Knight Rider Historians plan to restore the trailer to its exact appearance during the series run, albeit on a slightly smaller scale. The interior of the trailer mirrors the original car, from the steering wheel and dashboard to the lower and upper consoles and vehicle controls. The centerpiece and star of the show is undeniably the car, which was created by Pontiac designer John Schinella. Much of the rest of the car, including the interior, was done by studio designer Michael Scheffe.
There’s some disagreement among fans about who actually designed the iconic black third-generation Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. The exterior was all Pontiac, but the insane interior, which did not work, was created by Michael Scheffe. The “self-driving” capabilities were made possible by redundant controls and a stuntman lying on the floor to drive.
The Knight Industries Two Thousand had a power train, and the interior plastics color was Camel Tan (64C), a carryover from the 78-80 interior color used on 82-84 models. The Knight Industries 4000, or K.I.F.T., was the new FLAG vehicle in Knight Rider 2000. The Knight Industries 4000 was a copy of the 1988 Pontiac Banshee IV concept based on a 1991 K.A.R.R. and was seen to be destroyed by Michael and KITT.
The Knight Industries 4000, or K.I.F.T., was the new FLAG vehicle in Knight Rider 2000. It was a copy of the 1988 Pontiac Banshee IV concept based on a 1991 K.A.R.R. and was seen to be destroyed by Michael and KITT.
📹 Knight Rider Semi Gets Some Interior Love! Door Panels, Dash Bezels & Headliner Refresh!
We continue our work on the Screen Used Knight Rider Semi! Today, the door panels are disassembled, cleaned & repaired, the …
Who is the evil version of KITT?
K. A. R. R. (Knight Automated Roving Robot) was a prototype evil talking clone version of K. I. T. T., designed by Wilton Knight and built by Knight Industries. The project was put on hold due to a programming error, causing the computer to become unstable and potentially dangerous. The evil car’s talking voice was first provided by Peter Cullen in Season 1 of Knight Rider, and later by Paul Frees in Season 3.
K. A. R. R. was programmed for self-preservation, making him a ruthless and unpredictable threat. Unlike K. I. T. T., whose primary directive is to protect human life, K. A. R. R. Despite not appearing as streetwise as K. I. T. T., K. A. R. R. considers himself superior and unstoppable. Due to his programming, villains usually don’t get very far.
KARR first appeared in the Knight Rider Season One episode “Trust Doesn’t Rust” in 1982, where he seemingly met his unfortunate demise. However, he was popular enough to be brought back in the Knight Rider Season Three episode “K. I. T. T. vs. K. A. R. R”. and in the short-lived Knight Rider Series revival as K. A. R. R 2. 0, an evil artificially intelligent talking muscle car clone Ford Mustang GT500KR.
What is KITT short for?
The name Kitt, derived from the Greek names Christopher and Katherine, signifies “bearing Christ.” It is a cognate of Kit, as evidenced by the name of the character Jon Snow, played by Kit Harington. The additional “T” provides a distinctive quality that sets it apart.
How many cars were destroyed filming Knight Rider?
The Knight Rider: The Movie was a popular TV series that featured 23 KITT cars, with some speculation suggesting up to 25. All but one of these cars survived until the show was axed, and all but five of the remaining 22 were destroyed at the end of filming. The series began with five brand new Pontiacs for the pilot presentation, but a nearby train carrying new Pontiacs to dealerships derailed in California in 1982, and Universal Studios acquired these wrecked cars for a low price. The contract stipulated that the cars could not be sold again for private use due to the train damage, so they had to be crushed when Universal Studios no longer needed them.
One stunt car was shipped to Australia for World Expo ’88, while Universal kept one “hero” and one stunt car for use in the Entertainment Center display. Two originals have since been sold to a private collector in the US, while another, a convertible, disappeared for a while before being sold to the former Cars of the Stars Motor Museum in Keswick, Cumbria, England. The fifth car is believed to be in private hands in the UK.
