It’s not a replica, either. The actual on-screen car used in the classic ‘80s series, the Knight Industries Two-Thousand — originally a 1982 Pontiac Trans Am — is going up for auction, and is being offered by Red Harden, the man who customized the car for the show. Harden allegedly made one KITT for the series and, after the car had made its way back into his possession, he confirmed its authenticity.
Harden has also been the man behind the wrench for several classic television cars, including the General Lee from The Dukes of Hazzard. Maybe he’s got something to do with all the jumping they did.
Those familiar with this glorious era of action-packed Glen A. Larson-produced TV shows will remember the car as a bulletproof tool of justice piloted by Michael Knight, the role that blessed the world with David Hasselhoff. KITT was loaded with advanced crime-fighting features, such as auto-pilot, a turbo boost which essentially acted as a jump button, and a pursuit mode, which gave KITT the ability to reach 300 mph.
Of course, what made KITT memorable was the dry wit portrayed by the car’s artificial intelligence, Voiced by actor William Daniels ( That’s Mr. Feeny from Boy Meets World, for you young’uns).
The car ended up back into the care of Red Harden many years after he had customized it for the show. When it returned to him, KITT had seen better days, so he took up the task of restoring it back to its original TV star condition. This included new wiring, alternator, and replacing the signature red swishy scanning light on the front.
Hitting the block at Julien’s, a Beverly Hills-based auction house that specializes in Hollywood memorabilia, bids for KITT start at a solid $100,000, but they expect the price to land at around $300,000.
If you think about it, KITT was the forbear of a lot of today’s car technology: scanning sensors, sport mode, voice controls, self-parking, and even communication via wristwatch. We wouldn’t mind making a place for it in our garage.
P.S. Yes, the theme music is stuck in our heads now, too.
