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Up for sale iPontiac Grand Prix\" Semon Knudsen Hand Signed 6X4 Card.This item is authenticated By ToddMueller Autographs and comes with their certificate of authenticity.

SemonEmil \"Bunkie\" Knudsen(October2, 1912 – July 6, 1998) was a prominent American automobile executive. SemonEmil Knudsen was born on October 2, 1912 inBuffalo, New York.He was the son of former General MotorsPresident, andArmythree-star generalWilliam S. Knudsen. Thenickname \"Bunkie\" is attributed to his relationship with his fatherand is derived from theWorld War Iterm forbunk mate. He was interested in mechanical things, particularlyautomobiles. When he asked for a car as a teenager, his father gave him one inpieces, which he had to assemble. After attendingDartmouth Collegein 1931–1932, Knudsen transferred totheMassachusettsInstitute of Technologyand graduated in 1936 with aBachelor of Scienceingeneral engineering. Knudsen was married to Frances Anne McConnell for 58 yearsuntil her death in 1996. They had four children: Judith, Lisa, Kristina, andPeter. hen appointed head of Pontiac, he was given the mission to improve themarque\'s sales. At that time Pontiac had a reliable but stodgy image. Knudsenbrought inPete EstesfromOldsmobileas chief engineer and hiredJohn DeLoreanaway fromPackardto be his assistant, with the assignment tocreate high performance versions of Pontiac\'s existing models.ThePontiac Bonnevilleandthe \"wide-track Pontiacs\" came from this effort. Pontiac becameheavily involved inNASCARracing under Knudsen.Pontiac\'s new-found performance image eventually led to a dramatic rise in newcar sales with the division reaching to third place in industry standings by1962. In 1961, Knudsen submitted a request to add a new personal-luxury car tohis division\'s lineup to better compete with theFord Thunderbirdbut was turned down as the car wasassigned toBuick, which introduced it as the 1963 Riviera. Knudsen thenordered his division to fancy up the full-sized Catalina hardtop coupe withsporty and luxurious appointments, which became a reality as thePontiac Grand Prixfor1962. Knudsen\'s success at Pontiac led to his promotion to general managerofChevroletDivision in 1961.While at Pontiac he wasnoted for his interest in performance, and this continued with the introductionof the Chevrolet Super Sport models. He also insisted on changes to improve thesafety of theChevrolet Corvair, whichwas not reported publicly until it was revealed by John DeLorean in hisbookOn a Clear Day You Can See General Motors. Knudsen alsoreportedly rejected an idea to offer a Pontiac version of the revolutionaryCorvair in favor a front-engine compact car to be offered by Oldsmobile (astheF-85) and Buick (astheSpecial) for 1961. Pontiacintroduced its version of the Buick-Olds-Pontiac compact as theTempestfor 1961, but gave that car some uniqueengineering features such as a slanted four-cylinder engine (which was reallyhalf of aPontiac 389 V8), rearswing axles and a reartransaxle(both derived from theCorvair) driven by a flexing shaft to eliminate the driveshaft hump forincreased interior space. Knudsen was elected as executive vice-president of GMin 1967.He was head of GM\'s Overseas, Industrial, andDefense Operation in February 1968 when he created controversy by resigning tobecome president of theFord Motor Company.Rumors at the time suggested that Knudsen\'smove to Ford was prompted by his having been passed over for the GM presidencyin favor ofEd Cole, the father of the small block eight cylinder enginefor the Chevrolet Corvette.Henry Ford IIwas looking for a seasoned executive totake charge at his company, which would allow him to spend more time on outsideactivities; and so the opportunity for Knudsen was ripe. Certain GM-likestyling cues in several Ford products attributable to Knudsen became realitystarting with the 1970 model year, including the new \'eagle beak\' on theThunderbird nicknamed the \'Bunkie Beak\' by many T-Bird enthusiasts. It wassimilar to the V-nose grille found on the 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix, asporty/luxurious model whose addition to the 1962 Pontiac lineup Knudsen hadordered prior to his move to Ford. Further evidence of Knudsen\'s styling cuescan also be seen on the front-end of the completely restyled 1971 full-sizedFord line-up. Knudsen was also credited (and criticized) for ordering thedesign of alarger Ford Mustangfroma sporty compact ponycar to a heavier and almost-intermediate sized car for1971, with much of the enlargement reported to be necessary in order to fitFord\'s large 429 cubic-inch Cobra Jet V8 under its hood without extensivemodifications (unlike the 1969–70 Boss 429 Mustang). However, by the time the\'71 Mustang was introduced in September, 1970, the musclecar market hadcollapsed due to exorbitant insurance premiums and increasingly stringentemission regulations that led to the design of engines that could run onunleaded gasoline. Very few Mustangs were ordered with the 429 engine, whichwas offered only in 1971 and then dropped for 1972. The plummeting sales of thelarger Mustangs led Ford to return its ponycar to its roots beginning with a downsizedMustang in 1974, based upon thePintoplatform. Although the car was not well received byenthusiasts, it fit well into its intended market. Political infighting withcareer Ford executives, notablyLee Iacocca, led to his dismissal from Ford on September 11,1969.Reportedly, Henry Ford II sent Ford\'s vicepresident for public relations, Ted Mecke, to Knudsen\'s home the previous nightto inform him that he would be fired, telling Knudsen that \"Henry sent mehere to tell you that tomorrow will be a rough day at work.\"When Ford made the decision official the nextday, Bunkie said \"I\'m shocked\" to which Ford replied, \"I imagineyou would be.\" Noted for his laconic replies to difficult questions, Mr.Ford told the media \"Things just didn\'t work out\", but later reportsindicated many career Ford executives allied themselves with Iacocca and wereworking against Knudsen.His dismissal led to a widely circulatedwitticism in Ford circles as the hallmark phrase ofHenry Ford, \"History is bunk\", was turned around to\"Bunkie is history\".Following Knudsen\'s dismissal, the presidency of Ford Motor Company wouldofficially remain vacant for more than a year until Iacocca was promoted tothat office on December 10, 1970. Iacocca himself would be dismissed in similarfashion to Knudsen some eight years later in 1978.

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