Semon Emil "Bunkie" Knudsen was an American automobile executive.
18 Facts About Semon Knudsen
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Semon Emil Knudsen was born on October 2,1912, in Buffalo, New York.
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Semon Knudsen was the son of former General Motors President, and Army three-star general William S Knudsen.
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Semon 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 July 1956.
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Semon 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 Pontiac's existing models.
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In 1961, Semon Knudsen submitted a request to add a new personal-luxury car to his division's lineup to better compete with the Ford Thunderbird, but he car was assigned to Buick, which introduced it as the 1963 Riviera.
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Semon Knudsen then ordered his division to add sporty and luxurious appointments to the full-sized Catalina hardtop coupe, which became the Grand Prix in 1962.
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Semon Knudsen insisted on changes to improve the safety of the Chevrolet Corvair, which was not reported publicly until it was revealed by John DeLorean in his book On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors.
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Semon Knudsen reportedly rejected an idea to offer a Pontiac version of the revolutionary Corvair in favor of a front-engine compact car to be offered by Oldsmobile and Buick for 1961.
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Semon Knudsen was elected as executive vice-president of GM in 1967.
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Semon Knudsen 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.
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Rumors at that time suggested Semon Knudsen's move to Ford was prompted by his having been passed over for the GM presidency in favor of Ed Cole, the father of the Chevrolet small block V8 for the Corvette.
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Certain GM-like styling cues in several Ford products attributable to Semon Knudsen began to appear with the 1970 model year, including the new 'eagle beak' on the Thunderbird.
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Semon Knudsen's dismissal led to a widely circulated witticism in Ford circles as the hallmark phrase of Henry Ford, "History is bunk", was turned around to "Bunkie is history".
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In 1971, Semon Knudsen became president of truck manufacturer White Motor Company in Cleveland, Ohio, where he worked until he retired in 1980.
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Semon Knudsen served as NASCAR National Commissioner from 1978 until his death in 1998.
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Semon Knudsen was married to Frances Anne McConnell for 58 years until her death in 1996.
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Semon Knudsen lived in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan before he died on July 6,1998, at a nearby hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan.