Michael Knight, a young loner on a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent, the helpless, the powerless in a world of criminals who operate above the law. When a show like “Knight Rider” ends, one might assume that both KITT (Knight Industries Two Thousand) and star David Hasselhoff are placed in storage with a tarp over them and left to gather dust. The Hoff, however, went on “Baywatch” and popular German commercials, so what happened to that somewhat condescending 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am? There were actually several of them, and they’re still out there, just not solving crimes.

KARR’s evil personality is also somewhat different in the comeback episode. His childlike perceptions are diminished into a more devious personality, completely cold and bent on revenge. When KARR is close to exploding after receiving severe damage; he willingly turbo-jumps into a mid-air collision with KITT, hoping that his own destruction would also spell his counterpart’s. Even KARR’s modus operandi is different; servicing enough in the first episode, he aims to actually make use of other people to serve his own needs. One explanation of this change could be as a result of the damage he received after falling over the cliff at the end of “Trust Doesn’t Rust”, causing further malfunctions in his programming.

KARR’s visual identity has also had similar changes for the new series. Instead of an automobile, a schematic display shows a heavily armed humanoid-looking robot with wheeled legs that converts into an ambiguous off-road vehicle. KARR has the ability to transform from vehicle mode into a large wheeled robotic exoskeleton, instead of KITT’s “Attack Mode”. The vehicle mode of KARR is a 2008–2009 Shelby GT500KR with the license plate initials K.R. KARR is once again voiced by Peter Cullen, who also voiced the first appearance of KARR in “Trust Doesn’t Rust”.

One main feature of the redesign is that Super-Pursuit mode is added, consisting of improved rocket boosters for enhanced acceleration, retractable spoilers for aerodynamic stability, and movable air inlets for increased cooling. Super-Pursuit Mode provided a 40% boost in speed beyond the car’s original top speed of 300 MPH. When Super-Pursuit mode is used at night some of the exterior and under the wheel arches glow red.

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Originally, KARR appeared identical to KITT, with a red light scan bar, without license plate and the only physical difference was a yellow LED voice modulator on his dash (KARR’s voice modulator was the prototype for the one seen on KITT in the later seasons). When KARR returns in “K.I.T.T. vs. K.A.R.R.”, KARR’s scan bar was now a yellow hue. He is very naïve and inexperienced, with a child-like perception of the world. This occasionally allows people to take advantage of his remarkable capabilities for their own gain. Despite this, he does ultimately consider himself superior and unstoppable and due to his programming, the villains don’t usually get very far. KARR demonstrates a complete lack of respect or loyalty, going so far on one occasion as to eject its driver to save weight and increase its odds of escape.

Much like the storylines of another, earlier popular show “The Incredible Hulk” staring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno, both popular shows were basically damsel-in-distress scenarios…but not always, which appealed to a broader range of viewers. KITT is powered by what’s known as the Knight Industries turbojet, feeding its power to the wheels through an electronically controlled 8-speed automatic transmission. You know, similar to the mid-engine corvette’s 8-speed dual-clutch patent.

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While most of the time, Michael is in control, KITT does have the ability to take over and do the driving himself. When he is in control, he has four different so-called Cruise Modes. One could argue that movie and TV cars are a great advertising vehicle (pun totally intended) for automakers. If a car, or any vehicle, is shown doing something cool on television, it’s pretty much always guaranteed to raise interest among potential buyers. In the original series’ history, K.I.T.T. was conceived and designed by the late Wilton Knight, a brilliant but eccentric billionaire and the founder of the “Foundation for Law and Government”, (commonly shortened to “FLAG”) and its parent Knight Industries. What about the actual Pontiac Trans-AM used to film the “Knight Rider” series in 1982?

He was featured in two episodes of the Original Knight Rider Series. In the Season 1 episode Trust Doesn’t Rust, he was voiced by Peter Cullen. When he returned in the Season 3 episode K.I.T.T. vs K.A.R.R., he was voiced by Paul Frees. Equipped with a wide range of futuristic features, K.I.T.T. was a central character in the show and played a crucial role in helping Michael Knight fight crime and solve various mysteries. The show’s combination of action, technology, and the iconic talking car made it a significant pop culture phenomenon during the 1980s.

Stunts & Logistics

The “brain” of KITT is the Knight 2000 microprocessor, which is the centre of a “self-aware” cybernetic logic module. This allows KITT to think, learn, communicate and interact with humans. He has an ego that is easy to bruise and displays a very sensitive, but kind and dryly humorous personality.

K.I.T.T. is loaded with special features, most of which could be activated by buttons on panels to either side of the steering wheel or on a console on the ceiling of the interior. The button function layout was not consistent; some features were used once and never seen again. Ford gave Belker and his team the chance to finish the designs of the car, since the Shelby GT500KR wasn’t fully completed during pre-production of “Knight Rider.”

For the pilot episode and season one and two, K.I.T.T. had one dashboard style. When K.I.T.T. was rebuilt in the season three premier, and for the remainder of the series, K.I.T.T. was given an updated dashboard. In the year 2000 K.I.T.T.’s AI was put by Michael into his Blue 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air and later into the Knight 4000 a red 1991 Pontiac Banshee and so served FLAG as the new field unit. It can reach incredible speeds, all while maintaining control and stability. The car’s advanced suspension system and powerful engine work together to provide a smooth ride, even at high speeds. In later years of the television series, the vehicle was upgraded with a “Super Pursuit Mode” that would portray the vehicle going up to three hundred miles per hour.