Press releases regularly claim “original screen-used” cars are being sold, with some reports suggesting that Michael Jackson bought an original KITT and former NSYNC band member Joey Fatone also claimed to have purchased one of these authentic original KITTs at auction. There have been more “original” cars auctioned than were built in total for the show.
Does David Hasselhoff own a KITT car?
The series features a Pontiac Firebird that has been modeled after the famous television show. Despite the absence of spoken dialogue, the vehicle was still sold for the sum of $300.
What car was KITT 3000?
The 2008 Mustang GT500KR, also known as the Knight Industries Three Thousand, is a virtual Swiss Army Knife on wheels with a nanotech driven transformation system, a top speed of 377mph, and a suite of onboard defensive weapons. The car’s self-aware artificial intelligence, K. I. T. T., is not only the software counterpart to the Mustang’s hardware but also Mike Traceur’s partner in the field and the closest thing Mike has to a true friend.
The Knight 3000 is an evolution of Dr. Charles Graiman’s programing and software developed in the late 1970s/early 1980s for Wilton Knight and Knight Industries. The greatest leap in the advancement of the technology that would become K. I. T. T. came around the turn of the 21st century when the NSA had Graiman develop K. A. R. R. (Knight Auto-Cybernetic Roving Robotic-Exoskeleton), based on the original Artificial Intelligence he designed for Knight Industries and their first Super-Car.
Graiman began building a new A. I. with only the FBI’s knowledge, incorporating elements of another project he also developed for the government, Project Prometheus. This A. I. has the ability to uplink itself with satellites and the Military Defense Network, as well as control other objects.
Graiman decided to build the new A. I. and technology into a Ford vehicle, specifically the 2008 Shelby Mustang GT500 KR, christened the Knight Industries Three Thousand after his previous success, the Knight 2000.
Was KITT a Mustang?
K. I. T. T., or Knight Industries Three Thousand, is a 2008 Ford Mustang GT500KR that features a virtual Swiss Army knife-on-wheels, a nanotech driven transformation system, a top speed of 377 mph, and a suite of onboard defensive weapons systems. The car’s self-aware artificial intelligence, K. I. T. T., is Mike Traceur’s partner in the field and the closest thing he has to a true friend. The Knight 3000 is an evolution of Dr. Charles Graiman’s programming and software, which he developed for Wilton Knight and Knight Industries.
The greatest leap in the advancement of K. I. T. T. came around the turn of the 21st century when the NSA asked Graiman to build a new A. I. unit. Graiman began building a new A. I. with only the FBI’s knowledge, incorporating elements of another project he developed for the government, Project Prometheus. This A. I. has the ability to uplink itself with satellites and the Military Defense Network, as well as control other and lesser mechanical objects.
Graiman added his and his daughter Sarah’s nanotechnology to replace his previous creations’ nearly indestructible Molecular Bonded Shell. The car was christened the Knight Industries Three Thousand after his previous success.
Why did they stop Knight Rider?
The popular television series Knight Rider was cancelled after four seasons due to the high costs associated with its production. These costs were incurred as a result of the extensive location shooting, heavy special effects, and frequent car replacements required for the show, in addition to the high costs typically associated with the production of a television series.
What did KITT stand for in Knight Rider?
Knight Rider’s most notable automotive character, K. I. T. T. (Knight Industries 2000 Turbo), is a talking car that is equipped with an array of weapons and the ability to jump when the turbo boost is enabled. It is a distinctive figure among other automotive characters.
What happened to the original KITT car from Knight Rider?
The Marconi Automotive Museum and Foundation for Kids is exhibiting the original screen-used vehicle from the popular television series Knight Rider, known as KITT. This is one of only five surviving screen-used cars from the show, which starred David Hasselhoff.
What was the semi in Knight Rider?
Garthe Knight, son of Knight Foundation founder Wilton Knight, built and drove the armored semi-trailer Goliath. After being pardoned from life sentences in a third-world African country, Garthe and his mother designed Goliath to aid African general Tsombe Kuna in acquiring missiles from a top-secret military installation. Goliath is an armored cab-over engine tractor-trailer with four missile pods, sleeping gas projectors, and a razor-sharp grill guard.
