If you are entering mid-life, a black third-generation Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am is probably seared into your memory. David Hasselhoff may have first billing in Knight Rider, but the true star of the series was the Knight Industries Two Thousand, or KITT for short.
The sentient, talking, self-driving sports car—honored by the replica KITT Trans-Am recently for sale on eBay—captured the imaginations of grade school kids across America. The TV series first hit airwaves on September 26, 1982.
KITT was much more than a car. In the show’s lore, “he” was the world’s most advanced crime-fighting AI, stuffed into a GM F-Body. Additionally, he had an arsenal of tricks that made James Bond’s Aston Martin look like it was made by Fisher-Price.
The Trans-Am was armed with a flamethrower, tear gas, grappling hook, ejector seat, and flares to trick heat-seeking missiles. He could smash down a brick wall, emerging without a scratch. But KITT’s real power was his brain.
Siri with an Attitude
A remote electronic signal jammer let KITT take control of other vehicles and devices such as cameras and locks. A surveillance mode let him intercept radio transmissions and phone calls, and hack computers (impressive in pre-internet times). KITT was a mobile crime lab too, able to analyze chemicals, fingerprints, and ballistics.
On top of all that, KITT was bulletproof, could reach a top speed of 200 mph, and use his “turbo boost” function to leap into the air Dukes of Hazzard-style. Most of all, KITT’s dry wit and loyalty to Hasselhoff’s Michael Knight made every kid wish for their own indestructible car buddy.
KITT’s dashboard had more buttons than the cockpit of a 747. On the car for sale, those controls were faithfully replicated, down to the twin CRT screens, the height of display technology in the ’80s. True to the TV show, the steering wheel was converted into a yoke.
KITT: Not Just Another Firebird Trans-Am
The KITT replica offered on eBay is a 1991 model, but essentially the same third-generation body style that Pontiac sold in 1982 for the original KITT. Its nose was elongated to accommodate auxiliary lights and KITT’s signature red scanner, just like in the show.
Black wheel covers and smoked tail lights complete the conversion. A 3.1-liter V-6 with 60,000 miles on the clock is under the hood. It’s mated to an automatic transmission. We wish there was a Pontiac V-8 under the hood, but it’s not like KITT had one. The series only described the motor as a bespoke Knight Industries unit.
The seller notes minor imperfections. There’s a small oil leak, and parts of the prop dashboard need fine-tuning. However, a remarkable number of gadgets allows the new owner to live out their Knight Rider fantasies. KITT talks in 128 pre-programmed phrases through the dashboard voicebox. The screens play 50 clips accurate to the show. Starting the car plays KITT’s trademark turbine sound effect through the radio.
At $48,750, the price is more than double even the nicest, low-mileage Firebirds of similar vintage. However, none will turn the heads of Gen-X gearheads like this replica KITT Trans-Am.
Not only did Knight Rider make KITT a dream car for countless kids, it spawned a merchandising empire of toys and turned Hasselhoff into a major international celebrity. He parlayed that into a singing career in Germany (with KITT of course), where his hit single “Looking for Freedom” topped the charts for eight weeks leading up to the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Shop now for Pontiac Trans-AmsWe’re not saying KITT toppled communism, but to a kid in 1982, there was little the black Firebird couldn’t do.
