KITT

Knight Industries Two Thousand (KITT)

Design

In the original Knight Rider series, the character model for KITT was a modified 1982 Pontiac Trans Am, designed by customizer Michael Scheffe. The convertible and super-pursuit versions of KITT were designed and built by George Barris. The character was voiced by William Daniels.

In the universe of the television show, the original KITT (Knight 2000) was designed by Wilton Knight, a brilliant but eccentric billionaire, who established the Foundation for Law and Government (FLAG) and its parent Knight Industries. The 2008 film implies that Charles Graiman, creator of the later model Knight 3000, contributed to designing the original Knight 2000. KITT's initial production cost was estimated at $11,400,000 (in Episode 5, "Just My Bill"). In the 1991 movie Knight Rider 2000, the original Knight 2000 is destroyed and its microprocessor unit is transferred into its successor model, the Knight 4000, a modified 1991 Dodge Stealth.

Features

AI personality and communication

The original KITT's main cybernetic processor was installed in a mainframe computer used by the US government in Washington, D.C. Wilton Knight envisioned a better use for the computer in FLAG's crime-fighting crusade, so he installed the AI system into the vehicle that would become KITT.

KITT is an advanced supercomputer on wheels. The "brain" of KITT is the Knight 2000 microprocessor, which is the center of a "self-aware" cybernetic logic module. This allows KITT to think, learn, communicate and interact with humans. He is also capable of independent thought and action. He has an ego that is easy to bruise and is very sensitive, but his personality is kind and dryly humorous. According to Episode 55, "Dead of Knight", KITT has 1,000 megabits of memory with one nanosecond access time. According to Episode 65, "Ten Wheel Trouble", KITT's future capacity is unlimited. KITT's serial number is AD227529, as mentioned in Episode 31, "Soul Survivor".

KITT's Voice Anharmonic Synthesizer and Etymotic Equalizer allow his logic module to speak and communicate. With it, KITT can also simulate other sounds. KITT's primary spoken language is English; however, by accessing his language module, he can speak fluently in Spanish, French and other languages. The module can be adjusted, giving KITT different accents such as in Episode 82, "Out of the Woods", where KITT uses a "New York City" accent and called Michael "Micky". During the first season, KITT's "mouth" in the interior of the vehicle was indicated by a flashing red square. In episode 14 "Heart of Stone", this was changed to three sectioned vertical bars, a design that proved popular with fans. KITT can also project his voice through a loudspeaker as a form of ventriloquism (an ability first used in Episode 48, "Knight of the Drones, Pt. 2").

KITT has a hidden switch and setting dial under the dashboard that either completely shuts down his AI module or deactivates certain systems should the need arise (this was first used in Episode 17, "Chariot of Gold"). He also has a function which can be activated in order to completely lock the AI from accessing the vehicle controls (first used in Episode 8, "Trust Doesn't Rust"). KITT is still able to protest such actions vocally.

KITT is in constant contact with Michael via a comlink through a two-way communication wristwatch (a modified '80s LCD AM radio watch) Michael wears. The watch also has a micro camera and scanner that KITT can access to gather information. In an emergency, Michael can activate a secret homing beacon hidden inside his necklace, which sends a signal to remotely activate KITT and override his programming so that he rushes to Michael's aid (used in Episode 42, "A Good Knight's Work" and in "Knights of the Fast Lane").

F.L.A.G. Mobile Command Center

KITT has access to a mobile "garage" called the FLAG Mobile Command Center, a semi-trailer truck owned by the Foundation. In most episodes, it is a GMC General. The trailer has an extendable ramp that drops down and allows KITT to drive inside even while the truck is in motion. The trailer is loaded with spare parts and equipment for KITT and a computer lab, so that technicians Bonnie or April can conduct repairs and maintenance while in transit.

