In the years B.C. (Before Centralization), General Motors' five car-making divisions operated like five separate car companies. Those who were picked to be a Division's General Manager enjoyed the perks and privileges of a company vice presidency-including a free hand in the making of the company cars they drove home.
In the case of Semon E. "Bunkie" Knudsen, one company car that he had built when he was Chevrolet Motor Division's boss in the early '60s reflected on the performance theme he'd used to build Pontiac into a sales winner starting with the '57s, and the styling theme that his father, William Knudsen, used to turn Buick around in the '30s. It's a special '64 Corvette Sting Ray coupe that's now part of the MY Garage Museum Collection at Mid America Motorworks in Effingham, Illinois.
"In those days, those guys [senior GM execs] swung a pretty good sword-they could get done anything they wanted," says Mid America's founder, Mike Yager. "Obviously, with him heading up Chevrolet, it's my understanding that he had that car built for him, and that he had a pink one built for his wife that matched their home in Florida. So he went through the Styling studios and said, 'Do this,' and 'Do that.'"
Knudsen had a number of one-off features designed and built for the project that Chevrolet Engineering tagged "GPV-57." Starting at the front of the car, the grille was larger than the production one, with an "egg crate" design. The front bumpers were a different shape, mounted higher on the body than the production bumpers. A special hood with deeper recesses was designed, as was a pair of specially finned side exhausts. Two-prong knock-off wheels-as seen on the early '63 Sting Rays-were picked instead of the '64s RPO three-prong knock offs.
Interior Moves ::Can you...
Interior Moves ::Can you spot the differences between a regular-production '64 Sting Ray coupe's interior and this one built for then-Chevy boss Bunkie Knudsen? We can see at least five from here.
Tilt and Tele ::Form follows...
Tilt and Tele ::Form follows function-in this case with a one-off tilt-and-telescope steering wheel hub that's as good-looking as it is functional.
Dash ::The dash center got...
Dash ::The dash center got a grained look for Knudsen's coupe. Cost and/or production issues may have kept it from production.
Special Console ::Don't '64s...
Special Console ::Don't '64s have only two power window switches on their console? The production ones do-but they don't have power vent windows, or a leather-coated console top, like Bunkie Knudsen's does.
High Backs ::Chevrolet Styling...
High Backs ::Chevrolet Styling designed these high-back buckets with "Bunkie" Knudsen's input. If they were production items, would you have ordered 'em on your Vette? Also, the carpets are cut-pile (from Cadillac) instead of the production loop-pile type.
Spinners ::Two-prong knock-off...
Spinners ::Two-prong knock-off wheels, similar to the early '63 production ones, were picked for Knudsen's coupe.