kitt 2

Knight Rider in 1986 was on the way out. It was a very popular Television series for many years but it had finally run its course and was destined to be canceled.

However, the Knight Rider people at Universal Studios did not want to give up just yet. They thought they might have a chance of stretching the run if they could spice up the show with a change to K.I.T.T.. K.I.T.T. or Knight Industries Two Thousand automobile was nothing more than a black Pontiac Firebird with a kustom nose piece and black acrylic over the taillight Plexiglas. It also had fancy Electronic gizmo's and a custom dash panel.

I was working for George Barris at the time as his Artist and he asked me to sit-in on a meeting with Universal. They arrived with several drawings of what they wanted done. It was a well thought out and extensive presentation. We were being asked to build the car to their specifications.

It looked like a Firebird on steroids with weak, skinny, stock "DOT" tires. The wheel wells were boxes punched out over each wheel well. It would have been nice but they had no intention of changing tire size! Because of this I thought the design was weak, to say the least. In fact the first time I saw the drawings I laughed out loud (a bit). Not a politically correct thing to do in a sales meeting! I am glad I did not see George's face at that moment. I am sure he probably was boring holes though me with his eyes.

It was unintentional. I was just caught by surprise. The tires could hardly be seen deep within the wheel wells. At first I thought it was a joke. I quickly gathered my wits back up, apologized and explained my reaction. The tires were lost in the enormous wheel wells. I recommended they change the tire size in the "Pumped up mode" and then it would be just fine. They said that was not possible, for what ever reason. So.... what to do?

On the spot I made some recommendations and drew a few quick sketches. They, and George understood what I was saying and probably saw my earlier reaction as a possible future public reaction as well. They all sat around and we discussed possible changes. I made sketches as they brought ideas up. So, with a mix of ideas from George Barris, myself and the Universal Studios people I was given the green light on drawing a new version of K.I.T.T.!

I made a few drawings. As I recall, 4 nice color sketches and several mechanical ideation drawings for the construction people. I have one photo of the artwork I produced for Universal. It is the one above. I really liked the convertible. It was, in real life, a very pretty car. The Rocket Car version of K.I.T.T. was fun and, at least, did not look weak! It was a bit of a cartoon, but still had sizzle.

There were 4 cars built.

#1 Convertible

#2 Trailer Convertible

#3 Hydraulic actuating version, with no engine

#4 Solid driving version with air brakes

Car number one. This is the convertible while it was being made. When it was finally painted it was breathtaking. The body work was flawless on this one. The guys building the car had plenty of time to do this one right.The gentleman in the red shorts is Tubs. Tubs was one of Georges best friends and one heck of a good car builder. The sad thing is that Tubs passed away a few years ago and I know George must miss him a great deal. They went way back together.This is the second car. It is a mock-up of the convertible mounted on a boat trailer and the hardtop really drops in to the trunk area using a track and bearing system. I proposed a soft cloth tanau cover to roll up in the rear, like a pickup truck, but they went with the dorky "magic hard shell" back cover that comes from another dimension. a stage hand pushes the giant fiberglass cover forward from the back after the top retracts in to the trunk area. I really like the way the turtle deck looks. It is the rear deck "mechanical solution" that I did not like. Oh well... I was not the Designer of that deal.This is a closeup of the mechanism that drops the hard top in to the trunk area. I was able to design it so that it would drop in to the stock firebird! They put it on this trailer for some unknown reason. It is kind of frustrating after I worked out all of the angles. They could have had a really cool convertible that really worked. Instead they ended up with a funky trailer and a full time "slick" convertible. The final solution to this belongs to George Barris and his craftsmen. They were able to take my wimpy drawings and breathe life in to real steel.Here is the third car. This one has all of the wings and goo-gaws welded in place so the car could be driven by stunt drivers and pushed around a little. It did have operating "Air Brakes" though. The hydraulic air brakes were extremely fast actuating and looked kool! You can see one of the the rear air brakes on the quarter panel. The roof is a fiberglass piece and one of the air brakes was cut from it.

If you look below the bumper you can see an aerodynamic device (primer gray), or wing, of my design. It is a wing that provides downforce from the air exiting below the car. In my estimation, this air is underutilized by aerodynamic devices. I think it could be used on some serious street vehicles. Watch out for curbs and speedbumps though! The air is very disturbed under a car, but if you use an underbelly pan to smooth it out, the wing might add a lower drag way of gaining some downforce. This one tucks up in the bottom of the rear bumper.This is a closeup of the right rear air brake. There were two in the rear and a huge one on the roof. Note the diagrams written by the car builder. It was a quick building process and they did not have blueprints. I provided them with quarter view drawings and some side views showing angles and desired results. They winged the rest. These guys are Pro's!The front bumper splits in to 2 Pieces. The upper half becomes a wing and rises vertically above the hood line. In this photo the upper half has not been mated to the lower yet. You can see the two mounting points on top of the bumper. My original drawing showed a real wing rising from the area between the bumper and the front of the hood. That is why the bumper moves forward. But as you can see they made everything simpler to build by makeing the bumper split. I like the solution they came up with as well, but you might ask why the bumper moves forward at all? Now you know.This is a great side shot of the front engine bay area of the third car. You can see the Intake Scoop in its raised position and the small wings that pop out from the front of the quarter panel. This car was drivable and was designed to be driven hard. Everything was welded up tight.

