Knight Rider aired on September 26, 1982. It’s only fitting that I bring out my old K.I.T.T. post, originally published on CarLustBlog.com 8 years ago. Given that the Knight Rider fandom is alive and kicking (and growing!), I’m proud to say that almost no hyperlinks were replaced. Aside from grammatical editing, this post is the same.
2022 marked the 40th anniversary of many things. This date took me by surprise when I found out that movies like Tron and The Last Unicorn (both Jeff Bridges flicks. Wild, huh?) and albums like Yaz/Yazoo’s Upstairs at Eric’s, A Flock Of Seagulls’ self-titled album and Rush’s Signals turned 40. The youngest of the Checker A11/Marathon taxi cabs as well as the original Suzuki Katana also turned 40 their odometers. Other 1980s wheeled-sweethearts turned 40, the MkII Supra and 3rd-gen Celica, the S-series trucks and the 3rd-gen Pontiac Firebird… and Camaro. But out of that model year, there’s one 3rd-gen Firebird and 1980s icon that also reached this not-insignificant cornerstone: The Knight Industries Two Thousand– K.I.T.T. for short.
Before we begin, it’s worth mentioning that the body, the hardware, is called the Knight 2000, while the computer A.I. itself is K.I.T.T., but to avoid confusion, for this post K.I.T.T. is the whole machine, as it should be. Websites and blogs have been made and books have been written about Knight Rider and K.I.T.T., with lists of all of his gadgets, including those one-offs seen only once, so I’ll try (emphasis on the word ‘try’) to keep those details to a minimum.
The Knight Industries Two Thousand –serial number Alpha Delta 227529- is the brainchild of Wilton Knight, self-made millionaire who used his resources to not only build K.I.T.T., but also the Foundation for Law and Government -a.k.a. F.L.A.G.- many years before. After learning from the mistakes from the earlier prototype, the Knight Automated Rolling Robot –K.A.A.R. – K.I.T.T. was built. He first went online in a mainframe in Washington (D.C.), but didn’t like the stuffy governmental bureaucracy. Thanks to Wilton, K.I.T.T. was transferred to the Foundation. He’s happier there. He may not have been created from scratch in the Foundation like K.A.R.R., but that was actually a plus. Many of K.I.T.T.’s systems technologies (gadgets) were developed at Stanford University, with patents held by companies that K.I.T.T. and Michael will later have to deal with. Even people like Dr. Ian Browning, who developed many of K.I.T.T’s systems, fell from grace, to say the least. Not everyone was a supporter of the Knight 2000. To quote Jennifer Knight, she once “considered to be a waste of resources, human and otherwise”. “State-of-the-art technology to support a James Bond fantasy run amok”.
It’s no secret that K.I.T.T. is a pretty spectacular piece of machinery, but if Wilton Knight so decided (and money not prohibiting), so would many more. Well, K.I.T.T. usually is quite content with being one of a kind. But what makes him truly special is his programming: the preservation of human life. If it wasn’t for that, K.I.T.T. and K.A.R.R. would be further alike.
A quick list of K.I.T.T.’s stats:
Original, uncropped pic here.
This is, of course, K.I.T.T. before being put in the field. Later modifications would further enhance his capabilities and expand his list of impressive features… and his estimated price.
One thing not mentioned is K.I.T.T.’s weight. According to script material, he weighs 3200lbs. This could mean that he somehow anchors himself down when he pulling down helicopters or have some serious heavy-duty traction-control/tire and suspension technology –maybe all of them- along with his monster power when pushing parked big rigs out of his way. Allow me to expand on K.I.T.T.’s software capabilities: it’s unlimited, with 50 million kilobytes (about 50 GBs) of storage with a million added every day, if needed.
The special honor of driving K.I.T.T. befell, as if by divine intervention, to a charismatic young man called Michael Arthur Knight, formerly Michael Arthur Long. After the surreal (but totally cool!) first encounter with the Knight Industries Two-Thousand, Michael thought that the Knight Foundation just hot-rodded his –at the time still brand-new- Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, the car he owned as Michael Long. Devon Miles, head of F.L.A.G. and close friend of Wilton, soon let him know both by word of mouth and example that this wasn’t any, ahem, “old” Trans Am.
“Welcome aboard the Knight 2000 […] It is the fastest, strongest, safest car in the world. It is also completely fuel-efficient and is operated entirely by microprocessors, which make it virtually impossible for it to be involved in any kind of mishap or collision. Unless of course, specifically so ordered by its pilot.”
