Back in 1982, David Hasselhoff starred in a TV show that only aired for four years but managed to cast an influence on millions of kids. It all happened thanks to the hero-car, a third-generation Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, called KITT.
The TV show's creators customized a 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am for what was then $100,000, which means about $288,029 in today's money. On top of all the stunts in the show, the car could talk, had a yoke, an intricate dash, and a few other distinctive features.
Oh, we must not forget the fact that this show had a cool soundtrack, which made things a bit more exciting to watch regardless of what happened. Some might say that everything in life is more exciting with the Knight Rider Theme playing in the background.
Somehow, the Knight Rider show was syndicated across the world, well into the 2000s. It is no surprise that The Hoff set a Guinness World Record as "the most-watched man on TV," but it also might be linked to his work in The Young and The Restless and Baywatch.
Like with every movie car, KITT has its share of replicas. Some were better than others, while some were not even based on the Firebird. One of the best ones, if not the best, from what we can gather, could talk. We are not referring to mindlessly playing recorded soundbites here, but the same kind of speech that you expect from a smartphone.
Yes, it had voice controls, and its creator, a man who started a website called kitthappens.de, decided to offer it up for sale after it served him for multiple years. The most surprising part of the conversion, if you ask us, is the fact that this KITT replica spoke both English and German.
As it turns out, the fan managed to make things happen by using audio samples of the TV show's original actors, as well as its German voice actors. Using a series of commands from the show, the vehicle could operate various commands.
You can listen to it in action in the videos embedded below. One of them even features The Hoff, as in David Hasselhoff, who sent a video message to the owner of the KITT replica and congratulated him for his work on the Knight Industries Two Thousand. I do not know about you, but that might make anyone a bit starstruck.
The replica was for sale at auction, and it reportedly changed hands for EUR 78,000 (ca. $88,360). When compared to the money invested in the first movie car, which could not speak for itself, not to mention following commands in German, it sounds like a bargain.
Sadly, it does not make the driver's hair wavy, and a black leather jacket was not included, but we think its new owner can afford the latter to get most of the look right.
Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland. Full profile
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