CLICK HERE to view the prototype.

I think this is the pic of the infamous "ET" that everyone is thinking of.

As luck would have it, there is an article in the Jan/Feb 2009 issue of Pontiac Enthusiast on exactly this topic.

The ET was originally conceived by Pontiac product planners as a budget performance car to compete with the Road Runner whose starting list price in 1968 was under $3,000!  The ET was a 350HO powered Tempest sport coupe.  But it was never branded as GTO or a Judge.  To quote John Delorean from the article: "no GTO on my watch would ever be powered by anything less than a 400 cube engine".  When the Judge proposal was actually green lighted by Delorean, it consisted of a hardtop GTO with a RAIII 400 engine, the stripes, decals, emblems, rear spoiler, Rally II wheels sans trim rings, etc.

I'm guessing that pic was taken at the Milford Proving Grounds.  They have a variety of different roads and test layouts there.  As a concept, I don't think it ever made it on to the public streets.

That post Tempest looks like it could easily be recreated, no special parts except the tach housings or whatever they are on the hood. It does not even appear to have a rear deck spoiler.

From Wiki:

Originally planned for 1969 was a lower-priced junior musclecar to be based on the Custom S series, and a competitor to the inexpensive and fast-selling Plymouth Road Runner, which started the econo-musclecar trend in 1968 due to a starting price of under $3,000 (by this time the GTO and similar upscale musclecars had starting prices closer to $3,500 and optioned-out cars often sold in the $4,500-$5,000 range - too expensive for younger buyers for which marketing of musclecars was aimed at). This car was to be built on the two-door pillared coupe bodystyle and be powered by the 330-horsepower 350 HO V8 with other equipment including the Custom S's bench-seat interior and exterior with Carousel Red paint, Rally II wheels sans trim rings and sporty striping. This car, which was said to have been named the "Pontiac ET" (for elapsed time), was presented to division officials but rejected as presented. Instead of the lower-priced musclecar concept, Pontiac decided to retain the flamboyant paint job and striping ... and offer it as "The Judge" option on the GTO, which further jacked up the GTO's price.

The Custom S nameplate was dropped after the 1969 model year. For 1970, that series was replaced by a new base LeMans line with the same bodystyles, while the previous up-level LeMans became the LeMans Sport. The entry level Tempest continued for one more year with a new T-37 hardtop coupe added at mid-year, that included a GT-37 option package as lower-priced junior musclecar available with 350 and 400 V8s somewhat similar to the abortive '69 ET series.

So in effect the ET was more likely the car that spawned the GT-37 as I posted in the Triva section when we first discussed this.

-- Edited by 73SC at 02:46, 2009-01-05

I forgot about that car years ago, but it keeps coming up lately. Trivia; What TV show was "The Judge" based on?

It would be cool to do a copy of the Judge on a post car. Strip it down to the bare stuff but paint it Carousel red and put the stripes and wing on it.

A post Judge...

 What about "The Jury" sold in Calgary, you guys ever heard of that one, I think it was only sold in 1970 ? I've seen a blue one in BC back in the early 2000.

Sorry, I didn't go to p.2 before I wrote this, you guys already know about the Jury.

-- Edited by pontorquer at 19:01, 2009-01-05

Judge preproduction car;

427carl wrote:

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     Notice the stripe on the 73!!

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Well here we go. A strike by UAW workers meant that the 1971 LeMans had to be carried over for 1972. The car we know as the 1973 was intended to be the 1972 Model but the strike interupted tooling up for the new model. Pontiac A Bodies were used on a two year cycle with the same basic body, 64/65, 66/67. 68/69, 70/71. That cycle was supposed to be 72/73 but we know now the 73 was a one year body the cycle picked up again at 74/75, 76/77.

IF the 73 was released in 72 there would have been a Judge and the stripe Carl shows would have been the Judge stripe.

73SC wrote:

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IF the 73 was released in 72 there would have been a Judge and the stripe Carl shows would have been the Judge stripe.

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I don't think so Ray.  The Judge was dead after the 71 model year and would not have continued into 72, regardless of what body style was used that year.

73SC wrote:

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Ok, anything you say Hillar...............

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       NICE!!!