Written by independent automotive journalist Steve Magnante

Seven rare GTOs and a Trans Am from the Thomas Stutzman Collection crossed the block at the 45th Anniversary Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction.

Pontiac Motor Division General Manager Pete Estes and Chief Engineer John DeLorean had a big problem. Though they were personally certain their new 1964 GTO muscle car proposal would succeed, the division’s Sales Manager, Frank Bridge, wasn’t as confident. Bridge told DeLorean and Estes, “This thing is going to be a real pain.” Bridge’s job was to keep the hundreds of Pontiac dealerships then operating from coast to coast happy. He wasn’t so sure they’d be eager to cater to the swarms of teenage hot-rodders a car like the GTO would attract.

In his 1998 career retrospective “Glory Days,” Pontiac GTO marketing legend Jim Wangers wrote, “The more Bridge protested, the angrier DeLorean got.” It was up to Estes to defuse the situation – and save the GTO project. Wangers, who was present during that fateful late 1963 meeting, continued, “Come on, Frank, you know you and your boys can sell 5,000 of anything.” Estes’ charm worked. Bridges replied, “All right … I’ll put out a memo, and we’ll turn it over to the (district sales) zones. If they can take 5,000 orders I’ll commit to it … (but) I bet you won’t even sell 500.”

This 1967 Pontiac GTO Ram Air (Lot #1350) is one of only 532 built with the Ram Air engine that year.

Now, 52 years later, we’ve got the benefit of hindsight to remind us that first-year GTO sales outpaced all predictions, with 32,450 GTOs finding eager buyers – over six and a half times more than Estes and DeLorean’s optimistic 5,000-unit prediction. But perhaps more important, the GTO combined its big-block V8 and mid-size body platform with a performance-oriented marketing campaign unlike any before. The blueprint for the classic American muscle car was born.

There is no doubt that without the arrival of the GTO, the American muscle car movement wouldn’t have happened as it did. Is this to say that cars like the Oldsmobile 442, Buick Skylark GS400, Chevelle SS396, Dodge Coronet R/T, Plymouth GTX, Ford Fairlane GT390 and Mercury Cyclone 390 wouldn’t have come along in the immediate years following the GTO’s 1964 debut? Yes it is. Each of these admittedly desirable machines was a response to the GTO. That’s great, but there can be only one originator: The Great One.

The legendary Ram Air engine made the ’67 Pontiac GTO Ram Air the hottest GTO to date.

While Pontiac built 502,929 GTOs between 1964 and 1972, they weren’t all created equal. Sure, the standard 389 (or 400 from 1967-1972) guaranteed burnt rubber, explosive acceleration, thrilling top speeds and a date every Friday night, but some customers demanded more. Fortunately, Pontiac stood ready with enough ammunition to keep them ahead of most competitors.

In the Thomas Stutzman Collection that was offered at No Reserve at this year’s Scottsdale auction, Barrett-Jackson was proud to offer some of the most desirable – and rare – maximum performance powertrain options in the GTO world (plus a Firebird to boot), all of which are documented by Pontiac Historical Services (PHS). And when we speak of rare GTOs, we speak of Ram Air, that legend-making factory-devised system of hood scoops and ducts intended to feed those hungry 400s and 455s a steady diet of cool, dense outside air.

This 1968 Pontiac GTO Ram Air II (Lot #1347) from the Thomas Stutzman Collection is one of only 229 built with the improved Ram Air II system that year.

First in line is a pristine, totally restored Signet Gold 1967 Pontiac GTO Ram Air (Lot #1350). With its demure vinyl top and full wheel covers, there’s no doubt plenty of street opponents have been fooled into defeat over the years. While nearly 82,000 GTOs were unleashed in 1967, only 532 were built with the Ram Air engine, which increased rated output from 335 to 360hp and included a hotter 301/313-degree cam, dual valve springs, a functional hood scoop with metal sealing pan and an aggressive 4.33:1 rear axle ratio. It was the hottest GTO to date, both figuratively and literally. The rapid rpm rise possible with the stiff valve springs and 4.33 axle was too much for the A/C compressor, so the C60 air-conditioning package was strictly barred from the Ram Air scene.

