For $150k YOU Can Buy Knight Rider's KITT Car

[matcom]

<snip>

DUBLIN, Calif. — KITT, the flame-throwing, river-jumping, talking muscle car from the '80s TV show Knight Rider, is up for sale.

Restored to its debut-season glory, the modified black 1982 Pontiac Trans Am is offered at $149,995 at a Dublin auto dealership. Johnny "Vette" Verhoek of Kassabian Motors has had the car, officially called Knight Industries Two Thousand, on display for about a month.

It is one of four documented "camera cars" used for close-up shots and scenes where David Hasselhoff, who played Michael Knight in the series, was behind the wheel.

Although it cannot achieve the 300 mph speeds that KITT reached, soar 50 feet in the air or throw smoke bombs, key features of the star car are intact. Perhaps most important, the red scanner light on the nose glows and makes a humming noise.

The car has two working video screens on the dashboard, and the cockpit features buttons that light up in green, yellow and red: ski mode, rocket boost, micro jam, silent mode, oil slick and eject.

Most of the buttons don't do anything, Verhoek said. Nor can the car hold a conversation or drive itself.

KITT isn't even street legal because of missing smog equipment and other modifications. Whoever buys the car will probably keep it in a private collection, or it may be purchased by a museum, Verhoek said.

The car belongs to Tim Russo of Livermore, a Kassabian customer who figured now was a good time to test the market, with the 25th anniversary of the show's debut coming up.

Russo purchased the car 10 years ago at an auction in San Diego, and has spent the last decade finding parts to restore it.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/entertainment/4681756.html

[NightWatcher]

1. I'd rather have the General Lee from the Dukes of Hazard or

the van from the A-Team.

Both of these have more umpf than the 82 Trans-Am. The General Lee, I believe, is a 77 Dodge Challenger.

[jmowreader]

3. I'd rather have the van from Up in Smoke

Unfortunately, some DARE program has it.

[Zomby Woof]

10. It's a '69 Dodge Charger

[underpants]

2. Michael, what are you doing to my tailpipe?

:bounce:

[Orsino]

4. If you order now, we'll include, absolutely free, David Hasselhoff!

You'll need someone to wax KITT.

[Hugin]

5. "Nor can the car hold a conversation or drive itself." -- I.AM.KITT!

or at least that's what my sweetie says. :rofl:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

6. That's it?

I was in a Hollywood memorabilia store a few months back and I'd think 150k is a low bid, even for a shitty used American car from the 80s from a shitty American action show from the 80s.

[Blue-Jay]

7. A Trans Am? Perhaps I'll grow a mullet first.

[Cannikin]

8. I used to love that show. I was much younger then though. I'd rather buy Airwolf.

[pinniped]

13. Airwolf was cooler than Blue Thunder IMO.

Someone took pics of Blue Thunder mockups sitting on a studio backlot.

http://www.gregdonner.org/blue_thunder/bt_movie.html#behindscenes





Think I'll watch my Blue Thunder DVD tonight.

[Poiuyt]

9. Kitt was featured in this wonderful music video

http://youtube.com/watch?v=pgX-hiQdfFw

[pinniped]

11. Ya, my calendar was marked for this event 24 years ago!

the 25th anniversary of the show's debut coming up.

I got a couple pics of one KITT car at Universal Studios back in the 80s. I even saw the big semi truck KITT used to ride in.

[Canuckistanian]

12. Dave Letterman said that Knight Rider was a miracle of technology

"It was amazing how they get David Hasselhoff's mouth to move like that"