#1  
Old 06-21-2016, 12:38 PM
GEARDRIVEN GEARDRIVEN is offline
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Default The Danbury Mint and my '69 GTO Judge

Back in the mid '90s, I was going through that "middle-age crisis". I had the desire and ability to relive my teenage years and a musclecar became my focus.
I was born and raised on Pontiacs as it was the only car my Dad would drive.
I followed suit owning an array of Firebirds during my early years ('70 Ram Air III T/A, '71 T/A 455HO, '74 Formula 350 & '76 T/A 455). And now, anything other than another Pontiac would not do.
At this time though, I was married. Our son was approximatly 6-7 years old and the back seat of a Firebird did not go over to well with "Mom".
However, the Pontiac "A" body intermediate had a real rear seat....somewhere where our son could be pleasantly seated. In addition, my wife learned how to drive a stick-shift car driving her teenage boyfriend's '69 GTO.
When I approached my wife with the idea, I reminded her about that GTO she drove.... "played-down' the backseat idea of a Firebird and "played-up' the full back seat of a GTO......the lure was in the water.....
My wife and I decided to put the plan in play and a search for "R LIL GTO" (vanity plate) was on.
At the time, I was working at a Chevrolet dealership and like in every shop, there is always a couple of "gearheads". I had the privilege to work with one of the most talented technicians I have met in my career in the business by the name of Mike.
Mike had a six car garage built behind his house where he played until all hours of the night. There was no car that Mike did not like, but he had a weakness for late '40 Cadillacs. My wife once asked Mike, "Which one is your favorite car?"....Mikes reply?...."The next one I 'm going to buy..."...Typical Mike.
I did car shows with him with his pure stock '49 Sedanette....How about a '50 Sedanette body dropped on a Tuned Port Corvette chassis.....yes, Mike could do it all.
I watched him over time, restore a friend's '69 big block SS396 Chevelle....and he did everything, laid the vinyl top, repaired a cracked dash pad.
I know there are others like him out there and I can tell some right here on the forum..... I just had the opportunity to know Mike.
Mike and I developed a friendship and we talked cars all the time. When I told Mike of my desire to own a GTO, he started a nationwide search for my car, ready to drive, fly or whatever was needed to be sure it was the "right car".
After a long spring-time search, we focused on a large car show in Iola, Wisconsin. Every year, they have a "feature car" with their own display, buy and sell corral, and guess what the feature car was...???..Yes, the Pontiac GTO.
My wife, Mike and myself and a few of Mikes friend got together for the show. My wife and I were going to look at GTOs and Mike and his friends for parts.
Mike showed us to the corral, told us to walk around a bit...told my wife not to let me give anyone any money (we were carrying large sums of money) and that he would be back later to look around with us.
I have the propensity to get "starry-eyed" and start throwing my money around and I was standing next to an Orange '69 GTO Judge. It was obvious that I needed a drool bag under my chin.....when Mike walked up. He told me I didn't like this car (he asked me to feel under the wheel lip of the rear fender and explain that this car needed outer rear wheelhouses, not a gallon or two of bondo.
Mike pinched my sleeve and started to pull/lead me the other way..."I have something I think you both should see..."
About two minutes later, I was standing in front of one of the most beautiful Judges I have ever seen...a frame-off, numbers matching, nut & bolt restored Matador Red '69 GTO Judge...Ram Air III, 4-speed, A/C car. Mike literally crawled underneath the car, came out about a minute or two later and whispered, this is the car you want.....
He grabbed his friends and asked to see how much money we could "pool " together..... we came about 4K shy of the asking price and could not get the owner to budge.
We left the show and drove home...I was personally saddened and spoke with Mike about it. I told Mike I was going to call the guy back and buy the car. He told me "No"...DO NOT call him back.
This was on the weekend and I returned to work on Monday, lamenting to Mike about the car......he talked small-talk, but not much about the GTO....I came into work on Tuesday and Mike asked me if I had the guys number...???
I told Mike I did. He told me to call the guy later in the evening and offer him $2000.00 less than his price from the weekend. He said the guy will probably not accept it, but ask him to "think" about it and leave him your phone number.
I did just what Mike told me.....the owner declined my offer, but took my number and sure as sh!t, the owner called me back the next day and accepted my offer.
The following weekend, Mike and I traveled up to the center of Wisconsin and brought home the Judge.
We started doing local car shows with Mike and his Caddys and the Judge was terrorizing the show field in our class. Our young son knew the drill and listened for our name. His job was to go up for the trophy and some of the trophies were taller than him.... All this time, Mike stood in the background saying nothing, but smiling.....It is sad to say I changed jobs and Mike and I lost track of one another.....
My wife and I had later joined the local GTO club and had fun attending meetings, doing car shows and cruises together.
One day at work, I get a call from our club president. He advised me he got a call from a local toy designer representing the Danbury Mint who wants to do a 1969 GTO Judge and needs a correct car for their example....He told them of my car....I unquestionably said "Yes"...
A group of illustrators came down to the dealer to draw the undercarriage of the vehicle (never could tell them why one muffler was shorter than the other...).
From there, I brought the car home where they spent two days measuring the car from front-to-rear....body contours, the size of the squares in the grill screen, the angle of the seat back, the floor mat dimensions....I don't thing their was a stone unturned.....
After this, 200+ photographs were taken.
For my troubles, was a respectably-sized check and later, (3) finished copies of the car. The Danbury finished car differed from my actual car.
The car color was changed to Carousel Red with a Ram Air IV engine. In addition to the money and cars, I have copies of the artists sketching and a finished layout print (side views, front views and rear views) of the car on a large roll-out print.
I have called Danbury Mint back on two later occasions, joked with them and received two additional cars.
And I know of one error....My car was an very early (I believe Febuary) build. It has a AM-FM radio with a rear power antenna. Power antennas were discontinued on Judges because if you raised the power antenna with the deck lid up, the mast would extend between the bottom of the spoiler edge and the top of the deck lid. Slam the trunk lid down with the antenna up and you would shear off the antenna mast.
On the Danbury car, you will find the power antenna switch to the right of the steering column, but the model itself has a fixed mast front fender antenna....a small detail of how this exists.
The Judge is long gone and the last I know of it was that it was terrorizing the car show field out in Wyoming.
The car is long gone. but the memories will last a life time....And as much as I love the Judge, my favorite car is the next one I will buy....