The fourth car had no engine. The reason was that the entire engine bay was stuffed full of hydraulic rams that moved the front bumper out and up and made all of the goo-gaws pop out. That is the car you saw in all of the closeups as things opened up. You will never see a shot with the fourth car rolling along sprouting all of this stuff. It was a barge or "hangar queen". I suppose they could have taken it to a hill and let it roll down while sprouting its feathers. As I recall, It did steer and have brakes.If you wanted to see inside K.I.T.T., here is a good shot showing the small "stunt driver" wheel and kustom dash. This is the same dash used on all of the other K.I.T.T.'s. One day while on the lot at Universal, I counted 16 black knight rider cars! There were 2 car trailers full of these cars. You can not have a dent in an indestructable car!

The stunt guys were good at keeping the cars dent free, but sometimes a difficult stunt sequence would cause errors in judgment. Every so often, over and over! Thus, they had many cars on hand. One special car had a removable rubber-like coated shell that allowed "sparkling" bullets to bounce off! When you see bullets spark off of the car, that is actually what is happening! Kind of hard to believe, but I saw the shiny "rubber" car and I have been told this was how they did it.

Hmmmm...Knight Rider!

KITTOVI FUNKCE V ANGLIČTINĚ

Aim Laser- This manually aims KITT's laser in the event that the computer can't do it.
Air Vac.- This creates a vacuum inside of KITT, mainly used to clear smoke out.
Anamorphic Analyzer- KITT can determine what caused damage. (ex. bulletholes)
Anamorphic Equalizer- see above entry.
Anharmonic Synthesizer- KITT can imitate any sound using this.
Arm Laser- This manually arms KITT's laser in the event that the computer can't do it.
Assign- Spots on KITTs switchpod where no function is assigned. (speculation).
Aud / Vid Playback- This plays back any audio or video recorded earlier.
Aud / Vid Record- KITT records sight and sound with this.
Aud / Vid Transmit- Used to talk over PA systems or speakers.
Audio Bank- A directory of KITT's sounds and audio messages.
Audio Playback- Plays back any audio recorded earlier.
Auto Cruise- A self-propelled guidance system that allows KITT to drive by himself.
Auto Currency Dispenser- An ATM machine in KITT.
Auto Doors- Automatically opens KITT's doors.
Auto Phone- Used to call someone in KITT.
Auto Vac- KITT's self cleaning system.
Auto Windows- Automatically puts down the windows.
Auto-Roof Left- Opens the left t-top.
Auto-Roof Right- Opens the right t-top.
Blood Analyzer- KITT can detect foreign elements in the blood stream and determine blood pressure.
Boost 1- This allows KITT to gain a blast of horizontal speed.
Boost 2- A less powerful form of turbo boost.
Boost 3- More powerful than Boost 2, but less than turbo boost.
Brite- Turns on the high beam headlights.
C Mode- KITT's convertible mode.
Cancel- Used to cancel an ejection.
Chemical Analyzer- KITT can determine the composition and origin of any substance placed in here.
CO2- Fire extinguisher.
Comlink- This was the wrist-like communication device that was Michael's way of communicating to KITT remotely. In addition to normal voice communications, the Comlink also include a video camera, as well as mystical capabilities of transferring power and opening locks.
Comprehensive Configuration Analyzer- Analyzes a vehicles or buildings weak spots.
Eject Left- Ejects the driver out of the car.
Eject Right- Ejects the passenger out of the car.
Electrical Generation Mode- No radar returns.
Electromagnetic Field Disruptor- This disrupts electrical fields. (Radar, bugs, radio signals, tracking devices)
Electromagnetic Field Generator- This creates electrical fields. (Power boxes, circuit breakers)
Emergency Braking System- Used to come to a complete stop after SPM.
Evade- KITT goes around in circles.
Fire- see Flame Thrower.
Flame Thrower- Shoots a fire chain out of KITT's rear turbo boosters.
Geological Analyzer- This allows KITT to scan land formations.
Graphic Translator- Can recreate an image from a verbal description.
Ground-Air Surveillance- KITT can monitor any air activity.
Grappling Hook- A metal spike with a hook at the end.
High Tensile Reflectors- Special shields that can deflect a laser.
High Traction Drop Downs- The predessor to Traction Spikes, the back end raises up to allow for an easy climb up steep terrain.
Homing Device- A tracking device inside of KITT that the Foundation uses to track him.
Homing Signal- The signal emitted from the Homing Device
Hydrolic Lift- Used in conjunction with Rapid Cycle, it raises KITT up.
Image- This activates the Infrared Tracking Scope.
Infraray- An enhanced version of the x-ray that utilizes infrared for greater accuracy.
Infrared- see Infrared Tracking Scope.
Infrared Tracking Scope- An enhanced version of the Tracking Scope that uses infrared to scan. Range: 10 miles.