To be unstoppable, Goliath needed the Molecular Bonded Shell plating used on K. I. T. T. and K. A. R. R. Elizabeth Knight acquired the formula from two men who shared its secret, including Devon Miles. When combined, the cab and trailer were coated with the formula, making the 18-wheeler nearly invulnerable to conventional weaponry. Goliath was featured in two episodes of the Original Knight Rider Series.
📹 Screen Used Knight Rider Semi PRESSURE WASHING 15 Years of Grime + SUSPENSION INFO & DRIVING LIGHTS!
We continue the restoration of our screen used semi tractor used in Knight Rider! We pressure wash the inside and the outside, …
Why didn’t I clean the bench? Because I didn’t feel like it, so there! Lol Door panels look and smell great! Mmmmm, ahhh! Lol I used to work with detailers and they showed me it’s best to wet stuff like that first before applying soap. It helps to cut down on scrubbing and is more uniform. Also Kudos on how you’re going about the headliner repair. Glasswork takes some patience. Gauges look great too! Thumbs up buddy!
Btw I wanted to let you know that I found a article about someone who owns a half destroyed REAL KITT car from the show (when KITT gets thrown into acid and then when he was getting tested after it his rear-end catches fire) the car that was shown in the article had a burnt rear bumper and had some interior damage
I am most curious what you will do with the steering wheel? Do you have a driver license for driving trucks btw? Dont know how that is arranged in the US, here in the EU we have several categories, A, AM, B, C, E, D and T. B is a normal car and C is for trucks. You are a really handy man I see, what do you do for work in your daily live?
One of the best car detailing investments I made was for a cheap Bissell Little Green Machine. Rinsing out the fabric with hot water while simultaneously sucking it back out is really the way to go. Some cheap detailing brushes and some apll purpose cleaner for the plastics is a no-brainer as well. I like using “303 Aerospace Protectant” for UV protection afterwards. You could probably get everything I just listed for right around $100 and get professional results. 👍 Thank you so much for sharing!
Hey Joe as always love the articles. Just had an off topic question it might make for a great article for you. At the very least maybe you may have an answer or theory on it. In the season 4 opener Knight of the Juggernaut after Kitt is destroyed and rebuilt. It is explained that Kitt lost his molecular bonded shell. However later in the season Kitt is shown going through walls and getting beat on with bats and other objects. Did he get the shell back and it was never mentioned or were these continuity errors. Just wondering.
Thank you for another entertaining article.watching you work is also a learning experience.I have never found anything you have presented to be anything but interesting on many levels.really enjoy your sense of humor and look forward to future segments.the Knight semi couldn’t be in better hands!!!😀😀😀
The vent pieces look like GM sourced them from their auto or pick up lines. If they seem loose I cut a dot of self adhesive felt about the size from a paper punch. I adhere it to one of the sides of the vents. In a corner towards the back works good. This adds just a little fraction so they don’t flop around. On my Ford’s I’ve seen a small strip of felt usually worn out. The originals tend to bow a the plastic a little, that’s why I put them in the side corner.