  #2  
Old 06-21-2016, 01:37 PM
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flyingn flyingn is offline
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great story! Enjoyed it very much. Shame danbury did not do it in your color. Id would have bought one then

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Frank Szymkowski

1969 GTO Judge Warwick blue/blue, RAIII, 4 speed, tach/gauges, Safe T track, 3.55's, ps and radio.

1971 Torino 351c 4v GT convertible. White on white with black interior
4 speed, shaker, am/fm, ps/pdb, buckets/console, ac.
One of 26 made
  #3  
Old 06-22-2016, 07:41 AM
GEARDRIVEN GEARDRIVEN is offline
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Yes....thanks.
I spoke with the people about the color change. They said the cars are built to depict familiar memories of the past. The minute you say GTO Judge...you think Orange.
The Ram Air IV was the "demon-baby" of the engine bay and the Ram Air IV would be the choice of any "gearhead"
I get it.... But then I noticed they came out with a bright yellow '69 Judge and I don't remember that being a color selection for that car/model/year.
I know Danbury Mint produced a few variations and colors of one particular car and in this case, their may have been others.
Once I sold the real car, I kind "got out of the groove" and lost track of what what's going on in the hobby.

  #4  
Old 06-22-2016, 10:29 AM
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flyingn flyingn is offline
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yup true.. Thats why I had to have a Warwick blue Judge

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Frank Szymkowski

1969 GTO Judge Warwick blue/blue, RAIII, 4 speed, tach/gauges, Safe T track, 3.55's, ps and radio.

1971 Torino 351c 4v GT convertible. White on white with black interior
4 speed, shaker, am/fm, ps/pdb, buckets/console, ac.
One of 26 made
  #5  
Old 06-22-2016, 12:40 PM
Kevin Kevin is offline
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Thanks for sharing your story, I enjoyed it!

  #6  
Old 06-22-2016, 12:42 PM
GEARDRIVEN GEARDRIVEN is offline
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I agree with the "other colors"...
I use to love being at a car show when some know-it-all would come up to me and tell me that ALL 1969 GTO Judges were Orange (not Carousel Red mind you...but Orange) and that I must have a red painted GTO with Judge striping (even through my PHS document was part of my display......)
I would love by responding by asking him what color his Judge was.....and with that...would get the "blank stare".....

  #7  
Old 07-01-2016, 07:11 PM
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Super Duty D Super Duty D is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GEARDRIVEN View Post
I agree with the "other colors"...
I use to love being at a car show when some know-it-all would come up to me and tell me that ALL 1969 GTO Judges were Orange (not Carousel Red mind you...but Orange) and that I must have a red painted GTO with Judge striping (even through my PHS document was part of my display......)
I would love by responding by asking him what color his Judge was.....and with that...would get the "blank stare".....
Great story, I enjoyed the read.

I get the "Orange car" thing with my Buccaneer Red TA's as well. The name does not always match with the "eye of the beholder" at a cruse night or non Pontiac only event. So many arm chair experts that insist it is Orange.

SDD

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