Wire-mesh grilles
Larger twin grilles with a wire mesh, and round parking lamps.24
Class of '71 · Pontiac GTO · 1971 body · second generation
1971Pontiac GTO
Lower compression, no Ram Air 400s, a new 455 HO, the last Judge, and 10,532 built.
The year in brief
Another facelift brought wire-mesh grilles, bumper bars beside the grille opening, headlamps set closer together and a hood with its two scoops moved to the front edge.2one source
GM cut compression to prepare its cars for unleaded fuel. The Ram Air 400s were dropped, and the new 455 HO became the top engine at 335 hp (310 net); it could still have Ram Air induction.234
The story of the year
The last Judge
The Judge's standard engine was now the 455 HO. On 11 February 1971 Pontiac announced that it would take no new Judge orders after 1 March.24
How many were built depends on the source: Wikipedia counts 357 Judges with 17 convertibles among them, Over-Drive's table 357 hardtops plus 17 convertibles.12
How to spot a 1971
What tells it apart from a 1970.
Hood scoops at the front edge
The two hood scoops sit at the leading edge of the hood, just above the grille.24
Headlamps closer together
The headlamps are set closer together than on the 1970.2one source
Production12
10,532 cars, by body.
Every trim line
| Body | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
| Hardtop | GTO | 9,497 |
| The Judge | 357 | |
| All hardtops | 9,854 | |
| Convertible | GTO | 661 |
| The Judge | 17 | |
| All convertibles | 678 | |
| Total | 10,532 | |
Over-Drive's four rows. Wikipedia has the same total and the same 661 GTO convertibles, but counts 357 Judges in all, 17 of them convertibles; Over-Drive has 357 Judge hardtops plus 17 convertibles. See the ruling.
Engines234
3 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.
Gross and net ratings, both from Wikipedia, which quotes Pontiac's 1971 brochure on net horsepower; Over-Drive gives the same first figures and the RPO codes. The Ram Air 400s were gone; the 455 HO could still have Ram Air induction at the same rating, by Over-Drive and Pontiac's AMA sheet. Compression was down to 8.2:1, 8.4:1 on the 455 HO, by Pontiac's AMA sheet; Wikipedia gives 8.4:1 for the 455 too.
Price when new14one source
Base retail prices in 1971 dollars, before options.
Over-Drive's table. Its option list prices the Judge package at $337, but its table puts the Judge $394 above the GTO (our arithmetic); no source we have explains the difference.
Colors4one source
14 factory colors. The color names come from one source4one source; the swatches are approximate screen colors, not paint matches.
Cameo White11
Nordic Silver13
Starlight Black19
Adriatic Blue24
Lucerne Blue26
Limekist Green42
Tropical Lime43
Laurentian Green49
Quezal Gold53
Aztec Gold59
Sandalwood61
Canyon Copper62
Castilian Bronze67
Cardinal Red75
Over-Drive's list of 14 colors for the 1971 GTO (its separate list for the other mid-size Pontiacs is longer). No source we have gives the number of cars per color, so the counts are left empty.
Reading the VIN12356
A 1971 VIN has 13 characters. Type one in, and the decoder reads it against the code tables on this page.
242371P10000156 · An example built from the code tables on this page, not a real car's VIN: a GTO hardtop, 1971, 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 |
| 1 | Model year (1971) |
| 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 1971
How many 1971 Pontiac GTOs were made?
Pontiac built 10,532 for the 1971 model year: 9,854 hardtops, 678 convertibles.12
How can you tell a 1971 GTO from a 1970?
Three signs, each explained under «How to spot» on this page: wire-mesh grilles; hood scoops at the front edge; headlamps closer together.24
What engines did the 1971 Pontiac GTO have?
Three engines, from the 400 cu in V8 to the 455 HO V8. The engine table on this page gives every code and rating, and the rulings cover the disputed ones.234
How much did a 1971 Pontiac GTO cost new?
Base retail prices, before options: GTO hardtop $3,446; GTO convertible $3,676; The Judge hardtop $3,840; The Judge convertible $4,070.14one source
What colors did the 1971 Pontiac GTO come in?
Over-Drive Magazine lists 14 factory colors.4one source
Where is the VIN on a 1971 Pontiac GTO?
On a plate on top of the instrument panel, driver's side, visible through the windshield.5one source
Where the sources disagree
Every conflict we found for 1971, and how we settled it. All rulings.
Open
How many 1971 Judges
Our ruling: Unresolved. Both give 10,532 GTOs and 661 non-Judge convertibles, so they differ only in the hardtops: Over-Drive's 9,497 GTO hardtops leave room for 357 Judge hardtops, Wikipedia's figures for 340 (our arithmetic).
What each source says (2)
- 357 in all, 17 of them convertibles2one source
- 357 hardtops and 17 convertibles, 374 in all (our sum)1one source
Sources
- 1971 Pontiac production (one-page table) Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- Pontiac GTO Wikipedia · read 2026-10-11
- 1971 Pontiac AMA Specifications (Tempest, LeMans and GTO) Pontiac Motor Division, General Motors · read 2026-10-11
- 1971 Pontiac Mid-Size Cars Fact Sheet Over-Drive Magazine · 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.
1969Pontiac GTONo vent windows, the key on the column, and from December the Judge: 72,287 GTOs, 6,833 of them Judges.72,287 built1970Pontiac GTOA new face with four exposed headlamps in the Endura nose, a 455 option, and 40,149 built, 3,797 of them Judges.40,149 built
1972Pontiac GTONo longer a model of its own but a $353.88 option on the LeMans: net ratings only, no convertible, and 5,807 hardtops and pillared coupes.5,807 builtSee the whole second generation.
Dimensions, production year by year and every ruling, 1968–1972.