Pontiac was waiting for the return of Knight Rider...

KnightRiderLS1 · Post by **KnightRiderLS1** » Tue Feb 17, 2004 2:15 pm

At least it appears that way to me.

First take the 1992 Firebird/Formula/Trans-Am for example. The front bumper has the same styling as KITT. It smoothes the front out getting rid of the turnsignals near the lights then it has the foglights and turnsignals in the sideways "tear" openings similar to KITT. It's screaming "All I need is a hole cut and a scanner! Anybody?"

But Hollywood never answered the call.

Skip ahead six years to 1998. The Firebird and the Formula once again have similar styling with the foglights and turnsignals being in a "tear"-ish shape on the front bumper but NOW there is also an OPENING FOR A KITT LIGHT!!!! There is one little bump in the middle but that's it! Take a black Formula, cut the bump out, throw a scanner on it a TADAAAA!!!! We have a new KITT!!!

Even teh Trans-Am has this styling minus the placement of the foglihts and turnsignals!

If Pontiac wasn't hoping for a re-styled KITT to come out that AT LEAST to major styling cues from it and no one I've seen has ever even MENTIONED it!

What do you guys think?

Once more thing, why wasn't a Firebird used in that Team Knight rider movie?

themarvelous3 · Post by **themarvelous3** » Wed Feb 18, 2004 3:40 pm

haha...so sad that Team Knight Rider's run was so short that people think it was a one time movie.

it was a show. it sucked. and i think it was on for what, 3 weeks?

yeah i loved my 91 trans am...i was going to put the scanner in before i got in the wreck. i had bright fog lamps put in in place of the turn signals and didnt even use my head lights after that.

KnightRiderLS1 · Post by **KnightRiderLS1** » Wed Feb 18, 2004 3:52 pm

OMG!!! That was a series!!!! Wow, didn't know that! Well anyways, why didn't they have a Firebird in the line-up? I barely remember it but I don't even recall a scanner on the Mustang (which had a perfect opening for it).

themarvelous3 · Post by **themarvelous3** » Wed Feb 18, 2004 4:46 pm

i dunno. from the little discussion on this board about it, some think it was copywrite reasons.

Knight Storm · Post by **Knight Storm** » Wed Feb 18, 2004 7:05 pm

Yes its because of copywrite by the way Hi! anywho in the meeting of Brixton Karnes a fan asked about the scanners. The writers said it was to make kitt"One of a Kind" his tradmark you can say. Kinda sad the series didn't last so much potential.

KnightRiderLS1 · Post by **KnightRiderLS1** » Wed Feb 18, 2004 7:31 pm

That's crazy! KARR had a scanner, KITT wasn't one of a kind!

It's true, the scanner is the trademark which makes any Knight Rider without it seem lame IMO.

Probably part of the reason the show didn't catch on, people like shiny things and flashy lights

!

SO, if the show had the rights to use the name why couldn't they bring back KITT or use the scanner? Who couldn't they get the rights from? The shows creator?

One more question (I should probably be posting a new thread by now) why did they choose to stick KITT in an Old Chevy?

knightdriver · Post by **knightdriver** » Wed Feb 18, 2004 7:33 pm

Oh, You mean this version of KITT?

People have been asking for it, So here it comes.

This replica has been in the design stage for the past year. Actual construction will commence this April. Electronics are already being created for market as well. More will be announced as it happens.

Knight Storm · Post by **Knight Storm** » Wed Feb 18, 2004 7:48 pm

Cool knightdriver and to answer your statment "That's crazy! SKAR had a scanner, KITT wasn't one of a kind! I don't think SKAR was made when the show was in making. Plus I don't think they wanted to put a scanner in the TKR cars to them that was also kitts one weakness. TKR cars had weakness' purposfully built in them because of the KRO incedent.

To answer this One more question (I should probably be posting a new thread by now) why did they choose to stick KITT in an Old Chevy? in the movie Kitt's original body was destroyed. so they used Michaels Chevy to house him till his body parts could be found and he can be rebuilt.

KnightRiderLS1 · Post by **KnightRiderLS1** » Wed Feb 18, 2004 7:59 pm

Sorry, I typed SKAR but I meant to type KARR. Obviously, KARR had reasons to have the scanner but I am just saying cosmetically, that was KITT's selling point to the audience and the other cars should have had it.