i seen one mistake you made when reinstalling the carpet on the door panels if you dont mind you should of used a a small piece of sanded 2 x 4 by rubbing down to get all the air out and too ensure proper adhesion but nice work also dawn and a toothbrush will clean those side panel carpet trim right up and also a shop vac
As a kid I loved KITT, I saw KITT at universal studio’s when I was a kid. But I loved the GMC General, as I grow up with trucks my Dad was a truck driver for 25 years… But to bring back this truck to life after so many years is just a dream for us grown kids ( myself being 48 ) but who cares right.. The General lives on in your caring hands, so from everyone thank you 😊👍🏻 from down under
I think you gotta cover it with soap and spuds before the pressure wash for it to really take effect like what the ammo NYC guy does with his barn finds, like look up porsche 912 barn find here on youtube, it should give you an idea of what his process is, and his youtube website is ammo NYC FYI, the guy seems to know his stuff so it should help like you gotta let the solvents do their thing with how bad the road grime is, frankly one of the things I use is the dawn blue soap, put that in a bucket and just pour it on, it seems to work well. as the funny thing was never had a problem with that, tried some of that special car wash orange goo stuff from a napa, took off some of the paint on one of my rims and stained it, and also permanetly left streaks under my windshield wipers that only just now have finally stopped after I rubbed down the windshield wipers with snow of all things just to see what it would do. as that stuff is far more abrasive than most people give it credit for. but it could be worse, leno used some of that generic cleaner stuff on the dash of one of his cars and it left a permanent stain, hence why he makes his own sadly that being the 1992 viper he has, which he bought when i was a kid, I even have the photos of it in a viper book I had from back then’ also one other thing, you tend to say that’s not how it was on the show alot, why not mix that up and say that’s not how it was so we’re turning it back as your saying it so much it feels like its gonna turn into its own drinking game, also you seem to have a little trouble with the continuity of your finds, like when you find something out like what that merc was you guys say what it is without acknowleding what you thought it was before and you now think its X like when you do things like that it helps establish credibility, as for awhile there after perusal the leno article and you said this was car 20 of the bunch, and now you think its the backup to the hero car it raised a few eyebrows until you factor in that computer system you guys got working with all the numbers and what they ment in the meantime that then told you hey wait a minute, this cars been there from the getgo as the back up to the hero car, and they switched them around so much that you didnt know what it was initially.
I’ll agree with you. The air ride suspension is nice if your using the truck for work. This is a piece of important history and bringing it back to it’s original form is worth a rougher ride. Thanks for your hard work and dedication. I’m enjoying the progress and I hope to see the truck in person when it’s completed.
Note: The way you cleaned the dash, it’s still going to have tons of dirt on it, because paper towel just rubs stuff around on the surface. 1: Preferred cleaner 2: Horsehair detail brush 3: Soft bristled scrubber. 4: Microfiber towels. Spray the cleaner to wet the surface. Scrub (softly) surfaces with with scrubber. Spray a little more and use the horsehair brush for nooks and crannies. You’re just trying to agitate stuff up off the surface and into suspension in the cleaner. Spray a little more and then wipe down with the microfiber towels. Switch out towels frequently. You can get huge bundles of them off Amazon for cheap. Also, to knock the smell down seriously, rent or borrow an ozone machine. It’ll also kill some of the stuff living in there.
Joe / Eric I’m Paul by the way. I live in PA. Philadelphia Eagles territory outside Philadelphia that is I hope you Guy’s make a tour stop in PA. When the semi tractor & trailer when there both said and done and back to the way they were in the show way back then. I can’t wait to see them both live and in person someday ? Down the road ? Have a great day Guy’s.
It’s great what you and others do, by saving movie cars and so. I love that. But it’s sad that they don’t get taken care of after the show or move is done. Like KITT, the truck. Ecto-1 and so. If I had the money I would do the same. So I am glad there is people like you guys out there. I was maybe late to the game since I was born in 88. But I loved the knight Rider series and wish I had the truck and KITT. But also the ECTO-1. But I only have a 1: 18 scale model of KITT and the ECTO-1. But I love them. Great job.
This may at first read like a backhanded compliment, but what I really like about KRHO is the story telling. The history. The search for, and level of research you do. I sometimes watched Knight Rider when it was originally broadcast. But that was many years ago. What you are doing now is bringing all that history and the mid-1980s time period back to life. While I liked KR as a TV show well enough, what I really appreciate and admire are all your efforts at preservation. You are doing a terrific job. I’ve worked in film & TV for 4+ decades and have observed alot about prop-making. My view is the KR sleeper was adapted from something already existing. Studio prop makers typically take the path of least resistance preferring to adapt rather than starting from scratch, wherever possible. What we’ve learned about how George Barris worked speaks to this. Fact that this GMC General was sold off after KR was cancelled is standard Hollywood studio protocol. Ditto for the trailer. Really look forward to your restoration of the KR truck. This is a cool, fascinating, doable project. Keep up the excellent work! All be best.
