Auction Pick of the Week: 2013 Camaro “6T9 GTO” replica

Pontiac built its last car in 2009, yet fans remain committed to the glory days that brought athletic styling, powerful engines, sporty suspension, and fun marketing to bear from the muscle car era all the way until the G8 GT and Solstice GXP at the end of the brand’s run. Some fans, like the crew at Trans Am Depot, were so dedicated they refused to let the triumphant muscle car days end after the Pontiac was shuttered. Take, for example, this 2013 Camaro that was transformed into a 6T9 GTO with custom body panels and graphics that evoke one of the most exciting muscle cars ever built, the 1969 GTO Judge.

The body modifications made to create the GTO look were extensive, with a custom hood, front fascia, grille, quarter panels, and decklid, as well as a rear fascia that incorporates the 1969 GTO’s signature twin-bar taillights. The custom grille features quad hidden headlights and the new, twin-scoop hood also features a Pontiac trademark hood-mounted tachometer. Completing the theme, 20-inch aluminum wheels are a modern verison of Pontiac’s Rally IIs. Inside, custom upholstery on the bucket seats features a nod to the stitch pattern on the ’69 GTO’s buckets. There are also several Hurst Judge emblems and a healthy dose of the same tangerine paint found on the exterior, which is like a modern take on Pontiac’s Carousel Red.

Of course, this car had to uphold Pontiac’s tradition of performance, so it rides on a lowered Eibach suspension. The first of seven planned 6T9 GTOs, this example is also fitted with the Stage II engine performance package, which includes a positive displacement supercharger that boosts the 6.2-liter LS3 V-8 to 580 hp, more than enough to back up its muscle car persona, even against the legendary Ram Air IV.

We admit it’s a little strange seeing a 1969 GTO face on a 2013 Camaro, but it all sort of makes sense if you look at the history of Pontiac’s archetypal American muscle car. While the GTO spent much of its life as a mid-sizer on GM’s A-body platform—with a brief stint as a compact X-body—it also made a comeback from 2004 to 2006 as an Australian import that was built on GM’s Zeta platform. That same platform gave us the Canadian-built fifth-generation Camaro that Trans Am Depot has used to build this homage to the GTO Judge.

Bidding on this custom convertible is off to a good start. If you’d like to make this brute a part of your collection, there’s still time, however. The final hammer falls on June 8 at 4:20 p.m. Eastern.

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