In 1968 Pontiac totally redesigned the GTO, earning Motor Trend’s coveted Car of the Year award. Also new for “Goats” built after April 1, 1968, was the improved Ram Air II system. Of the 87,864 1968 GTOs built, a mere 229 carried the RAII. Stutzman’s Verdoro Green 1968 Pontiac GTO Ram Air II (Lot #1347) is one of them, and is correct right down to its close-ratio 4-speed, 4.33:1 axle ratio and driver-controlled Ram Air system. The Ram Air II rated 366hp and was the first GTO equipped with round-port (exhaust-side) cylinder heads. As with 1967 Ram Air applications, don’t look for air conditioning inside this ’68 GTO. But with the windows rolled down you won’t miss it as the potent 4-bolt main 400ci under the hood’s twin nostrils stirs the breeze – and your soul.

The 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge (Lot #1346) from the Stutzman Collection is one of 239 4-speed-equipped Judges with the impressive 370hp Ram Air IV engine.

The year 1969 marked a return to Pontiac performance levels not seen since the aborted Super Duty program of 1963. One result was the Ram Air IV 400, the first Pontiac V8 with an aluminum intake manifold since the 421 S.D. (1964-1966 GTO Tri-Power manifolds were cast-iron). Also from 1969 came the Judge option for the GTO, inspired by a popular TV comedy program at the time, “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.” Mix them together and there was nothing funny for pilots of lesser machinery when a Ram Air IV Judge rolled alongside. Though all 6,833 Judges came with standard Ram Air, Stutzman’s Carousel Red 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge Ram Air IV (Lot #1346) is one of 239 4-speed-equipped Judges with the 370hp Ram Air IV engine. Thanks to new 1.65:1 ratio rocker arms, the Ram Air IV’s net valve lift was an air-gulping .520-inch, a record in Pontiac street engine history. This 4-speed Judge represents the pinnacle of post-Super Duty Pontiac performance. With its 3.90:1 axle ratio, it drops a mighty gavel.

This 1969 Pontiac GTO Ram Air IV Convertible (Lot #1344) will be just one of seven rare GTOs that rolled across the block at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale Auction as part of the Thomas Stutzman Collection.

Another ’69 model from the Stutzman fleet, the black 1969 Pontiac GTO Ram Air IV Convertible (Lot #1344), presents a study in contrasts. Since convertibles are usually reserved for relaxed cruising on warm summer days and nights, the base V8 usually provides enough motivation for the job. Not here. This painstakingly restored specimen is one of just 6,725 GTO convertibles built in 1969. That’s rare, but knowing Stutzman’s appetite for the exotic, it also happens to have been ordered new with the Ram Air IV 400, making it one of a mere 14 built with the TH400 automatic transmission. Right at the get-go, its original buyer – an Ontario, Canada, resident – had the good taste to opt for the hideaway headlamps and hood-mounted tachometer. Taken together, it was enough to earn 670 out of 700 points at the 2014 GTOAA meet. This Ram Air rarity stands ready to deliver plenty of cool air to the engine – and passengers.

The second of the Stutzman Collection’s 1969 Pontiac GTO Ram Air IV Convertibles (Lot #1345) is one of only 14 equipped with a Turbo 400 automatic transmission and 3.90:1 axle.

The Stutzman Collection’s second 1969 Pontiac Ram Air IV GTO Convertible (Lot #1345, and yes, he had two of them!) is also one of only 14 equipped with the firm-shifting Turbo 400 automatic transmission and 3.90:1 axle, but wears Midnight Green metallic paint and a black folding top. Completely restored by Pontiac historian Jerry Burge of the Atlanta Hot Rod Shop, it’s believed to be correct right down to the rare and often overlooked canister resonators poised ahead of the twin exhaust tips. Under-hood details are equally crisp, including the elusive Winters foundry aluminum intake manifold (Winters also supplied the 3×2 manifolds for the 427 Corvette) and 722 cylinder heads. Cast directly into the exhaust port roof, the numbers identify them as desirable round-port castings with huge 2.11-/1.77-inch valves and superior flow characteristics than the D-port heads used on lesser GTO 400s (which bear casting numbers 48 for quick identification).

This rare and stunning 1971 Pontiac GTO Judge Convertible (Lot #1343) attracted a lot of attention when it roared onto the block at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction in January 2016.