If I can offer some advice after restoring a truck that had been sitting for 20 years, make sure you check up in the a pillars for mouse “reminants”. Long after I had completely restored the interior and couldn’t figure out how the smell had persisted, I made the discovery while replacing some wires.
It the grill plastic? Also are the doors plastic? Never seen a door frame like that. Be very light with armour all, or use a non silicone cleaner. It traps UV rays and breaks down plastics and vinyls. I did upholstery for two years and seen it first hand. One more question, is the grill surround chrome or polished aluminum? Just asking this because I might make a model of this truck and haven’t seen a General up close since they were new.
As I mentioned in a previous article I also own an 87 GMC general. What are the hard things are going to find with restoring it is just finding the parts. 1987 was the last year the GMC made the general so there aren’t even very many of them left at salvage yards and nobody makes reproduction parts for them that I can find. Seems like everything on them is made of pure unobtainium!
Hi. Fantastic project. I worked the parts counter as manager in late 70s and swore by this GMC. LINE…the Rockford’s files pickup was my quest but wood had have me sell my el camino……anyway. You my want to post appeal on the chevy pickup page for some pics or even people who worked on RIDER Just another thought get GMC INVOLVED WITH RESTO and now you got build date and serial number might get info on line. Build and shipping…..build a wooden buck on casters to bolt dash to to prevent damage
Really wish I was already moved to central pa. Could bring over the Craftsman 3000psi power washer and a truck load of detail stuff. It’s looking so much better. I think maybe some fellas are just worried about the spring suspension based on trauma from actually driving one as a job. Haha They definitely had the ability to hurt someone. However, being that you won’t be sitting in it for 100,000 miles a year makes a huge difference and going back to being 100% correct to the show is priceless. Look forward to seeing more of the restoration!
The Semi is looking good so far. On the front bumper, grab a bottle of Turtle Wax Chrome Polish/Rust Remover. It won’t look brand new or like it was rechromed, but with a rough towel and some elbow grease it will look allot better and cleaner. It of course will not get rid of pits, but it will clean the rust off and will shine up very well.
Grew up perusal Knight Rider like so many other folks who have left feedback im sure. I love that the General was found and is being resurrected. I would refrain from putting any extra goodies back on her until she is painted however. Learned that lesson long ago when I first started restoring a hot rod project. Just means extra work when it comes to body prep when you have to take it back off. Please continue posting progress. Love perusal !!
Oh that felt good seeing you wash out that crud. I could swear it was smiling when you put those fog lights on. FYI there are some places that can do a pretty good job at straightening chrome bumpers without damaging the chrome too much. It would be cheaper than chroming and preserve the originality. You’re going to pull the dash? Wow. Might be for the best. Take lots of pics for reassembly. Let me know when I can come by and help lift it out lol.
Wouldn’t it have been better to spraypaint the mesh black so it’s not visible? I assume it was added because debris kept puncturing the radiator or something? I do understand that you want it as screen-accurate as possible but, yeah, I imagine it would suck to puncture the radiator on the way to a Knight Rider event, and I’m guessing nowadays it would be quite hard to find a new radiator more than just once. I do understand the switching back to springs though.
Great job now it totally makes sense why you’ll switch it back to spring because the air just won’t work for what you’re trying to do For anybody else the fog lights are called per-lux 200T you can still buy them brand new from Amazon and whatnot. The company that owns them now is Grote. They are semi truck lighting company among other things
Thank you for keeping the memory alive of one of the most unique shows ever to present on television I always love enjoy perusal your articles and I’m learning something everytime about kitt a Knight rider respectively everyone who was on your article has done a wonderful it’s very informative unlike other articles that tend to dictate it is so wonderful to see this truck even though it’s not finished being restored it’s a wonderful trip down memory lane
i would just take everything out of it then get one of those soap sprayers and just spray the entire inside down rinse it then let it dry. most electronics can handle getting wet that is how the circuit boards was made just don’t turn them on until they are 100% dry cut the power until dry. i doubt a truck from the 80s has that many electronics in it anyway. most the stuff in there i see looks like it can get wet.