–Devon Miles
Devon did say that K.I.T.T. wasn’t Michael Long’s car, whose similarities were purely superficial. While it was never clear if K.I.T.T. truly was built off Michael Long’s personal 3rd-gen Firebird Trans Am, it might as well be. This is because we see continuous activity from F.L.A.G.’s labs, so K.I.T.T. was probably being built while Michael recovered from getting shot in the face, which for both K.I.T.T. and Michael required lots of time.
This becomes debatable when the existence of K.A.R.R. was later acknowledged. K.I.T.T.’s body –the Knight 2000- could have very well been another shell ready to be used at a later date. But due to K.A.R.R.’s failure, K.I.T.T. was built, carefully applying K.A.R.R.’s technology into him. This might have saved some time, but K.I.T.T. would still need to be tested, which takes time.
Yet this too can be debatable. It’s safe to assume that K.A.R.R. was the one and only, with K.I.T.T. coming into plan straight after K.A.R.R. was shut down and stored. It could actually be Michael Long’s Trans Am that the Foundation took to build K.I.T.T., since both K.I.T.T. and K.A.R.R. use the 3rd-gen Pontiac Firebird Trans Am as their platform. And let’s not begin talking how much Trans Am was left after K.I.T.T. was built, barring some interior and overall exterior appearances aside…
K.I.T.T. and Michael’s first couple of interactions weren’t exactly what one would call “love at first sight.” Michael was very much against the idea of driving a car that could think and for itself, let alone talk! We notice that K.I.T.T. is pretty stale in character, quite cold, like a machine or something. As K.I.T.T. and Michael’s relationship started to gel with each other, K.I.T.T. himself, while still following his programming, slowly loosened up a bit. An example would be that at first K.I.T.T. would be reluctant to Turbo Boost when a more rational, safer alternative would be available and suggested to Michael (who would oftentimes disregard it, sometimes with a legit excuse). Later on, he’d once told Michael to Turbo Boost for no reason, just for fun, like in the “old” days. Despite the inevitable clash of opinions, both K.I.T.T. and Michael mutually agree that they can’t imagine working with someone else. They’re that close.
Personality-wise, K.I.T.T., while well-aware that he’s a machine, seems to have experienced emotions similar to humans: love, anger, jealousy, worry, etc. Probably more than some actual human beings. He does have an ego and wit, with a dry sense of humor. He’s a kind being, but sometimes comes off as arrogant, but K.I.T.T. once explained:
“Modesty is a state of mind, Michael. I only deal in facts.”
And this is what he answered to claims of sometimes being a touchy collection of microprocessors:
“Wrong. It’s just that my circuits function better when we operate in a reality mode.”
So he can’t help it.
K.I.T.T. prefers culture, and is more than willing to help you learn or discover something constructive just as much as helping out during missions. K.I.T.T. does care about himself. For example, if K.I.T.T. is in auto-pilot, and Michael and company are covered in oil, he won’t let them inside him unless absolutely necessary. There have been many occasions that he’s not entirely enthusiastic about a certain part of a mission, like being covered in trash, or pretending to be a junked car. He did, however, get the chance to apprehend one of the main villains rather than let Michael do it (it was rather personal… the villain made him say ‘ain’t’… among other things). He has no problem conveying his feelings about a certain topic. There’s some things he’s not too particularly fond of, like motorcycles, animals or certain people (or S.I.D.), though they sometimes grow on him. Thanks to Bonnie, K.I.T.T. has a programmed fear of flying.
More interesting facts that I picked up: K.I.T.T. finds that blowing a fuse to be an intoxicating experience. He can’t resist a puzzle, and once won a prize of cheesy automotive goods (fuzzy dice, novelty horn and lace curtains!). He also can’t sing. He can carry a beat, but just can’t sing. His voice sounds eerily similar to Mr. Feeny from Boy Meets World (Lol!).
What about K.I.T.T.’s ideal match?
Oh, something very stylish, preferably in red, loaded with sophisticated software, total artificial intelligence, fully padded seat, removable top, with an adaptive megabyte system that can interface for hours.
–K.I.T.T.
