Original K.I.T.T. up for auction: impressive exterior, laughable interior

Enough of these kit (ahem) cars, we're ready for the real deal. Up on the auction block today is a genuine 1984 Pontiac Trans Am that was used in the third and fourth seasons of Knight Rider. Yep, this is the one with the coveted Super Pursuit Mode, and legend has it that cops won't even ticket you for using it. At first glance, one can't help but be impressed with how spectacular this bona fide piece of history looks, but one glance at the interior and you realize there's quite a bit of work left to do. Personally, we could think of a limitless number of better ways to spend 26 large, but hardcore Hasselhoff fans will likely insist on differing.

[Via Autoblog]

[JimReaper @ Jun 13th 2008 5:05PM]

What the hell is this Jason obsession?!?!?!

[pwharff @ Jun 13th 2008 5:10PM]

Several posts have hidden pictures of Jason from "Friday the 13th" movies. I was unable to find the hidden one in this one... yet.

[JimReaper @ Jun 13th 2008 5:13PM]

Yeah I've been noticing them. Look closely...I'm sure you'll see it....

[pwharff @ Jun 13th 2008 5:29PM]

Yes.... you can see him... hidden in the trees! Flippin awesome!

[Haikibutsu @ Jun 13th 2008 5:32PM]

I don't see it

[Darren @ Jun 13th 2008 5:34PM]

I hear Jason hides in clicks sometimes...

[Corbo @ Jun 13th 2008 5:41PM]

"What the hell is this Jason obsession?!?!?!"

Well, I suppose someone at Engadget just really likes the movies and decided to spend a whole day referencing them.

I'm sure it's just a coincidence that they chose Friday, 13 June as that day.

[pwharff @ Jun 13th 2008 5:46PM]

He's also in the driver side mirror.

[Malikye @ Jun 13th 2008 6:23PM]

They just put him on the driver side door

[happy_penguin @ Jun 13th 2008 6:27PM]

Jason likes to wear frilly dresses and wigs, and calls himself Shirley.

[Smart People Play Tuba @ Jun 14th 2008 11:53AM]

@ Darren Murph

Hiding Jason in the "interior" link . . . Does that count as a "JasonRoll?"

[ghostfish @ Jun 13th 2008 5:06PM]

The interior doesn't look that bad to me...

[JimReaper @ Jun 13th 2008 5:07PM]

Bit rough round the edges don't you think?

[BigD145 @ Jun 13th 2008 5:08PM]

The mounting of some of those buttons is horrible. Those "intakes" on the outside will hurt your view of the road and your gas mileage.

[BigD145 @ Jun 13th 2008 5:27PM]

Oh, I forgot. Some people like to buy cars in order to hang them on their walls.

[chefgon_ign @ Jun 13th 2008 5:31PM]

This isn't a car, it is a piece of Hollywood Memorobilia. Nobody is going to drive to the grocery store in it.

[vdogg89 @ Jun 13th 2008 5:58PM]

crap, his comment got deleted. and ps, bigD your still an idiot. You would not buy this car to hang drive. Its obviously a collectors item. Lawl, you really are retarted

[Scott Levey @ Jun 13th 2008 5:08PM]

I was going to say what makes this laughable for the interior.. the driver side is exactly what it should be... then I looked further and saw the displeasing passenger side... what a disappointment.

[dfnj123 @ Jun 13th 2008 5:08PM]

zero bids so far...

[KEROLiUKAS @ Jun 13th 2008 5:09PM]

When I was a little kid, this seemed cool, now, I would call it a riced out American car...

Cheaper to build your own replica probably...

[The Dude @ Jun 13th 2008 5:15PM]

"...but hardcore Hasselhoff fans will likely insist on differing."

Exhibit A: http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/1914/flamboyanthoffpz6.jpg
Exhibit B: http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/3471/drunkenhoffov4.jpg

Hardcore, strike that, any 'Hoff fan needs help. Drunken bastard got cheeseburger all over K.I.T.T.'s seats and used one of its tires for a swing. He has no love for the car, man.

[bsm0f0 @ Jun 13th 2008 5:19PM]

I became unsold at the "fixed" air vents ... would be sweet if they could be popped out with the press of a button, and retracted ... and the ... whatever the fuck that is under the wing in the back ... yikes ... same thing with that ... though I'd probably replace it with an LCD display that I could pop up text messages on ... ie - "GTFO my ass before I put you in my backseat"

the interior can be redone on the cheap if you have a buddy or have that sort of interest, no biggie there ... but the outside of the car ... totally bad ass if I was 7 years old ... and could drive ...

[g3n3tix @ Jun 13th 2008 5:23PM]

28k$ ? Ugliness is free !

[kccboy2004 @ Jun 13th 2008 5:25PM]

I have to ask the burning questions that seems to be missing; This article is quite scant on information. Darren, can you please complete the article and provide details on:

1. Is the computer system upgradeable ? Will it take an AMD chip ? DDR3?
2. Can it be hacked so that K.I.T.T addresses me as "Trevor" or "Big Man" (either would be fine).
3. Are those monitors touchscreen ? Can I get OTA TV broadcasts ? and does the handbrake have to be engaged to get them ?
4. Does it come with the leather jacket ?
5. Are there any dents in the hood / What is the weight limit for jumping across the hood without deniting it (to get in the driver's side when approaching from the passenger)
6. What kind of gas mileage does the big truck that it comes in get ?
7. Can I replace those really cacky tires ?

Thanks for addressing this.