About the Chevy thing, I understood that's how the story line went I just thought it was lame.

Check out these 4th Gen LS1 (1998-2002) KITT's:

http://www.enterthelightstudios.com/ta/

Knight Storm · Post by **Knight Storm** » Wed Feb 18, 2004 9:41 pm

Yah it is lame but oh well.*shrug* KARR was the prototype he had to have the scaner but his is yellow so his trademark is like "KARR has a yellow scanner" Kitt of course has red. Thats the best reason I could come up with.(stole the simpicty from my friend gotta luv it

)

msKEN · Post by **msKEN** » Wed Feb 18, 2004 10:33 pm

PIMP IT KNIGHTDRIVER!

jup · Post by **jup** » Thu Feb 19, 2004 1:12 am

Believe it or not, the TKR 'cars' and 'trucks' DID HAVE scanner bars. Though, pointing arrows and a darkened room were almost necessary to locate them... (I think they also were installed late in the series.)

Also, TKR had an entire season AND DID bring back KITT AND Michael...sort of. (If you want to call a flashing, tricked out Folgers can with the letters K.I.T.T. ...erm...bringing back KITT and some man wearing black leather, Michael.)

As for why TKR didn't bring back the Trans-Am...easy. (Outside of KRO) They used Fords. They EVEN LAUGHED AT Fords.

KnightRiderLS1 · Post by **KnightRiderLS1** » Thu Feb 19, 2004 1:23 am

THIS BOARD ROCKS!!!

Thanks for your input Knight Storm! I really appreciate it

!

Jup, do you have any pics? Where could I catch this series in re-runs or on VHS anywhere?

The Real Michael Knight · Post by **The Real Michael Knight** » Thu Feb 19, 2004 1:27 am

I don't like the dashboard for that "Knight Industries 3000" Trans Am. The dash should more closely resemble the series 2000 dash, same as the steering wheel, its just screaming to have the wheel replaced with the gullwing one. I like that one better.

Skav · Post by **Skav** » Thu Feb 19, 2004 4:10 am

yeah, the steering wheel looks something like out of Batman. It's shaped like a bat.

I don't like the current TA's anyway. Too bulky and can't imagine Hasselhoff behind one of those big things.

However, I'd still want it to be a TA for the new film/series so if it has to be that, then that's ok.

Skav

Post by **Michael Pajaro** » Thu Feb 19, 2004 4:30 am

I think the dash and steering wheel in the pic rock... they're a nice compromise of wild sci-fi fantasy and realistic practicality. (that sounds like a lame press release. oh well.)

The REAL reason the TKR vehicles didn't have scanners - and this is largely based on my own intuition - is that Universal went cheap in the prop department. From the earliest teaser-photos and press releases, you can tell the creators wanted to have some pretty wild vehicles, especially Beast. But everything got scaled back and the cars had very little customization to them. I am aware of the "official" statement that they wanted to keep KITT as one of a kind, but I truly believe that's the PR department making an excuse.

Skav · Post by **Skav** » Thu Feb 19, 2004 5:04 am

But I don't want to think of KR to be some sort of wild sci fi fantasy. It's a fantasy show but i don't want to think of it on terms such as 'seaquest dsv' or 'star trek'. cos that's what i think the car comes right out of.

with the original show, i didn't think of it as a wild sci fi show. and i don't wanna be thinking that with the new film/show.

the new concept needs to be both imaginitive and realistic at the same time. that's what the original show felt like to me. it went so far but it knew it's limits before it knew it would become something crazy. and that shows in the type of car that's used.

i dunno, my opinion probably has a lot to do with the car's shape, since its bulkiness alone makes it look like a spaceship but i guess that's the norm for cars these days. so couple that with some sort of stupid, far fetched storyline, and then it would become star trek on wheels.

because the type of car that is shown in that pic would deserve some sort of out of this world storyline or it just doesn't match.

but it shouldn't be like that.

Skav

knightdriver · Post by **knightdriver** » Thu Feb 19, 2004 5:15 pm

Well, I can say that no matter what gets used in the film, (if there is even going to be one), Not everyone will be pleased with the vehicle chosen.

Mike, you hit it pretty much on the head. (they're a nice compromise of wild sci-fi fantasy and realistic practicality.)

