I can add a little bit more to the WT 7 discussion. I have a buddy who is the second owner of a white 1970 Judge. I first met him the summer of 1993 at a car show. He had owned his Judge for many years but it had only been recently restored. And he had a huge trophy displayed with his car as it had just won 1st place in the Judge class at the GTOAA Nationals a month before. The both of us soon helped start a local chapter of the GTOAA (today its a POCI chapter).
The original owner of my buddies Judge walked into Vetesnik Motors in Richland Center, Wisconsin in 1970 looking for a car. Not liking the red interior of the white Judge on the showroom floor, he decided to order one. He selected a white Judge with a black interior. He also checked off a Ram Air IV engine, four-speed, 4:33 posi, hood tach and almost nothing else. His car was built in March at the Arlington, Texas plant.
That original owner is still alive today and I had the pleasure of talking with him back in 2007. He told me he wanted the fastest Judge he could get. No power nothing. He was beaten only once, by a 1966 Nova with a 350 engine, 3:56 gears and open headers. He also recalled blowing up the original Ram Air IV engine and the dealership installing a service replacement short block.
Interestingly, he was aware of the WT 7 option when he placed his order. At the time of our conversation I didn't ask him about it, but he has shared the story at other times. He said he seriously considered the WT 7 option but ultimately decided against it. He figured that he could save some money by simply painting the rear spoiler himself.
Now, I wonder if this played a factor when other people ordered a white Judge as the WT 7 option was quite rare. Does anybody know of a car where the original owner painted the rear spoiler black? What did the WT 7 option cost?
When the Judge was delivered to the original owner he did indeed paint the rear spoiler black. The first photo is from 1972 and shows the original owners girlfriend (later wife) leaning on the car. (Yes, I originally posted these photos a number of years ago but this time I have enhanced the color.) The American Racing 200 S wheels mounted on the front of the car are now on my 1968 Chevelle Rat Rod.
By the mid-1970s my buddy had bought the Judge. The next photo shows his girlfriend (later wife) leaning on the car. As you can see he kept the rear spoiler black.
By the late 1980s the Judge had been repainted a couple of times but the spoiler remained black. The car had become quite rusty and was used at least one year for deer hunting. Everyone just loves the photo.
In the early 1990s when the Judge was restored the car was brought back to as-built condition, so the spoiler was painted its factory white.
At that 1993 GTOAA Nationals my buddy and Quint Stires lined up their white Judges in front of the host hotel. My buddy told me that the Stires car was a genuine documented WT 7 car. BVZ says he has documented three WT 7 cars. I wonder, is the old Stires Judge is one of them?
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