Four exposed headlamps
Four round headlamps in the open; hidden headlamps are no longer offered.2one source
Class of '70 · Pontiac GTO · 1970 body · second generation
1970Pontiac GTO
A new face with four exposed headlamps in the Endura nose, a 455 option, and 40,149 built, 3,797 of them Judges.
The year in brief
The hidden headlamps were gone. Four round headlamps sat outboard of narrower grille openings, and the GTO kept an Endura cover around them while other Tempests had chrome.2one source
GM now allowed engines over 400 cubic inches in its intermediates, so the GTO got a 455, rated at 360 hp, below the 366-hp Ram Air 400.24
A rear anti-roll bar was added, and variable-ratio power steering was a new option.2one source
The story of the year
The Humbler and the exhaust knob
For a few months the GTO could have Vacuum Operated Exhaust: a lever under the dash marked «exhaust» opened the system up. It was offered from November 1969 to January 1970.2one source
Wikipedia says GM's management had the option cancelled after a «Humbler» commercial for the GTO aired during Super Bowl IV on 11 January 1970.2one source
How to spot a 1970
What tells it apart from a 1969.
Two oval grille openings
Twin oval cavities in the Endura nose, with the grilles set back in them.3one source
Creased wheel arches
Flared fenders with a crease over the wheel openings; on the Judge the stripes follow the creases.23one source
Production12
40,149 cars, by body.
Every trim line
| Body | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
| Hardtop | GTO | 32,737 |
| The Judge | 3,629 | |
| All hardtops | 36,366 | |
| Convertible | GTO | 3,615 |
| The Judge | 168 | |
| All convertibles | 3,783 | |
| Total | 40,149 | |
Over-Drive's four rows. Wikipedia gives the same total and the same 3,797 Judges (3,629 + 168, our sum), 168 of them convertibles.
Engines234
4 engines. 1971: Pontiac's RPO code, from Over-Drive. 1972: the engine letter in the VIN. Before 1972 the VIN carries no engine code, and a dash means none of our sources gives an RPO code.
Advertised (gross-era) ratings from Pontiac's AMA power-team page (series 242 is the GTO). The two-barrel economy engine was gone: Wikipedia says it «was deleted», and Pontiac's sheet lists none for the GTO, though Over-Drive's 1970 option list still has a «265 HP Regular Fuel Engine option».
Price when new13
Base retail prices in 1970 dollars, before options.
Over-Drive's table; its Judge prices are the GTO's plus the $337 Judge option (our arithmetic).
Colors23one source
15 factory colors. The color names come from one source23one source; the swatches are approximate screen colors, not paint matches.
Palladium Silver14
Starlight Black19
Bermuda Blue25
Atoll Blue28
Mint Turquoise34
Palisade Green45
Verdoro Green47
Pepper Green48
Sierra Yellow50
Baja Gold55
Granada Gold58
Orbit Orange60
Palomino Copper63
Cardinal Red75
Burgundy78
Over-Drive's list of 15 colors for Pontiac's mid-size cars, the GTO included. No source we have gives the number of cars per color. Orbit Orange was the Judge's feature color, by Wikipedia's account, but any GTO color could be ordered.
Reading the VIN12456
A 1970 VIN has 13 characters. Type one in, and the decoder reads it against the code tables on this page.
242370P10000156 · An example built from the code tables on this page, not a real car's VIN: a GTO hardtop, 1970, Pontiac, Michigan, unit 100001.
The code table
| Position | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 2 | Division: Pontiac |
| 42 | Series: GTO (the Judge too) |
| 37 · 67 | Body: 2-door hardtop · convertible |
| 0 | Model year (1970) |
| A · B · G · K · P · R · Z · 1 | Assembly plant (the GTO's, by Rubber The Right Way) |
| 100001 → | Sequential unit number |
Where to find it: On a plate on top of the instrument panel, driver's side, visible through the windshield.5one source
Questions about the 1970
How many 1970 Pontiac GTOs were made?
Pontiac built 40,149 for the 1970 model year: 36,366 hardtops, 3,783 convertibles.12
How can you tell a 1970 GTO from a 1969?
Three signs, each explained under «How to spot» on this page: four exposed headlamps; two oval grille openings; creased wheel arches.23one source
What engines did the 1970 Pontiac GTO have?
Four engines, from the 400 cu in V8 to the 400 Ram Air IV V8. The engine table on this page gives every code and rating, and the rulings cover the disputed ones.234
How much did a 1970 Pontiac GTO cost new?
Base retail prices, before options: GTO hardtop $3,267; GTO convertible $3,492; The Judge hardtop $3,604; The Judge convertible $3,829.13
What colors did the 1970 Pontiac GTO come in?
Over-Drive Magazine lists 15 factory colors.23one source
Where is the VIN on a 1970 Pontiac GTO?
On a plate on top of the instrument panel, driver's side, visible through the windshield.5one source
Sources
- 1970 Pontiac production (one-page table) Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- Pontiac GTO Wikipedia · read 2026-10-11
- 1970 Pontiac Mid-Size Cars Fact Sheet Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- 1970 Pontiac AMA Specifications (Tempest, LeMans and GTO) Pontiac Motor Division, General Motors · read 2026-10-11
- Pontiac GTO VIN Decoding Tin Indian Performance · read 2026-10-11
- Pontiac VIN Decoder 1965-2002 Rubber The Right Way · read 2026-10-11
Keep going
Three more years.
1968Pontiac GTOThe new body: a shorter 112-inch wheelbase, a body-color Endura nose, hidden headlamps as an option, and 87,684 built.87,684 built1969Pontiac GTONo vent windows, the key on the column, and from December the Judge: 72,287 GTOs, 6,833 of them Judges.72,287 built
1971Pontiac GTOLower compression, no Ram Air 400s, a new 455 HO, the last Judge, and 10,532 built.10,532 builtSee the whole second generation.
Dimensions, production year by year and every ruling, 1968–1972.