Red typically does not cover over dark colors well. Red over black will be darker in shade than red over primer. That may be why they went the extra step for that one repaint. I don’t think the suspension type is crucial, if you can get the wheelbase corrected with the parts you have I’d do that and worry about changing it later. Assuming you come up with a trailer it’s not going to be readily visible anyways. I get wanting it to be accurate, it’s just a detail that very few people would pick up on.
Hey guys… would Universal Studios have kept records of cars & trailers that were on the lot, during shooting? Vista might have had the old records for the VIN # for the Tractor, but I’m thinking perhaps the studios might have kept some kind of records for the trailer. No? Or perhaps you’ve already tried that…. Thought of asking. Tks
To the average person they wouldn’t notice the suspension, but to the die hard fans it makes a difference. And given how in depth you want to restore the truck, I think it is worth the effort. As for the comments about the ride quality, as short as the wheel base is on this truck it won’t ride great on air or leaf springs.
The one thing I do love as a historian buff is seeing things go back to the way it was done. Meaning the truck went thru a lot of upgrades that people added on after the show ended and as a historian we like to take all of the upgrades off and turn it back to the way it was when the show was still on T.V. Me I like history rather it is ww2 or ww1 or civil war or old t.v shows like knight rider you do not take a ww2 tank and try to upgrade it for today’s army but to restore it to the way it was in 1942 and that is one thing I do love about these groups of guys they do a lot of research on the truck and there are books and blue prints and so on out there when the truck was built for knight rider and when it came to the show like there idea of restoring it to the show yes it cost money and even when they rebuilt K.I.T.T. It to took a lot of money and time but they do love it and it shows that they want to bring it all back to life so that if they wanted to put it in a museum or tour the u.s.a going to shows and talk about knight rider they have it historically correct and able to give those that never saw the car or truck up close they can tell you what they found inside the truck or car. And share their stories with us
Your doing a great job on the GMC Joe and i agree with you 100%. Do what it takes yo make it original or don’t do it at. It will take time and money but it will be worth it in the end. I have done a couple of restorations on old Ford Rancheros but never to the extent you are going to go on that GMC. Good luck and i will be perusal.
I have recently subscribed to this website and must say that I’m very impressed by the accuracy and precision of your work. You have not only been able to track down the semi to its final location, where it was decaying towards an unrecoverable state due to lack of maintenance. You have told its story to us in an entertaining way. And confirming it by sanding off the paint job revealing its past hidden underneath was just mind-blowing. And all the stuff with the Trans-AMs… Kudos on that, bro. The reason why I believe this website is so appealing to me is not only because I loved the show as a kid, but also because I find joy in demystifying the illusions that are sold to us in movies, TV, or amusement parks. I guess I’m just wired like that 🙂 Particularly, I found it very satisfying to find out how the original voice box was built using hand-wired prototype boards, or the real clicky sound that the scanner bar does since the bulbs are actually driven by relays. Finding and preserving pieces of TV history like these that, otherwise, might have been lost forever deserves a lot of respect. Keep up the good work! Greetings from Spain
If you watch the very end of “The Wrong Crowd” you’ll notice the semi used with the drop ramp has no Sleeper and the no lower fog lamps on the front. It’s very possible that unit used to pick up Kitt on the move had the Air ride suspension after all and the the BeautySemi for up close stuff didn’t. N ot sure if this helps but you can clearly see an entirely different Semi at the end. Of course this could also be old stock footage from season 1 or 2 so it’s possible they used the Leaf spring version solely in Season 3 and 4 up close.
Joe and Eric ? Has David Hasselhoff come to check out the semi tractor and trailer ? Or has any other cast member checked out the semi tractor and the trailer ? Since retrieving the semi tractor and the trailer ? Like I said I’m a huge ! Huge ! Knight Rider Fan for many ! Many ! Years ! Have a great day Guy’s