I wonder if the money wouldn't be better spent renting William Daniels for a year or so and having him ride around with you in your own car. You could just have conversations with him and pretend you're Michael Knight. posted by Burhanistan at 1:23 PM on April 2, 2007 [4 favorites]
I'm going to check my couch cushions for change. Be right back... posted by WinnipegDragon at 1:24 PM on April 2, 2007
$150K? I dunno, seems a bit steep. Call me when Doc Brown's used DeLorean is for sale. Now that's a timeless ride. posted by Servo5678 at 2:11 PM on April 2, 2007
One man can make a difference. posted by killdevil at 2:11 PM on April 2, 2007
Servo, there are replica Back to the Future Deloreans that come up on eBay all the time (though probably not as often as replica KITTs). Various hinterlanders love to wire up Deloreans with flux capacitors, blinkenlights and Mr. Fusion. As a Delorean admirer I find such a thing to be a terrible waste of a scarce resource.
On balance, I have no issue with early 80s Trans Ams being turned into KITTs, though. Those weren't precisely a pinnacle of automotive design. posted by killdevil at 2:40 PM on April 2, 2007
"... there are all sort of buttons that light up in green, yellow and red: Ski Mode, Rocket Boost, Micro Jam, Silent Mode, Oil Slick and Eject. Most of the buttons don't do anything, Verhoek said."
Um, so which ones DO do something? posted by crickets at 2:44 PM on April 2, 2007
You can buy an old 3rd-gen Trans Am/Firebird and turn it into a KITT replica for a heck of a lot cheaper than $150K, with more functionality to the dash and LEDs in the front light bar instead of incandescent lamps...
(don't ask, I *almost* did this about fifteen years ago when I owned an '87 Firebird..) posted by mrbill at 2:55 PM on April 2, 2007
mrbill, you seem to be blatantly ignoring the fact that $150 gets you the Hass seat warming treatment. posted by Burhanistan at 2:58 PM on April 2, 2007
Watched the KITT vs. KARR video. Mind blown. posted by miss lynnster at 2:58 PM on April 2, 2007
What's left of my mind (most gaskets unsealed due to those Eurovision vids) is toast as well, miss l. posted by Dizzy at 3:13 PM on April 2, 2007
I'm not sure I'd want it after that hot dog stand collision. posted by jimmythefish at 4:04 PM on April 2, 2007
Man, $150k is a lot for an old Trans Am with Hasselhoff's butt imprints.
But Burhanistan...it's a crime-solving car!!! posted by UbuRoivas at 4:08 PM on April 2, 2007
$149,995.00??? Once you get above $10,000, 95-pricings start looking pretty tacky. posted by hodyoaten at 5:21 PM on April 2, 2007
When I was in college I had this neighbor who was this really crazy middle school kid named Travis.
Er. I should say "special", or I guess you would say "Autistic" these days.
Anyway. He thought Kit was real. I mean the kid thought that Knight Rider was biographical somehow. And he idolized the show. He wore the black members only jacket with the show logo. And most disturbingly he talked like the KITT the car - with the slight British accent. Seriously.
However at times Travis would get angry with the TV. Yelling at Hasselhoff— who Travis thought of more as a rival for the car. Especially when "Michael" would get seduced by the hot evil chicks and end up unknowingly betraying KITT somehow.
Travis would yell: "Micheal doesn't deserve you KITT! He would rather drive the girls! KITT IS BETTER THAN GIRLS! BETTER THAN GIRLS!"
Travis I hope you can afford this car now. And. I hope you discovered you could not be more wrong. posted by tkchrist at 6:08 PM on April 2, 2007
I had a question about the physics in the KITT vs. KARR video. How is it possible that—oh, never mind. posted by grouse at 6:38 PM on April 2, 2007
grouse, you should back up that question to the point where we see KARR's laser circuitry get fried by the well timed deflection. His advanced bumper laser looks like it's powered by an old Chinese CB radio. posted by Burhanistan at 7:10 PM on April 2, 2007
Travis would yell: "Micheal doesn't deserve you KITT! He would rather drive the girls! KITT IS BETTER THAN GIRLS! BETTER THAN GIRLS!"
Clearly, Travis was an autoeroticist. posted by UbuRoivas at 7:18 PM on April 2, 2007
Seriously though, isn't the logical buyer for this car Hasselhoff himself? posted by Vindaloo at 8:27 PM on April 2, 2007
Screw KARR. Michael Knight had an evil twin, too: Garthe Knight. Goatee and everything!
Man. What a show. posted by notmydesk at 9:50 PM on April 2, 2007
As someone who has recently become something of a car geek, I have a dream; I want to be rich enough to own all the cars from my youthful fantasies.
Since I will never achieve the wealth needed to buy the originals, I'm OK with building my own versions. Unfortunately the being 'rich' part has also eluded me.
But One Day, I will build and own; Kitt, the Ghostbuster's hearse, Mad Max's Interceptor as well as the really cool truck from Beyond Thunderdome. And yeah, I will build the perfect replica of the 1974 Dodge Monaco Bluesmobile.
Because as far as I'm concerned, that was the perfect car. posted by quin at 12:14 AM on April 3, 2007
I wonder if the money wouldn't be better spent renting William Daniels for a year or so and having him ride around with you in your own car. You could just have conversations with him and pretend you're Michael Knight.
And if you got bored of playing Knight Rider, you could always ask him for some of that wordly Mr Feeny advice! posted by antifuse at 2:31 AM on April 3, 2007
Also, quin: what, no General Lee?? posted by antifuse at 2:37 AM on April 3, 2007
I had the 1984 Knight Rider Annual and my favourite part of it was the description of K.I.T.T. with all the amazing capabilities (such as it apparently possessing enough power to run a small city...). The absolute best bit was the part where the annual got a little excited and said (and I quote)
"...and how much would a car with K.I.T.T.'s capabilities cost if you were able to buy it today? A cool million dollars..."
Whenever describing something utterly fucking impossible my friends and I now like to use the term "a cool million dollars" e.g.
"I'd love to have my own personal space shuttle"
"Oh yeah? And how much would that cost?" "A cool million dollars..."
Imagine how disturbed I am to find out that technical advances have reduced the cost to a slightly more lukewarm $150K. posted by longbaugh at 3:34 AM on April 3, 2007 [1 favorite]
Ahhh but longbaugh: the REAL K.I.T.T. (with built in AI and jet booster thing and what have you) would probably cost even MORE than a cool million dollars today! So don't let the asking price of this shitty old Trans Am get you down! :) posted by antifuse at 6:20 AM on April 3, 2007
In this age of MAKE magazine, isn't it only a matter of time before someone makes a real working KITT? posted by drezdn at 7:06 AM on April 3, 2007
posted by Burhanistan at 1:16 PM on April 2, 2007 [1 favorite]