Dennis Jensen, an architect from Grand Rapids, Michigan, is a pretty familiar face in the Pontiac world, along with his twin brother, Dan. Both have been actively involved in the Pure Stock Factory Drags for many years and they have an affinity for round-port A-body Pontiacs. Dennis' Cardinal Red '70 Ram Air IV Judge is what he considers the ultimate GTO.
You'd be smiling just like Jeff Denison if that was your '69 Judge! | 
Here is Dennis Jensen's Ram Air IV Judge in action on the dragstrip. It's capable of high 12s running a 3.90 gear and on bias-ply street tires. photo by thomas a. demauro | 
Since Dennis' '70 Ram Air IV Judge sees quite a bit of drag racing action, he has the original engine safely stored away. This engine is a factory stock Ram Air IV that will soon go back to its original car once a service replacement Ram Air IV is finished up for the Judge. photo by thomas a. demauro |
He has owned the car since 1974 and bought it off a VW used car lot where it was traded in on a VW diesel Dasher, a trade-in casualty of the first oil embargo scare. "I straight traded it for my '70 Firebird Formula 400," he recalls. "I swapped over the wheels, which were the small center 15x7-inch Rally IIs from the optional T/A handling package on the F-bird."
Options include the "Judge" package, 370hp R/A-IV engine, Turbo 400 trans, center console, power steering, AM/FM radio, and rear seat speaker. Dennis added the hood tach when he found an NOS one back in 1990 or so, as well as the in-dash gauges and a factory AM/FM stereo. It still has manual drum brakes, however. "I'm seriously considering a factory-correct power disc brake upgrade for obvious reasons," he adds.
Dennis brought his two sons, 16-year-old Evan and 13-year-old Corbin, to the Athens Coney Island shoot, where they acted as extras, filling in the booths by the window to make the restaurant look like it was open. "It was so much fun," Dennis recalled in a recent interview. "I hadn't been to Woodward in so long-it was a gas. We did some cruising, but I wish I did some more. It was great to be included in this very special project."
In addition to the Judge, he also owns a '73 Brewster Green SD-455 four-speed Trans Am and a '71 Cardinal Red with a black top four-door hardtop Bonneville, which is a former tow car for the Judge. In the past, he also held title to a '70 D-port GTO, a '70 Ram Air IV GTO and a '65 Catalina wagon with a rare transistorized ignition.
Dennis Jensen (center) poses with sons Evan and Corbin at the shoot. | 
Mike's Cameo White '71 Judge marked the end of an era. With a 455 H.O. as the standard powerplant and one of the meanest noses ever put on a Pontiac, it certainly went out with a bang. photo by mike sparks'71 JudgeMike SparksElmherst Rapids, MI | 
The 335-horse 455 H.O. in this '71 Judge may not be quite as flashy as the other engines shown, but it more than makes up for the lack of chrome valve covers with abundant torque. Only in the last decade or so has the performance reputation of the low-compression round-port 455 H.O. gotten the respect it deserves. |
Mike Sparks with his '71 455 H.O. Judge. | | |
Mike's participation in the GM photo shoot was the result of prior association with Dan Jensen-he bought Dan's '70 Ram Air IV Judge a few years before. Dan knew that he had a white Judge and Mike jumped at the opportunity to take part.
Mike, an Elmhurst, Illinois-based architect, has owned this '71 Judge since 1999, after he bought it from its second owner. It's equipped with a 335-horse 455 H.O.; four-speed; a 3.55-geared, 12-bolt Safe-T-Track differential; Formula wheel; hood tach; body-colored mirrors; 8-Track player; wheelwell moldings and factory gauges with clock.
Research revealed that the Judge was an early production car with an 08D firewall tag code, meaning the fourth week of August, 1970. The PHS documentation shows that there was a 5-percent discount on the shipping manifest. It was most likely a brass hat car that didn't reach the delivering dealer until April of 1971.
"The thing that was most impressive was GM's dedication to this project," Mike says. "There are still a lot of Judge fans in GM. The ties to the heritage obviously run deep there." He adds, "It was a long day, but it was definitely worth the effort."
In addition to the '71 shown here, Mike also has a numbers-matching '69 Liberty Blue Ram Air IV Judge four-speed with just 33,000 miles and the aforementioned Atoll Blue '70 Ram Air IV Judge he bought from Dan Jensen. Mike is also a member of the GTOAA.