Semon "Bunkie" Knudsen
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Semon "Bunkie" Knudsen, (born October 2, 1912 in Buffalo, New York - died July 6, 1998 in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan), was a prominent automobile executive.
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[edit] Early life
Knudsen was the son of former General Motors President William S. Knudsen. Although close with his father, he was not spoiled. He was interested in mechanical things, particularly automobiles. When he asked for a car as a teenager, his father gave him one in pieces, which he had to assemble. He pursued an engineering education, graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1936.
[edit] General Motors career
Knudsen began working for General Motors in 1939 with Pontiac Division and rose to management quickly, becoming general manager of the Detroit Diesel Division in 1955, a vice-president of the company and general manager of Pontiac Division in 1956.
When appointed head of Pontiac, he was given the mission to improve sales. At that time Pontiac had a reliable but stuffy image. Knudsen brought in Pete Estes from Oldsmobile as chief engineer and hired John DeLorean away from Packard to be his assistant, with the assignment to create high performance versions of their existing models. The Pontiac Bonneville and the "wide-track Pontiacs" came from this effort. Pontiac became heavily involved in NASCAR racing under Knudsen.
Knudsen's success at Pontiac led to his promotion to head of Chevrolet Division in 1961. While at Pontiac he was noted for his interest in performance, and this continued with the introduction of the Chevrolet Super Sport models. He also insisted on changes to improve the safety of the Corvair, not reported publicly until revealed by John DeLorean in his book On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors.
[edit] Move to Ford
He was elected an executive vice-president of GM in 1965. He was head of GM's Overseas, Industrial, and Defense Operation in February 1968 when he created controversy by resigning to become president of the Ford Motor Company. Rumor at the time indicated this was prompted by being passed over for higher rank at GM (GM executive Ed Cole, father of the Corvair, got the top job). Henry Ford II was looking for a seasoned executive to take charge, allowing him to spend more time on outside activities, and so the opportunity was ripe. Certain GM-like styling cues in several Ford products attributable to Knudsen became reality starting in the fall of 1969 with the 1970 model year, including the new 'eagle beak' on the Thunderbird.
Political infighting with career Ford executives, notably Lee Iacocca, led to his dismissal from Ford in September, 1969. When informed by Mr. Ford, Bunkie said "I'm shocked" to which Ford replied, "I imagine you would be." Noted for his laconic replies to difficult questions, Mr. Ford told the media "Things just didn't work out", but later reports indicated many career Ford executives allied themselves with Iacocca and were working against Knudsen.
[edit] Later career
In 1971 he became president of truck manufacturer White Motor Corporation in Cleveland, Ohio, where he worked until he retired in 1980.
[edit] See related
- "Semon Emil Knudsen." Encyclopedia of American Business History and Biography: The Automobile Industry, 1920-1980. Pages 260-264.
- "Knudsen, Semon E(mil)." Current Biography, 1974: 204-206.
- "Semon Knudsen, 85, Dies; Was Prominent Auto Executive." New York Times. (July 9, 1998. Section A, Page 25, Column 3)
- Article on Knudsen at Pontiac: http://www.pontiacserver.com/mtchiefs1.html
