LOCAL

'It's like owning a celebrity.' Jackson Township man buys Knight Rider (KITT) replica car

The Independent

John Biviano, of Jackson Township, now owns his dream car, a custom-built 1982 Pontiac Trans Am replica Knight Rider.

JACKSON TWP. – A Stark County man has been longing to bring home his dream car, a Knight Rider replica, for decades.

KITT has finally arrived.

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John Biviano's sleek, black 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, also known as a Knight Industries Two Thousand (KITT) replica, was delivered last week.

The voice modulator inside John Biviano's 1982 Pontiac Trans Am, Knight Rider car.

"I was like, 'Holy cow.' It's finally here," recalled Biviano when the new ride rolled into his West Shore Drive NW driveway about 5:30 a.m. June 13.

The effort to acquire, rebuild and modify the car to personal specifications started a few years ago, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, said Biviano, 45, noting that his KITT was constructed and delivered from Connecticut.

Six technicians from either the U.S. or Italy had a hand in building the car.

Biviano said he'll have about $45,000 into his new KITT, which includes a V-8 engine, once all features are fully installed or added.

John Biviano is all smiles inside his new Knight Rider car replica.

"To me, it's like owning a celebrity and having David Hasselhoff hanging out in the garage all the time," said Biviano, a 1995 graduate of Jackson High School. "I'm kind of like a geek for this stuff."

Hasselhoff, also referred to as "The Hoff," starred in the TV series "Knight Rider," which ran on NBC from 1982 to 1986. He played Michael Knight, a mostly solo crimefighter who was assisted on missions by an artificially intelligent and self-aware supercar, KITT.

KITT car a conversation piece around Jackson

For now, the Knight Rider replica will act as a show and conversational piece around Biviano's neighborhood. He did not rule out taking KITT to car shows or sci-fi related events in Northeast Ohio down the road.

A 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am modeled after the Knight Rider television show has rolled into the home of Jackson Township resident John Biviano.

Biviano's wife, Joanie, is a slightly less avid fan of Knight Rider than her husband. But she's happy about his new hobby car.

"The car is neat, but having (him) excited is what's really cool," she said.

In the TV show, KITT was an interactive, sometimes chatty and humorous computer entity, frequently engaging with Hasselhoff's character.

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Biviano said the switchboard that enables his car to talk and recognize programmed phrases is not fully operational. A revamped unit and parts should come within a few weeks.

Many of the unique feature buttons, or keyboard-like options, along the console of the car have been repurposed, Biviano said.

The steering column and control panel of the custom-built 1982 Pontiac Trans Am and replica Knight Rider car.

For example, a separate button — next to "auto eject seat" switch — controls the automatic windows. The car does not have "turbo boost," and "autopilot" options, or a Star Wars-type laser shooting from the chassis that can blow up vehicles of bad guys.

Many technical features of Biviano's replica KITT are similar to the Knight Rider cars used on set, Biviano said.

For instance, a video media player displays digital, or arcade-like, images on small screens attached to the dashboard.

The Knight Rider car replica also features a "California KNIGHT" license plate.

The car also features a "California KNIGHT" license plate, as seen on the TV show.

"I loved Knight Rider growing up," Biviano said. "David Hasselhoff made the money, but the star of the show was always KITT."

Reach Steven at steven.grazier@indeonline.com. On Twitter: @sgrazierINDE