Throughout his adventures, K.I.T.T. made use of his unique capabilities to get the job done. We notice that some efforts take more of K.I.T.T.’s time than others, especially when multi-tasking (there are limits to even the most advanced of early 1980s technology). Aside from his already impressive repertoire of gadgetry, both Bonnie and April fit K.I.T.T. with either new components to handle a specific task on a mission, or get one of K.I.T.T.’s existing functions specially tuned. Some of the features stay –like the grappling hook. Others are never seen or used again for whatever reason, like the Third Stage Aquatic Synthesizer, aka hydroplane mode. Most of K.I.T.T.’s gadgets have wiggle room in case one or more need to be maximized, like a computer’s graphic card. Of course, there are drawbacks to this -like said graphics card- it isn’t something that can be abused without risking damage.
That’s why, like any other machine, K.I.T.T. gets routine maintenance and updates when available, not to mention to refuel and recharge his powerpacks. Bonnie Barstow is responsible for this task, and during her leave to pursue her studies, April Curtis took over. Bonnie returned, while April –according to other sources- took over a position in the French firm of the Foundation, apparently. Both of these women looked after K.I.T.T. as if he was their own child, both of them scolded Michael for apparently abusing of him. K.I.T.T. loved them both very much.
Michael has a bit of K.I.T.T. on his person: the Comlink (the watch). I mention it because when Michael needs a certain task done involving K.I.T.T.’s abilities without K.I.T.T.’s presence, K.I.T.T. can channel, for example, his Microwave Jammer frequencies to open up an electronic lock on a small, remote, high-security location.
K.I.T.T. is no stranger to danger, many times the challenges laid ahead of him really did push him to the limit with legitimate cause for worry on his part, and not only for his occupants. Getting hit by Goliath (coated with the same Molecular Bonded Shell as K.I.T.T.) is a very good example. Good thing Michael kept the manual to make a relatively quick fix to get themselves out of the desert.
K.I.T.T.’s Tri-Helical Plasteel 1000 MBS -Molecular Bonded Shell- is the stuff of dreams. Who wouldn’t want a black car whose surfaces kept themselves clean (according to a source, like a self-cleaning oven) and always feel like baby skin?! It’s irrelevant to discuss it the panels are made of the stuff or simply applied like paint (Why not both?). It’s no secret that it can withstand tremendous abuse from an array of sources, but that doesn’t mean it’s infallible. It used to be that it couldn’t withstand prolonged exposure to more than 800ºF, so when K.I.T.T. had to cross a river of lava not once but twice, it wasn’t because Michael and company felt uncomfortable with the heat! Thank goodness for that pyroclastic lamination. Every little bit helps.
One not insignificant weak spot are high amounts of electric current, whether by lightning or power cables. Seeing that he’s a rolling supercomputer, K.I.T.T. isn’t impervious to short-circuiting when exposed to obscene amounts of electricity. It works its way through the protection given by the Molecular Bonded Shell and affects K.I.T.T.’s circuits, sometimes with devastating consequences: K.I.T.T. suffered the computer equivalent of amnesia because of this.
While not one person knows the complete formula for the Molecular Bonded Shell –composed of three secret substances called the ‘Knight Compound’, divided in two-thirds to three people, with one of them being Devon- just knowing part of it could prove fatal if the villain knew his/her way around a lab, with the skills and technology to make a neutralizer.
K.I.T.T. has been hacked into a couple of times, sometimes with him watching helplessly as his new master(s) move him around like an R/C car. He’ll probably never forget the most legit out-of-body experience he, well, experienced when seeing his body drive down the road while being stuck inside a reconditioned portable TV/radio!
This won’t be the last time that K.I.T.T. ends up like this.
Other times his entire personality was overridden, with only his primary programming and/or Michael to snap him out of it. These situations are perhaps the most insulting in his eyes scanner, with the latter being on top of his list.
There is one situation where K.I.T.T. learned something that no machine had ever learned, something that humans know all too well: fear.
He learned this emotion when he was dumped in a deadly concoction of chemical waste that defeated his molecular bonded shell. Almost nothing was left, but a bare shell and some wiring looms. K.I.T.T.’s memory was saved, even though there was serious destruction to his CPU. Whatever memory that wasn’t stored in the Foundation’s back-up databanks was lost. Never had he ever felt so close to total annihilation -the experience of feeling utterly helpless despite his struggles and the closest brush with death of his lifetime, with almost zero chance of recovery. He learnt what it felt to be mortal.
During testing, K.I.T.T. showed signs of improvement, but it was clear that he was hot-dogging to try to impress the team, because deep down, he was afraid of taking risks. He had to overcome his fears the same way humans do: getting back out there and facing them, which we all know it’s not easy… or face a life being reclassified as a light-duty vehicle (read: no more epic missions). Overcoming them he did. Both he and Michael returned to the field.
