part of their high-detail 1/18-scale diecast 1970-72 GTO series. Available in Starlight Black or Lucerne Blue, these 1971 Judge hardtops feature crisp body lines, close-fitting opening body panels, and a highly polished finish with rich paint beneath a mile deep clearcoat, accurately reproduced emblems, and realistic brightwork. The hood sports a tachometer and the correct style scoops with wide black inserts and Ram Air lettering on the sides, and the restyled Endura front bumper is accurately presented, except for the recessed 1972-style grille insets. The Lucerne Blue Judge rides on a set of impressively detailed Rally II wheels with red PMD center caps, shod in Firestone Wide Ovals, while period-correct white-lettered Goodyears mounted on optional Honeycomb wheels are set at each of the four corners on the Starlight Black car.
As announced by the call-outs on the ends of the deck wing, GMP’s 1971 Judges are powered by the standard 455 High-Output V8. Assembled with nearly every possible hose and wire, including plug wires, heater hoses, battery cables, vacuum lines, brake lines connected to the brake master cylinder, and on and on, GMP has put a lot of effort into building the engines in these Pontiacs as realistically as possible. They even added on the optional a/c compressor, hooked it up with all of the appropriate hardware, and slapped on a factory-authentic decal for good measure. How’s that for detail! My personal favorite though is the Ram Air setup. GMP accurately replicated the baffle assembly on the underside of the hood with two small round boots that marry up with openings in the top of the snorkels extending from the air cleaner lid, which itself is properly detailed, painted in gloss black with a 455 HO decal on the lid and a “Keep your GM car all GM” decal displayed up front. My only gripe would be the rickety hood that doesn’t seem to be adept at supporting itself, but if you give it a little extra tug, the hinges will “pop” into place, and up the hood will stay.
The execution of the interior has employed as much attention to detail as the exterior and engine compartment. Although much of this has been covered up beneath the Judge’s black garb, there is still an appreciable amount of color to behold, from the painted foot pedal trim and silver rings around the round gauge pods in the instrument panel to the colorful Judge emblem on the glove box and the arrowhead insignia on the Formula steering wheel. Both Judges also feature a cool T-handle Hurst shifter, impressively rendered in scale with an attractive blend of metallic finishes. The folding bucket seats are detailed with the accurate seat pattern and fabric belts, the cabin is fully carpeted, the sun visors are posable, and even though the window cranks aren’t engineered to raise the side glass like GMP’s newer replicas, you can still see the clear plastic tucked down inside the Pontiac’s realistically hinged doors.
At the foundation of these awesome A-bodies is some fabulous framework and dynamic detailing, and a fully functional suspension with working coil springs and shocks. The floor pans, transmission, driveshaft, and exhaust have all been primed with a natural metallic finish, the latter of which exits through a pair of chrome plated tips. Other visible details include a wired starter, brake lines routed to the front discs, and a copper fuel line that runs from the fuel pump, along the diecast metal chassis, to the painted gas tank. Both Judges also feature an opening trunk; typically sparse in detail, GMP has equipped this area with a full-size spare and jack, along with an instruction label on the underside of the trunk lid and a spatter paint finish on the trunk floor.
Altogether, these Judges combine an accurate body casting with phenomenal paint quality and an exceptionally high level of detail throughout, but what’s even more amazing is that, of the 20-plus 1/18-scale 1970, 71, and 72 GTOs GMP has produced since 2001, these are the first 1971 Judge hardtops. The Jury is out on why it took this long for GMP to fill this void in their series of high performance Pontiacs considering they’ve given us nearly a dozen 1970 Judge hardtops and convertibles in the same time frame, but as the saying goes, the longer the wait, the sweeter the reward, and without a doubt, the Lucerne Blue and Starlight Black 1971 Judge hardtops are most definitely sweet. Like the original 1971 Judge, GMP’s 1/18-scale replicas were produced in limited quantities – only 600 of each color – so if you’re a muscle car enthusiast with a penchant for all things Poncho, I highly recommend you contact your favorite diecast dealer before these Judges retire themselves to the secondary market.
Happy Collecting,
DetourDave
GMP
#G1801220 1971 GTO Judge
Lucerne Blue
Photography & Review by Dave Nicholson