Obviously many of you are not fimiliar with the operations of these new Pontiacs. You can not remove the airbags (without a lot of work and knowledge anyways) and have the car run. I have been told by all of the people I have contacted that have said removing the airbags will shut down the car and keep it from starting. Plus a bunch of other things.

I can see some that wont like that particular dash. I think it is horid myself and I am the one who drew it. The new dash design carried the same front cluster but the rest of the design has changed drasticly. It now resembles a cross between KITTs 2 old dashes and new concepts taken from the Pontiac Banshee and the Newly designed protosport 4. The steering wheel will not change much from what I have done though. Time will tell.

I am wondering myself why so many people want a newly designed KITT but want the old look to the interior. Knight Rider took place in the 80's. Most definitly 20 years later, the technology has advanced and all of that fancy gadgetry is no longer a neccesity to acgieve the functions he had O so long ago.

For those interested in this type of car, This design has been modified and sold to a up and coming manufacturer. The electronic components are in developement now and the results should show by sometime this spring. Final touches are being put into the interior design and the prototype will be made shortly afterwards.

I am sure people will start seeing things on this real soon. Until then, keep hoping a film is still being considered as of right now, it doesn't sound good. One can only keep hoping.

Knight Storm · Post by **Knight Storm** » Thu Feb 19, 2004 5:33 pm

Well I have to agree with you on the design but it would do well in the movies I think. I heard David Hassolhof(I think thats spelled wrong) already started the script with some other producer can't remember the name/s supposedly the movie should come out in the summer.

CB2001 · Post by **CB2001** » Thu Feb 19, 2004 7:18 pm

But the point was that having the scanner on the TKR vehicles would be a double edged sword.

If you didn't have it, fans would complain that the vehicles are not related to KITT.

However, if they had placed them on there, the fans would have said it was the show's producer's lame attempt to make the vehicles relate to KITT.

themarvelous3 · Post by **themarvelous3** » Fri Feb 20, 2004 12:17 am

knightdriver wrote:Oh, You mean this version of KITT?

[img]...[/img]

People have been asking for it, So here it comes.

This replica has been in the design stage for the past year. Actual construction will commence this April. Electronics are already being created for market as well. More will be announced as it happens.

WUSSY. sorry, i LOVE the dash directly above the steering wheel (which does need to be Gull wing) HOWEWEVER...

what made KITT look so kick ass was from his side view...

his front bumber (again from the side) sloped / (forward)
yours slopes \ (back towards the driver)

makes the car look too laid back and slugish (in my opinion) the forward slant of KITTs front bumber made KITT look fast

Knight Storm · Post by **Knight Storm** » Fri Feb 20, 2004 1:09 am

Yo CB2001 Its Stormrunner. Anyway you have a point. Also I agree themarvelous3 sloped forward is cool but the new TA deserves a chance*shrug*You could always consider it Aerodynamic,

KnightRiderLS1 · Post by **KnightRiderLS1** » Fri Feb 20, 2004 5:46 pm

FYI- The steering wheel's airbag can be easily removed. Some you don't have to program it out of the computer, others you do, others you put resistors in line.

I have been modifiying and racing F-Bodies for 7 years. I've put new drivetrains in old cars and made new cars not so new.

It's easy to put a steering wheel without an airbag on these cars (people do it all the time for racing to reduce weight).

Whether or not it's legal or even a wise thing to do is another issue

!

jup · Post by **jup** » Fri Feb 20, 2004 8:47 pm

Well, I think that the dash in that photo looks fantastic. Everything (including the 'bat' wheel) looks modern and powerful, without being overbearing.

In fact, it's a little something along the lines of what I envisioned the Knight Industries Three Thousand's dash looking like. (From my planned writings. I had made an incomplete image of the dash cluster on my old, now dead PC.) Though, one major difference was that I had given the monitors a sort of 'hide away' option, so that they didn't stand out when they wern't necessary. (Color LCD monitors that popped up from the dash when needed, then retracted upon completion of their use.)

The Real Michael Knight · Post by **The Real Michael Knight** » Sat Feb 21, 2004 4:14 am

Bah, I think the series 2000 was the best. I love the dash and gullwing steering wheel, and in my opinion the 80's Trans Am body was much cooler.

Pontiac was waiting for the return of Knight Rider...

Pontiac was waiting for the return of Knight Rider...

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