By 1969 the muscle-car era was in full swing and the competition was fierce. Pontiac entered the year with a refreshed GTO. The tweaked styling was clean and handsome, the GTO's innovative Endura body-color front bumper was still a trend setter. The big GTO news for 1969 was a new eye-grabbing Judge model. With a name inspired by the hit TV show “Laugh In,” the Judge was originally envisioned as a less-expensive GTO that could directly challenge the budget friendly and hugely popular Plymouth Road Runner. Once development was complete, the “Judge” had evolved into a high-end GTO with a wild rear spoiler, unique bodyside stripes, and mod-style “The Judge” emblems. The first 5000 Judges were painted in the model's signature Carousel Red hue, but eventually any standard GTO color could be specified. GTO production totaled 72,287 units in 1969. This included 6725 Judge hardtop coupes and a mere 108 Judge convertibles.