Screen-used cars

A total of 23 KITT cars were made for use in filming the series, although speculation is that there were as many as 25. Most of these cars were destroyed at the end of filming. Only five cars survived that fate. Universal kept one hero car and one stunt car at the Entertainment Center; these two have since been sold to a private collector in the United States. One stunt car (originally at the Universal Studios theme park) was sold to a theme park in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia for World Expo '88. One convertible was sold to the former Cars of the Stars Motor Museum in Keswick, Cumbria, England, and later sold to the Dezer Collection in Orlando, Florida when Cars of the Stars closed. The fifth car is believed to be in a private collection in the United Kingdom. The right-hand drive KITT, known as the "Official Right Hand Drive KITT" as used in the video "Jump In My Car" by David Hasselhoff, is owned by a company called Wilderness Studios Australia.

Press releases regularly appear claiming 'original screen-used' cars are being sold. For example: on April 4, 2007, "one of the four KITT cars used in production of the television series" was alleged being put up for sale for $149,995 by Johnny Verhoek of Kassabian Motors, Dublin, California. A story in USA Today from December 2007 states that slain real estate developer and car aficionado, Andrew Kissel, was in possession of one of the surviving cars. Some reports say that Michael Jackson bought an original KITT and former NSYNC band member Joey Fatone also claims to have purchased one of these authentic original KITTs at auction. The authenticity of these claims is dubitable, as there have been more "original" cars auctioned than were built for the show.

The fifth episode of the Dutch TV programme Syndroom, featuring people with Down syndrome who wish to fulfil a dream, features Twan Vermeulen, a Knight Rider fan who meets David Hasselhoff and KITT in Los Angeles.

Knight Industries Three Thousand (KITT)

The 2008 reboot of Knight Rider includes a new KITT, now standing for Knight Industries Three Thousand. The KITT platform is patterned on a Shelby GT500KR and differs from the original Two Thousand unit in several ways. For example, the 2008 KITT features nanotechnology activated by the AI, which allows the car's outer shell to change colors and temporarily morph into other vehicle models. It can turn into two different types of a Ford F-150 4x4 truck (one completely stock and the other with some modifications), a Ford E-150 van, a Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, a special edition Warriors In Pink Mustang (in support of breast cancer awareness month), a Ford Flex, and a 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1. In the Halloween episode "Knight of the Living Dead", KITT demonstrates the ability to cosmetically alter his appearance, becoming a black Mustang convertible with a pink trim as a Halloween costume. This configuration had the scanner bar relocated to behind the grille.

The car can engage an "Attack Mode", which allows it to increase speed and use most of its gadgets (including turbo boost). KITT is capable of functioning submerged, maintaining life support and system integrity while underwater. KITT's weapons include a grappling hook located in the front bumper, usable in normal and Attack modes, two Gatling-style guns that are retracted from the hood, a laser, and missile launchers usable only in Attack mode (first used in "Knight of the Hunter").

KITT has numerous other features:

An olfactory sensor that allows KITT to "smell" via an atmospheric sampling device mounted in his front bumper

Turbo boost

A voice stress analyzer that is used to process spoken voices and determine if someone may be lying

A computer printout that can print hard copies of data on a dashboard-mounted printer, a backup mainframe processor

A windshield projection used in place of the center console screen in the pilot for displaying extra information as well as the video communication link with the SSC

Knight Industries Four Thousand

In the 1991 made-for-TV movie sequel to the 1982 TV series, Knight Rider 2000, the original KITT's microprocessor unit was transferred into the body of another vehicle intended to be his successor, the Knight 4000 (KIFT). The vehicle had several 21st-century technological improvements over the 1980s Pontiac Trans-Am version of KITT, such as:

amphibious mode (which allows the car to travel across water like a speedboat),

a virtual reality heads-up display,

a microwave stun device that can remotely incapacitate a human target,

a remote target assist that helps the pilot aim and fire with perfect accuracy,

voice activated controls,

a fax machine,

an infrared scanner that can identify hidden objects giving off heat, like laser scope rifles,

a more complex olfactory scan,

a voice sampler that could simulate any voice recorded into the Knight 4000's memory,

a microwave projector that can quickly heat targeted objects to ignite or explode,

a thermal sensor that allows the Knight 4000 to watch and record what is happening

The studio was unable to use the real Pontiac Banshee IV concept car for the movie, so instead it hired Jay Ohrberg Star Cars Inc. to customize a 1991 Dodge Stealth for the Knight 4000. After filming wrapped, the custom car was used on other TV productions of the time and can also be seen, albeit briefly, as a stolen supercar in CHiPs '99, as repainted future police vehicles in Power Rangers Time Force, in an episode of the television series Black Scorpion in March 2001, and in a hidden camera TV series called Scare Tactics. After being abandoned and unmaintained for 10 years, one of the screen-used cars was offered for sale in January 2021 by Bob's Prop Shop in Las Vegas.