[TavisJohn @ Jun 13th 2008 8:51PM]

#5... You are thinking of Dukes of Hazzard there...

[Idlemind @ Jun 13th 2008 5:26PM]

I used to think this car was so cool... (when I was little)

But look at it now... The buttons are all crooked.. and even all the "Pursuit Mode" add ons make it look like a bad chop job...

[Sylvanus @ Jun 13th 2008 5:27PM]

Yall do know it's Friday the 13th right? It's that simple.

[JimReaper @ Jun 13th 2008 5:30PM]

Errrr...I knew that!







thanks

[Andrew @ Jun 13th 2008 5:43PM]

Errr, there is no way that was used in the TV show. That looks like shit.

This page has a bunch of pictures of KITTs "super pursuit mode".

http://www.jlanghout.nl/Knight%20Rider%201.htm

[Plaid @ Jun 13th 2008 6:01PM]

Thank god, the voice of reason!

[Jeremy K. @ Jun 13th 2008 7:03PM]

Exactly my thoughts. Also, the original KITT is at Universal Studios in Hollywood.

[Cash @ Jun 14th 2008 12:22AM]

This also isn't the one that was used in "The Benchwarmers" either, as that one looked like plain old KITT with none of this tacked on Super Pursuit BS. Dunno who this ass is kidding, but this thing was just one of the stunt double cars that someone seriously uglified afterwards at best, and a total BS job at worst.

[maxz @ Jun 13th 2008 5:46PM]

This is going to get bid up to at least 100k$ , possibly more. All it takes is a few rich people who are fans of the show to find out about this auction and the price will skyrocket.

[steve @ Jun 13th 2008 5:56PM]

The Dude forgot the Hasselhoff recursion:

http://www.post-literate.com/gerpunx/archives/2005/01/prepare_to_lose_your_mind.php

[Jon Doe. @ Jun 14th 2008 1:34AM]

You just blinded me. Thanks a lot!

[Dave @ Jun 13th 2008 6:13PM]

That's not an original car... That's a clone... and a crappy clone at that. couple of things... All superpersuit cars that could "transform" had their engines removed as to support all the hydraulics... That's also doesn't contain the EBS pannels. The front bumper goes forward then seperates into an upper and lower section. Also two wings deploy ahead of the wheels. bunch of clone parts thrown together to play off the new show.

[ocAdamR @ Jun 13th 2008 7:21PM]

So true Dave! You're spot on. What a piece of poo!

Also, SPM wasn't introduced (along with C-Mode) until the first episode of the fourth and final season.

[iBseriousDotCom @ Jun 13th 2008 6:36PM]

I'm going to wait for the SS Enterprise to go on sale.

[wildstar @ Jun 14th 2008 8:35AM]

Shotgun

[Zorque @ Jun 13th 2008 6:49PM]

I never saw the show, so I don't know if it's supposed to be there, but is that a huge dent along the edge of the door?

[yode @ Jun 13th 2008 6:57PM]

but does it blend?

[gad get @ Jun 13th 2008 7:49PM]

It crashes. Involuntarily.

[Ken @ Jun 13th 2008 7:31PM]

yeah definitely not the real thing. the description was funny ... it was said to be in the film "The Benchwarmers" with Adam Sandler ... who wasn't in the movie, although the real KITT was. No bids yet! I hope no one does!

[Matt @ Jun 13th 2008 7:38PM]

Like Dave said, and one poster over on the Autoblog site said, this is a cheap copy. The guy on eBay is trying to rip someone off. According to the poster on Autoblog, the car was a quick mock-up done by Barris for the movie Benchwarmers and some promotional stuff. It was NOT an original super pursuit mode K.I.T.T. It is definitely a cheap copy. The front spoiler is all wrong. The side scoops are messy. The rear spoiler is a hack job. The front light bar is a crappy little piece from the J.C. Whitney catalog.

Either the guy selling this on eBay doesn't know any better and he was fooled by someone else, or he's just being extremely dishonest.

[Anthony @ Jun 13th 2008 7:43PM]

There better be a 350 motor under the hood.

[gad get @ Jun 13th 2008 7:48PM]

The exterior looks like something a high school student with a decent amount of welding skill, no girlfriend, and horrendous taste in styling would cobble together in his father's garage.
As for the interior, it looks fine... aside from the alterations; those are hideous.

[Alex @ Jun 13th 2008 7:57PM]

Per the description, that was an original car later modified to look like super pursuit mode KITT. But seriously, that's a piss poor facsimile of the super pursuit mode. Assuming it was a genuine car at one point, those mods probably reduced the car's value significantly given how utterly crappy they look.

Also, regarding the interior, that's the same f'ed up interior they had in the car that used to be at Universal Studios Hollywood a long time ago. So it's definitely legit. It just looks nothing like the TV version. Which is pretty stupid.

[Tekjock @ Jun 13th 2008 9:47PM]

Ummmm ... Wait .. WHAT! Anyone who thinks this is K.I.T.T. should lay off the drugs. This car LOOKS AWFUL nothing like K.I.T.T. at all, Just JUNK. And of someone bids on it I will laugh my Arse off.

[Mike Griggs @ Jun 13th 2008 10:08PM]

"BF Goodrich Radial T/A" Those are the crapiest tires in Hollywood.

With new tires i'll bid on that piece.

[Waiting 4 Midnight @ Jun 14th 2008 1:20AM]

Anybody else notice how the seller has a feedback rating of 100100% positive?