10/04/2026
Just over 5 years ago, we were very fortunate to have been selected to Concours restore the Powell family 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge convertible with 100% original drivetrain! This restoration and the family have meant the world to me, being trusted to bring this family Judge back to its former glory! After getting the commitment, I contacted Lee Barnes to do the fabrication, body work & Polar white paint, making this the 3rd concours GTO we have completed together. Delivered new to Thomas Pontiac in Parkersburg, Wv. on 12/2/69, with new vehicle inspection performed by Preston “Gil” Powell. The original owner was a good friend and kept it until 1974, then Gil was able to buy it from him and drive it until 1978, before being parked in a barn. After getting the bug to start the restoration on his pride and joy 70 Judge convertible in 2017, health issues forced him to stop. His daughter Dee asked if she could finish what he started and the answer was YES! From tear down to complete concours restoration, it was 3 years of every detail matters, and she wanted to make sure her Dads dream came true of seeing The Judge restored! For the last 2 years we have attended and done very well at all the national shows we have attended, GTOAA Best of Show, AACA Zenith winner and many others. Two weeks ago we went back to Parkersburg, Wv. and did a display for her Dad, close family and friends. They enjoyed the car, stories and some pizza. The next stop was Dayton, Oh. for the Concours d’Elegance, celebrating Pontiac’s 100th Anniversary. Another great outing, earning “Best in Class GTO” and “Best of Show”!
The next morning we were devastated when we walked out of the hotel at 6:10 am to see the Truck, Trailer and Judge were stolen. Shocked and trying to figure out what to do while waiting on the Police to show up. OnStar had the last location ping at 4:15 am, before it was disabled by the thieves. The next 5 hours was pure hell until my phone rang at 11:02 and the Police said they found everything! The juvenile Thugs never got into the trailer, they broke into the truck through the sliding glass rear window around 3:30 am, which has no alarm like the doors. Then they had a programmer that plugs into the factory harness and were able to override it and start the truck. They also have their apple phones on and can locate and disable air tags, Do Not ever use Air Tags for tracking vehicles! I hate thieves!
Heavy rain all night, mud, OnStar, Dayton Police and Detectives saved us. The Police picked us up at the hotel and brought us to the location the thieves got the Truck and Trailer stuck, which was under 3 miles away. After starting the truck, I noticed the thieves still had it in 2 wheel drive, and I was able to put it in 4 low and back out.
As Dee said, this is the worst and best day of my life. We are very thankful and blessed to have so many friends and family, caring and sharing until we got The Judge back. I have and always will Respect, Support, Fund and Appreciate Law Enforcement! Thank you to the awesome Dayton Police department and Detectives for locating the Powell family Judge.
This is my first time in over 30 years of transporting cars to have a problem, I strongly suggest to immobilize your vehicles so you don’t go through what we did!
Going forward, my Truck and Trailer will have the most advanced and proven security systems available to make it immobilized! 🇺🇸