When he was still new, car thieves tried (in vain) to steal him. But 3 years later, a couple of young thieves weren’t keen on doing so, one convincing the other that K.I.T.T was last year’s model. This didn’t sit well with K.I.T.T. himself. Such is the draw-back of being a car and being based on a production vehicle, especially one that will continue production for 7 more years. Little did he know that a major overhaul was to be done… after almost being destroyed.
K.I.T.T. was put together well enough to help save the day and not fall apart along the way. Any final tune-ups were surely taken care of in time and proper tools and procedures back at the Foundation. What’s interesting about that episode was that, first, Bonnie had enough parts and equipment in the F.L.A.G. Mobile Unit (The Semi) to get the job done. Second, it’s the help a motley crew of car-savvy local kids that worked around the clock to help put Humpty-Dumpty K.I.T.T. back together again, with the guidance of Bonnie and Reginald Cornelius the Third, aka RC3.
Then there are the extra mods themselves: Enter the Super-Pursuit Mode. K.I.T.T. could already reach 300mph, but SPM adds another 40% thanks to improved rocket boosters, requiring the front end wing and winglets to create more stability and downforce and to avoid front end lift, the lifted-up glass hatch for less drag, the rear wing for much-needed downforce and air vents, scoops and heat extractors for engine and brake ventilation. Stopping required the need of flaps, called Emergency Braking System. Here’s the Identification guide for all the parts of SPM.
Look, I know that SPM is polarizing due to a number of reasons (particularly the use of sped-up footage). Some view it as a gimmick, while others talk about it as if it was K.I.T.T.’s greatest gift. But K.I.T.T. loves his new look, and if he’s happy, then I’m happy.
The other was RC3’s idea, added during reconstruction: Convertible Mode. K.I.T.T. was so surprised that he didn’t know if the look was him (it now is, buddy). So not only does K.I.T.T. have two new variations of his looks, but a restored self-confidence on his appearance… for now.
After the original adventures, what could the future hold for K.I.T.T.? There are three paths:
– Knight Rider 2000:
K.I.T.T. is resurrected from his boxed-up remains to aid Michael -briefly as a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air, and later becoming what was supposed to be the Knight Industries Four Thousand– in one of their biggest cases ever. K.I.T.T. will have a new female partner named Shawn McCormick, who will have a special bond with K.I.T.T., as she has K.I.T.T.’s technology –which was given for the benefit of medical research (considering K.I.T.T.’s demise into boxes of parts, this a noble cause, one I feel he’d gladly take part in), specifically a microchip cerebral implant in her as Michael returns to retirement. K.I.T.T. once quipped that he preferred his body color to be black, but with this new lease on life on the road, such triviality won’t matter.
– Team Knight Rider:
It hinted that the holographic character known as ‘Shadow’ is controlled by K.I.T.T., so whether K.I.T.T. is multi-tasking by being both in the field with Michael living up to their legend and as a facilitator for the Team, or completely gave that lifestyle up for a “desk job” –and why- is debatable (Your author didn’t watch TKR when it aired, and DVDs aren’t available. Information was only found on Wikipedia. Admittedly, on paper, TKR sounds like an interesting show. It seems that the way it was made was its downfall).
–Knight Rider (2008-2009):
Taking place in contemporary times, K.I.T.T. now stands for ‘Knight Industries Three Thousand’ (that must’ve taken a lot of sleepless nights to come up with) and is now a 2008 Shelby GT500KR (which coincidentally, are the same initials as Knight Rider). The Ford product placement harkens back to the Team Knight Rider days, but this series takes that to a whole new level! While the Internet is contaminated by images of this series –and colorful opinions about the remake- , it is unclear that this K.I.T.T. is the same K.I.T.T. we know and love. Add the fact that it was 7 15 years ago when that dud aired and the details are sketchy. The stuff I found made it sound like an evolution of the original K.I.T.T. The series does try to further delve into K.I.T.T. and K.A.R.R.’s development, mentioning more names and history behind their creations (but won’t be used for this post).
