Starting In 1957, GM’s Pontiac division was transformed from supplier of grandma cars into the Motor City’s hottest youth and performance brand.

As much as anything, the reinvention of Pontiac is the story of three men: general manager Semon E. “Bunkie” Knudsen, chief engineer Pete Estes, and assistant chief engineer John DeLorean (from left, above). Bunkie and his two lead engineers transformed General Motors’ sleepiest division into a vibrant youth and performance brand.

When Knudsen was was handed the position by president Harlow Curtice in July of 1956, he was at 43 the youngest person in GM history to lead an entire car division. Yet he was already a seasoned veteran at the automaker, with engineering and production experience at multiple divisions and a degree from MIT. His father Bill Knudsen, a former senior executive at Ford and GM who headed Detroit’s military production in World War II, was probably the most well-connected man in the Motor City. It was Big Bill who gave his son the nickname Bunkie—old arny slang for bunkmate.

1957 Pontiac Super Chief Catalina Sedan

There are two Bunkie quotes, now legendary, that perfectly encapsulate his approach to transforming Pontiac. One of Knudsen’s first tasks was to review the proposed 1957 models, where he ordered the removal of Pontiac’s traditional Silver Streak trim, which in his eyes had grown dated and corny. The chrome hood bands, he said, looked “like and old man’s suspenders.” His often-quoted product philosophy was in essence the guiding principle at Pontiac in its glory years: “You can sell a young man’s car to an old man, but you can’t sell an old man’s car to a young man.”

1957 Pontiac Star Chief Bonneville 

There were three model lines when the ’57 selling season began: Chieftain, Super Chief, and Star Chief. In February a fourth was added, a racy convertible with Rochester fuel injection called the Star Chief Bonneville, in a limited run of 630 cars.  Pontiac’s famed Tri-Power 3×2 induction setup also arrived that year, available on all models. The hot Pontiac V8’s displacement grew from 347 to 370 cubic inches in ’58 and to the classic 389 CID in ’59, as Knudsen hired his racing friends Smokey Yunick, Ray Nichels, and Mickey Thompson to promote Pontiac’s performance message in NASCAR and drag racing.

Americans were buying what Knudsen was selling, and Pontiac was soon marching up the sales charts, from sixth place in 1957 to fourth in 1959, then to third in 1962, trailing only Chevrolet and Ford. While other mid-range brands (Dodge, Mercury, and Buick, for example) faded in these years, Pontiac defied the market trend.

Meanwhile, the three Pontiac executives were climbing the GM corporate ladder as well. Knudsen was promoted to general manager at Chevrolet in 1961, while Estes took over the top post at Pontiac. When Estes was promoted, eventually becoming GM president, DeLorean became general manager at Pontiac, then Chevrolet. With the kickstart from Knudsen and his talented crew, Pontiac would maintain its role as GM’s youngest and sportiest brand for years to come.

1957 Pontiac Star Chief Convertible.