Pontiac GTO convertible, Dodge Charger Daytona set auction records

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A Pontiac GTO crossed the million-dollar mark at auction for the first time in mid-January, when a 1970 GTO Judge convertible hammered for US$1.1 million at a Mecum Auctions sale in Kissimmee, Florida on January 13. The “Goat” – wearing an attractive Orbit Orange paint job and rocking the marque’s vaunted Ram Air IV 400-cube V8 – was one of only 17 convertible Judges built that year.

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The “Judge” package for Pontiac’s hot GTO model got owners a slew of upgrade including the aforementioned Ram Air V8; Rally II wheels; a Hurst T-handle shifter; a special rear spoiler; and bright “Judge” graphics, the name being an allusion to a sketch from the then-popular Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In TV show. This car, besides boasting that rare trifecta of Ram Air IV, convertible body style, and Judge trim, also climbed the value ladder by being very nicely optioned, mostly since it began life as a factory show car; and by having undergone a concours-winning restoration a few decades ago to bring it back to immaculate condition.

Car insurer Hagerty values Judge convertibles in similar shape at about US$562,000, so even after spelling out like that exactly what pumped up its price, we still have to admit to some sticker shock. It’s apparently only the second time a Pontiac has crossed the million-dollar threshold, and the other car to do so was a special 1954 Motorama one-off concept car, the Bonneville Special, which sold for US$3.3 million in 2015.

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The Poncho wasn’t even the only seven-figure sale to break model-specific records at the Mecum event this year. A 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona famously bought a few years ago by actor David Spade also surpassed that model’s record auction price of US$1.32 million, set just last May, also at a Mecum event. Spade paid $900,000 for the beautiful-in-brown Hemi-powered four-speed in 2015, but this time around, the winged warrior crossed the block for US$1.43 million.

That price is less surprising, since Daytona prices have been up in the stratosphere for quite some time, now. But it was nevertheless helped along by the fact it’s the “lowest-mile original engine 4-speed Hemi Daytona,” Mecum notes, with just 6,490 miles (10,444 km) showing on the odometer. Despite having barely been driven, the car long ago underwent a restoration—one of the first OE-concours restorations ever performed on a Mopar, in fact, pulled off by the legendary Roger Gibson.

With Barrett-Jackson’s tentpole Scottsdale sale starting this week, we’re liable to see even more auction records fall, more than likely. We’ll keep you posted if they do.