By 1971 a number of factors conspired to marginalize the muscle car movement and total GTO sales tumbled to a mere 5,807 – still better than the conservative 5,000 unit prediction made for the inaugural 1964 model, but a steep dive nonetheless. Of the group, GTO convertibles would be in their final year of availability. Stutzman’s eye for the rare and exceptional attracted him to another pair of perfectly restored examples of the breed. Both carry the 455 HO, which, though hampered with a nearly two-point drop in compression (10.25 to 8.4:1), proved to be one of the most potent GTO engines in history. Unlike the debut-edition 455 HO of 1970, which suffered from asthmatic D-port heads, for 1971 Pontiac added RAIV-type round-port heads to the huge 7.4-liter, 4-bolt main short block plus an aluminum intake manifold and 288/302-degree cam with 0.414/0.413-lift. The resulting 335 (net) horsepower was 35 clicks more potent than the GTO’s base 400 engine.

This 1971 Pontiac GTO 455 HO Convertible (Lot #1348) from the Stutzman Collection is one of only 18 built.

GTO Judge sales fell from 6,833 in 1969 to 3,797 in 1970 and only a mere 374 found homes in 1971. This makes any ’71 Judge an incredible score. Make that Judge a convertible, and you’re looking at one of 17. Unlike 1970, when Judge engine choices were the Ram Air III 400, Ram Air IV 400 and 455 HO (automatic transmission only), Pontiac streamlined things for ’71, installing the 455 HO in all Judges. Stutzman’s stunning Castillian Bronze 1971 Pontiac GTO Judge Convertible (Lot #1343) carries the Turbo 400 automatic and responsive 3.55 gears inside its 455-specific Canadian-built McKinnon 12-bolt rear axle. New for 1970, the McKinnon axle’s 8.875-inch ring gear was needed to cope with the 455’s 500 ft/lbs of torque. Less-torquey 400s (Ram Air or not) relied on GM’s B-O-P 10-bolt and its 8.2-inch ring gear.

If you wanted a 1971 GTO convertible with the potent 455 HO but insist on shifting your own gears, this would be the car. Equipped with the close-ratio Muncie M22 and big 8.875 12-bolt axle, the rare Aztec Gold 1971 Pontiac GTO 455 HO Convertible (Lot #1348) is one of only 18 built. Unlike previous Ram Air IV 400 GTOs, the 455 HO was offered with optional air conditioning, which is present and functional. Other luxurious touches include power steering, tilt steering column, door edge guards and factory-issue radio with its windshield-embedded antenna. Like this collection’s 1971 Judge sibling, all of the standard-issue Ram Air hood scoop and duct work is present, including the incredibly difficult to find top-feed, dual-snorkel air cleaner housing.

Only nine 1969 Pontiac Trans Am Ram Air IIIs (Lot #1349) were built with 3-speed Hydramatic transmissions and air conditioning – and this is one of them.

Rounding out this world-class Pontiac collection was another noteworthy – and rare – muscle machine. Ladies and gentlemen, we present the Stutzman Collection’s factory air-conditioned 1969 Pontiac Trans Am Ram Air III (Lot #1349). When you consider that Pontiac would go on to produce well over 600,000 Trans Ams in the decades to follow, it is humbling to realize that it all started here. Better still, while many of the 697 Trans Ams built in 1969 have been lost to racing and general hard usage, this example retains its original matching-numbers Ram Air III/Turbo 400 automatic drivetrain. Perhaps best of all, while Pontiac offered RPO 582 air conditioning to all 1969 Trans Am buyers, only nine were built with 3-speed Hydramatic transmission and A/C – and this is one of them. At the 2012 Pontiac-Oakland national meet, the work of Pontiac historian Jerry Burge and the Atlanta Rod Shop garnered a 384-out-of-400 point score. With all of its T/A-specific scoops, spoilers and stripes intact and exactly where they need to be, it’s a stunning example of a rare breed.

The GM division responsible for these iconic American muscle cars may be gone forever, but the legacy of Pontiac performance will live on as these powerful machines impress viewers of all ages for years to come. Fortunately, Thomas Stutzman has decided to share the message and offered each of these prized cars at the 2016 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction.

–Written by independent automotive journalist Steve Magnante

For sale prices on each of these vehicles, click the individual links within the article above. To visit the entire docket of the 45th Anniversary Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction, click HERE.