Laser- KITT is equipped with a laser power pack. (not kept hooked up)
LIC- Lic plate was called this in seasons 3-4.
Lic Plate- KITT can flip his license plate to read "KNI 667"
Manual Override- This transfers all computer controls to Michael.
Metal Scan- A special scanner designed to scan metal
Micro Jam- This blocks the electrical system in any mechanical device.
Microlock- Mainly used to lock braking systems on cars.
Micropulse- This sends out a signal to an object in KITT's scanning range and activates it.
Microwave Ignition Sensor- K.I.T.T. has the ability to activate other engines.
Microwave Jammer- see Micro Jam.
Missile- KITT can shoot a small missile out from under his bumper.
Normal Cruise- All navigational controls are used by the driver.
Oil- KITT can spray a thin layer of oil behind him to wipe out any car behind them.
Oil Jets- see Oil, Oil Slick.
Oil Slick- The same as "Oil", but it was called this in season 3 and 4.
Olfactory Scan- KITT's "sense of smell".
Oxygen- This oxygenates the interior of KITT.
Parachute- A parachute can extend out of KITT's roof in case you happen to fall off a cliff.
Passive Laser Restraint System- KITT's seatbelts. Harmless lasers hold the occupant in the seat.
Phone Tap- Used to tap into any phone conversation.
Police / Radio Frequency- Used to monitor criminal activity.
Polyphonic Synthesizer- KITT can create music using this.
Power- This puts KITT from standby to full power mode.
Printer- Used to create hard copies of anything on the monitor.
Protect- This automatically puts up KITT's windows and activates the Passive Laser Restraint System.
Pursuit- This activates KITT's boosters to give him a burst of speed.
Pyroclastic Lamination- Maintains cool body temperature in extreme heat.
Radar- The name speaks for itself.
Range- This sets the range for the radar.
Rapid Cycle- Used in conjunction with Hydrolic Lift, it creates a bouncing effect to shake debris off of KITT.
Record- This records just audio.
Retro-Rockets- Another way to stop KITT in a matter of seconds.
Reverse Turbo Boost- The same as turbo boost, only in reverse.
Rocket Boost- It has been seen as another way to turbo boost.
Rocket Fire- This can either shoot a rocket or a magnesium flare.
Security Alert- Alerts Michael to danger ahead.
Self Diagnostic Analyzer- A self-sheck program for KITT when he is injured.
Silent Mode- This makes KITT's engine virtually noiseless.
Ski Mode- To fit through tight spots, KITT can travel on his two side wheels.
Smoke Release- A smoke screen that is emitted through KITT's exhaust.
Spectro-Graph- can analize an object's mineral, metal, and gas content by analyzing light bouncing off or being emitted by the object.
Speech Synthesis Module- allows some one to talk and have KITT change their voice to sound like someone else. Used only for telephone conversations.
Sub-Zero- This immediately decreases the temperature in KITT to zero degrees.
Super Pursuit Mode- When activated, KITT transforms into a more aerodynamic car to handle speeds of up to 357 miles per hour.
Surveillance Lock- This locks a car into KITT's tracking scope.
Surveillance Mode- This puts KITT on full sensor alert.
System- A protection feature which protects one of KITT's memory boards and activates an Anti-Theft device which shocks anybody that touches it with a high elctrical charge.
TDS- unknown (Possibly Theft Deterrant System?)
Tear Gas- From his smoke emitters, KITT can release tear gas.
Telephone Monitor- This unpauses the Telephone Tap.
Telephone Tap- The same as Phone Tap
Thermo Dynamic Generator- This pops the tires on a fleeing car.
Third Stage Aquatic Synthesizer- This allows KITT to ride on water.
Tinted Windows- This tints KITT's windows.
Tracking Scope- This locks on to a certain car so Michael can track it.
Traction Spikes- When activated, spikes extend from the tired to allow easy climbing of steep terrain.
Traffic Control System- KITT can control traffic lights.
Trajectory Guidance System- This launches K.I.T.T. to anywhere within a 90 degree arc.
Trunk Lid- This opens KITT's trunk.
Turbo Boost- KITT's best known function, this boosts KITT into the air to jump over obstacles.
Ultra Phonic Synthesizer- Detects heavy metal equipment and body health.
Ultra Scan- A more intricate level of a regular scan.
Ultramagnesium Charges - Used to detour a heat seaking missile.
Ultrasonic Frequency- Can be used for anything from jamming radio frequency to calling off dogs.
Voice Analyzer- KITT can detect fear or if someone is lying by analyzing their voices.
Voice Projection- This projects KITT's voice over a speaker.
Voice Synthesizer- KITT can mimic anyone's voice with this.
Voltage Deduction Coil- Used to increase or decrease electrical current in something. Located under front bumper.
Winch- This retracts the grappling hook.
X-Ray- Scans someone's bones.
Zoom-In- Used to zoom in on a picture on the monitor.