Or we could all ignore them all and substitute them with our own. The series had some meat in its bones. It could’ve easily gone into another season if it wasn’t for NBC’s internal conflicts with syndication, rather than just low ratings. So what if…
Where would Bonnie Barstow and her crew (not necessarily the original team –Von Vorman, Breland and Yamata) -with the likes of a more mature RC3 (with his zombie of a Yamaha XT 250 motorcycle!) and perhaps with a slightly less nerdy Elliot Sykes (accompanied by his trusty Derbi Variant scooter, K.N.E.R.D) and maybe the occasional appearance of April Curtis- do to take K.I.T.T. to the next level?
Any other technology that we’re finally starting to see on today’s cars like the latest Mercedes-Benz S-Class, to the titanic engineering solutions that make the Bugatti Veyron the hypercar that it is (tires, cooling, aerodynamics, etc.) would have to be turned all the way to eleven so that K.I.T.T. –and F.L.A.G.- stay ahead of the pack. Granted, speed and power aren’t everything.
K.I.T.T.’s drivetrain may evolve into an all-wheel-drive / 4-wheel-steering set-up, with independent rear suspension. Many companies have been playing with (I remember seeing a picture of a 3rd-gen Camaro with a caption saying it had a prototype 4-wheel steering) and some actually making it to production. Of course, K.I.T.T.’s drivetrain would have to be plenty strong to withstand (Michael’s) abuse and much more versatile. And I definitely want to see more side-to-side driving antics, which was shown only once in the entire series.
Power-wise, K.I.T.T.’s turbine engine was once converted to run on hydrogen (some sources say he runs on hydrogen, period), so as far as fuels of the future goes, he’s got experience running confidently with one of them. Maybe even improve on his rumored 65MPGs (a source stated 100MPGs. It would be safe to say that mileage may vary on driving conditions and yadda, yadda, yadda)…
When the Pontiac Firebird got its 1990 facelift, it’d be fitting to believe that Bonnie and company would fit these parts to K.I.T.T., therefore avoiding any “last-season’s-model” syndrome. It’s possible that before that, K.I.T.T. got a minor cosmetic tweak, like a lower airdam (like the World Expo 1988 show car, well, shows). Or maybe even this.
If we were to dream that K.I.T.T. and Michael still worked together throughout the 1990s, K.I.T.T.’s exterior may, no, must be upgraded based on the 4th-gen Pontiac Firebird (some fans went as far as making kits for their 4th-gens), hopefully not because something catastrophic happened to him that warranted the change! Think about it. K.I.T.T. needs a change because after 10 years, he’d be pretty recognizable by those who operate above the law that have been keeping an eye on F.L.A.G.
Michael won’t get any younger, so if need be, K.I.T.T. would either take that “desk job” ala TKR or stay in the field with a new partner. Not that he and Michael wouldn’t see each other (perish the thought!) Either way, the future would hold big things for him. Still, I wish K.I.T.T. would keep his Knight 2000 body tucked away and in shape in case he feels nostalgic, and maybe to celebrate major anniversaries (like today!). There would definitely be more machines to have a conversation with today. And besides, there’s nothing wrong with taking a drive down memory lane. Pressing Turbo Boost helps.
Special guest star Natalie Carroll aka Pontiac’s ‘Firebird Girl’ for the 1983 Chicago Auto Show. In case you were wondering…
Here’s to another 40 years. Happy anniversary Knight Rider. Happy anniversary K.I.T.T.
–Tigerstrypes
References:
K.I.T.T.’s scanner, camouflage mode, Juggernaut aftermath and lava crossing pic come from www.imcdb.com
K.I.T.T. interior dash lighted up: http://www.rrelite.co.uk/wp-content/flagallery/kitt-knight-industries-two-thousand/2012_02_18-rr-elite-301.jpg
Edited (for better reading) K.I.T.T. stats’ original image: http://autoculture.org/?p=2728
Com-link watch: http://www.digital-polyphony.com/real-kitt-watch.jpg
K.I.T.T. pin-up is a printscreen from ‘The Topaz Connection’ episode, found on HULU.
Epic 4th-gen Firebird K.I.T.T. art from http://www.freewebs.com/knightriderforever/
Radio K.I.T.T.: https://itrolls.files.wordpress.com/2022/09/d5885-th_pdvd_025.jpg
SPM and Convertible K.I.T.T.: www.knight-rider.wikia.com
Knight Industries Four Thousand K.I.T.T. – http://dompathug.blogspot.com/2010/04/knight-rider-2000.html
K.I.T.T. drawing by moi.
The rest of the pics came from the Polish fansite www.knight-rider.pl (Dziękuję!)
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