KARR

KARR (Knight Automated Roving Robot) is the name of a fictional, automated, prototype vehicle featured as a major antagonist of KITT (Knight Industries Two Thousand), in two episodes of the 1982 original series, and was part of a multi-episode story arc in the 2008 revived series.

KARR (voiced by Peter Cullen) first appeared in "Trust Doesn't Rust" aired on NBC on November 19, 1982, where he seemingly met his demise at the end. However, he was so popular with viewers that he was brought back again in "K.I.T.T. vs. K.A.R.R.", for a second time (voiced by voice actor Paul Frees) which aired on NBC on November 4, 1984.

Trust Doesn't Rust was also printed in book form, written by Roger Hill and Glen A. Larson, following the story and general script of the original television episode, expanding some areas of the plot and adding several extra secondary characters.

KARR was brought back in 2009 for "Knight to King's Pawn" of the new "Knight Rider" series of 2008–2009 for a third time (marking it as one of the very few villains from the original series to make a return appearance in the new series).

KARR design and development

KARR was originally designed by Wilton Knight and built by Knight Industries for military purposes for the Department of Defense. After the completion of the vehicle, the KARR processor was installed and activated. However, a programming error caused the computer to be unstable and potentially dangerous. KARR was programmed for self-preservation, but this proved to be dangerous to the Foundation's humanitarian interests. The project was suspended and KARR was stored until a solution could be found. Once KITT was constructed, it was presumed that his prototype KARR had been deactivated and dismantled. However, the latter did not occur and KARR was placed in storage and forgotten following the death of Wilton Knight. KARR was later unwittingly reactivated by thieves in the original episode Trust Doesn't Rust, and was thought destroyed, but then reappeared in the episode K.I.T.T. vs. K.A.R.R and was seen to be finally destroyed by Michael and KITT.

Originally KARR was identical to KITT – all black with a red scan bar. Upon KARR's return in "K.I.T.T. vs. K.A.R.R.", his scan bar is now amber/yellow but is otherwise still the same as KITT. KARR later gets a brand new two-tone paint job incorporating a silver lower body into the familiar black finish. KARR's scanner originally made a low droning noise, and the sound of KARR's engine originally sounded rough, but in the return episode the scanner and the engine both sounds similar to KITT's albeit with a slight reverb effect added. In "Trust Doesn't Rust" KARR had no license plates, but a California license plate that read "KARR" from his second appearance onwards. KARR's voice modulator showed as greenish-yellow on his dash display, a different color and design than the various incarnations of KITT's red display.

Personality

Unlike KITT, whose primary directive is to protect human life, KARR was programmed for self-preservation, making him a ruthless and unpredictable threat. He does not appear as streetwise as KITT, being very naïve and inexperienced and having a childlike perception of the world. This has occasionally allowed people to take advantage of his remarkable capabilities for their own gain; however, due to his ruthless nature, he sometimes uses people's weaknesses and greed as a way to manipulate them for his own goals. Despite this, he does ultimately consider itself superior (always referring to KITT as "the inferior production line model") as well as unstoppable, and due to his programming, the villains do not usually get very far. KARR demonstrates a complete lack of respect or loyalty – on one occasion ejecting his passenger to reduce weight and increase his chances of escape.

KARR's evil personality is also somewhat different in the comeback episode. His childlike perceptions are diminished into a more devious personality, completely cold and bent on revenge. His self-preservation directive is no longer in play. When KARR is close to exploding after receiving severe damage; he willingly turbo-jumps into a mid-air collision with KITT, hoping that his own destruction would also spell his counterpart's. Even KARR's modus operandi is different; servicing enough in the first episode, he aims to actually make use of other people to serve his own needs. One explanation of this change could be as a result of the damage he received after falling over the cliff at the end of "Trust Doesn't Rust", causing further malfunctions in his programming. Indeed, KITT himself is seen to malfunction and suffer change of personality as a result of damage in several other episodes.

