"We were little long-haired hoods running around in the 1980s, graduating from high school," Alan Finlayson recalls fondly. In his running around, Alan, like the rest of his buddies, knew the whereabouts of a 1969 GTO Judge, still looking shiny and hot with its original Carousel Red paint and Judge emblems. But the car did not run. The owner was a man named Duane. He lived on a farm outside a small town in Montana.

"Lots of people tried to buy it, and I can imagine he tired of saying no," Alan says.

Duane spun a rod in the 366hp, 400ci Judge engine in 1979. So the big orange coupe became a beached juggernaut attracting the attention of car enthusiasts. The Judge looked like an easy target for a kid to buy, and muscle cars were cheap in the 1970s and 1980s. Alan was one of those kids. He just didn't have any money even if the car had been for sale.

After high school, Alan moved to North Carolina, but he never forgot about the GTO back home. Over the years, he "approached" Duane a few times. The answer was still no. Duane did not want to sell his Judge.

"In the spring of 2015 I just picked up the phone and called him. I said, 'I'm pulling the trigger on this Yenko Chevelle on eBay, but first I want another run at your car. I would hate to hear it was sold. '"

Alan was surprised when Duane didn't say no and gave him a conditional yes. Duane wanted to make sure Alan wasn't buying the GTO just to flip for a profit.

Convinced Alan wanted to preserve the GTO, Duane said, "OK, come buy it."

Alan was overjoyed, but he felt a little twinge of doubt in the back of his mind. He sent off for factory records from the Pontiac Historic Services to make 100 percent sure the Pontiac wasn't just a GTO with Judge stripes. Sure enough, this car was born a Judge at the Fremont, California, assembly plant. In fact, the records revealed this GTO was a "Pattern" Judge.

See all 12 photos

"I thought I knew muscle cars. I could name VIN codes for all the Mopar big-blocks. But I had never even heard of a Pattern Judge," Alan says.

Pattern, Alan learned, refers to the first 2,000 GTOs with the Judge option in 1969. There were a few "deviations," but in his words were "pretty much all Carousel Red, black interior, four-speed, hood tachometer, 3.55 Safe-T-Track, that's it, have a nice day. They were all the same."

Apparently, Pontiac wanted to create a mass impact of 2,000 GTO Judges painted Carousel Red descending upon America at the same time. The Judge was supposed to be the rebirth of the original GTO concept, meaning pure performance without a bunch of cost-adding accessories.

This Pattern Judge came with the base 400 engine, Pontiac's well-known Ram Air III. Mileage was 65,000, racked up between 1969 and 1979.

Duane had already sent Alan rough cellphone photos of the GTO parked outside and showing tree trunks growing through the engine bay. But Alan wasn't sure what to expect of the car's condition 30 to 35 years after high school. It had been 20 years since he had even seen it.

"I was nervous as hell because that hood was off. I thought the floorpans were going to be junk, and I'd be able to see ground."

But the floor pans turned out to be "great." The trunk pan was rusted. Amazingly, the original paint still shined. Of course, the car was sitting in a dry climate in Montana.

Another huge surprise was the factory WS-code Ram Air III and four-speed transmission went with the car. Duane had also stored, in one of three Quonset huts on his property, the date-coded original alternator, water pump, correct distributor, and smog equipment.

See all 12 photos

"He had all the parts. He was a weekend and a six-pack away from having a running car. I can't tell you how helpful he was to assist in gathering the parts."

Alan's intention is to "patina the heck out of the car." In other words, he will put the car back together without restoring it, but rather preserving it. He will have fun driving the GTO.

"I've built show cars. It's kind of boring."

Alan kept some of the wood from the Caragana trees. He plans to "plane off two sides" of the cut trees to make an easel and frames to display the story at car shows. One of those frames will hold this story.

At a Glance

1969 GTO Judge

Owned by: Alan Finlayson

Restored by: Unrestored

Engine: 400ci/336hp RA III V-8

Transmission: 4-speed manual

Rearend: 3.55 gears with Safe-T-Track

Interior: Black vinyl bucket seat

Wheels: 14x7 Rally II

Tires: BFGoodrich Radial T/A

See all 12 photos

Going back to see this GTO Judge was for Alan Finlayson like going to a high school reunion and seeing what the hot girl looked like now. Caragana trees occupied the vacated engine bay.

See all 12 photos

The original paint still shined despite weathering Big Sky Country storms in Montana for more than 36 years.

See all 12 photos

The tires had sunk far enough into the ground to almost bury the rocker panels. Alan thinks the car had been sitting in this spot for at least 10 years.

See all 12 photos

Those Pontiac vinyl interiors are very durable. The seats (stored inside) appear to have no rips.

See all 12 photos

The original four-speed was stored in the trunk.

See all 12 photos

The original hood hung on a wall inside.

See all 12 photos

The Judge looked pretty good once Alan got it on a trailer. "I'm not going to restore it. I don't want a show car," he says.

See all 12 photos

Inside one of his Quonset huts, previous owner Duane had stored the original numbers-matching WS-code Ram Air III engine right down to the accessories, including the original alternator and date-coded water pump. "Everything is there except the starter."

See all 12 photos