Sliding To Success: Bobby...
Sliding To Success: Bobby Unser sent this photo to Bunkie when he slid to a record-setting victory in the '59 Pikes Peak Climb, thanks to 420-A Pontiac engine and Tri-Power. The picture is inscribed.
Knudsen's primary personal characteristics were modesty and dignity. "He was a classy guy," said David Cole, the son of Ed Cole and chairman of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He loved golf, bowling, shooting, fishing, and boating. He never attended a party he disliked. He hated wasting time in dragged-out meetings. Whether he gave a speech to a United Way banquet or a regional dealer council, he practiced hard and often judged his performance critically. His sharp eye for phonies and time-servers is reflected in a line about a man who is referred to only as Wellock. "[I] believe he is just coasting, waiting for retirement," Knudsen wrote.
The first diary entry that mentions the Corvette appears January 4, 1962, after Knudsen had been at Chevy a few weeks. Typically matter-of-fact, he wrote, "Mr. Davis of Gulf Oil came in." He was referring to Grady Davis, who prepared Corvettes for endurance and SCCA events. "He would like to compete to a greater degree with the Ferraris. In order to do this, he needs more power and better brakes. I told him we would work on these items and sent him over to see Duntov."
More power is something Knudsen knew how to do, having increased engine displacement and letting carburetors proliferate in various Pontiacs, as well as giving out the 421ci mill to the likes of Bobby Unser for Pikes Peak, to Smokey Yunick for NASCAR Grand National racing, and to Mickey Thompson for drags and (four engines at a time) for land-speed record attempts.
In an exclusive series for Corvette Fever, the next several issues will present detailed, previously unrevealed episodes based on Knudsen's diary. We will see Knudsen struggle to kill Cole's proposed four-door Corvette and his quest to make the big-block engine a reality. We will meet characters ranging from Dan Gurney and other famous drivers, to Strategic Air Command top dog Curtis LeMay and other Air Force officers. Everybody adored the Sting Ray and wanted a drive-even a Hollywood bimbo whom Cole was keeping in a Detroit hotel. Finally, we'll see the fur fly between Knudsen and Cole over the four-wheel-drive, Corvette-based CERV II, which Cole's buddy wanted to adapt for the '65 Indianapolis 500.
So, please accept this invitation to join the fun-courtesy of the GM executive who never explained why, but was compelled to write it all down.