KARR 2.0

To mirror the original series, the nemesis and prototype of the second KITT (Knight Industries Three Thousand) is also designated KARR in the new series. KARR 2.0 (Peter Cullen) is mentioned in the new Knight Rider series episode "Knight of the Living Dead", and is said to be a prototype of KITT (Knight Industries Three Thousand). The new KARR acronym was changed to "Knight Auto-cybernetic Roving Robotic-exoskeleton".

KARR's visual identity has also had similar changes for the new series. Instead of an automobile, a schematic display shows a heavily armed humanoid-looking robot with wheeled legs that converts into an ambiguous off-road vehicle. KARR has the ability to transform from vehicle mode into a large wheeled robotic exoskeleton, instead of KITT's "Attack Mode". The vehicle mode of KARR is a 2008–2009 Shelby GT500KR with the license plate initials K.R. KARR is once again voiced by Peter Cullen, who also voiced the first appearance of KARR in "Trust Doesn't Rust".

KARR was originally designed for military combat. Armed with twin machine guns on each shoulder and missiles, the exoskeleton combines with a human being for easier control. KARR is visually identical to KITT in this iteration, lacking the two-tone black and silver paint job of the 1980s version of KARR. The only difference is the scanner and voice box, which are yellow compared to KITT's red. Once again, similar to the original character, this entirely different "KARR" project (2.0) had an A.I. that was programmed for self-preservation, and he was deactivated and placed in storage after he reprogrammed itself and killed seven people.

When KARR finally appears again in the episode "Knight to King's Pawn", he takes a form once again similar to KITT as a 2008 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500KR, and is once again 100% black like KITT 3000, the only difference is that he has a yellow scan light bar and 100% yellow color voice module. In the original series, it was more amber/yellow, and KARR's voice module originally yellow-green in the original series. KARR's scanner sounds much lower with much more of an echo. The sound is especially noticeable when KARR is chasing down KITT while he is still in Ford Mustang mode.

Reception and popular culture

KITT was a popular character at the time of the show's release. Nickyanne Moody has argued that one of the reasons for KITT's popularity was that the character "domesticated then-powerful technology" (computers), making it "accessible, flexible and portable" in a way that was also "reliable and secure". Knight Rider became one of "the first popular texts to visualize and narrativize the potential of [computer] technologies to transform daily life". Moody also argued that the relationship between Knight and KITT was more complex and nuanced than many "buddy-ship" relationships of other "Cold War warriors". KITT has also been discussed in the context of the human–robot (or human–AI) interaction.

KITT influenced the design of real-world computers interfaces in motor vehicles; a number of studies found that the science-fiction vision of the 1980s, portrayed in the show, was reflected in real life designs in the early 2000s. Shaked and Winter noted that it was "one of the most appealing multimodal mobile interfaces of the 1980s", although talking to computers in a way similar to humans is still in its early stages of maturing as a technology as of 2019.

Popular Knight Rider memorabilia includes a remote-controlled KITT, the Knight Rider lunch box, and the "Knight 2000 Voice Car" sold by Kenner Toys, which spoke electronically (voiced by William Daniels) and featured a detailed interior and Michael Knight action figure. ERTL released die-cast toys of KITT in three different sizes—the common miniature sized model, a 'medium' sized model, and a large sized model. These toys featured red reflective holograms on the nose to represent the scanner. In late 2004, a 1/18 scale die-cast model of KITT were produced by ERTL, complete with detailed interior and light-up moving scanner. In September 2006, Hitari, a UK-based company that produces remote control toy cars, released the Knight Rider KITT remote control car in 1/15 scale complete with the working red scanner lights, KITT's voice from the TV show, and the car's turbine engine sound effect. In December 2012, Diamond Select Toys released a talking electronic 1/15 scale KITT that features a light up dashboard, scanner, fog lights, tail lights, and the voice of William Daniels.

KITT is in Knight Rider: The Game and its sequel, and appears in the Knight Rider World in Lego Dimensions.