Question on the cars used in filming the 80s series

[Dave Knight]

I was watching the episode of KR that had the blind 'eyewitness' from season 2, and there was a scene where Michael peels rubber out of a parking spot stops at the end of the parking lot that had a truck and reverses and does a 180 and takes off fast. Now the question I have is, did the production team on KR use stock factory V8 engines like the Cross-Fire 305 (which were in a lot of 82 and 83 Trans Am's as an option) or did they beef them up a bit?

Also when KITT lays rubber he does it with both back tires, most of the 3rd Gen F bodies we had in our family over the years (my dad had a 83 Trans Am, a 85 Firebird, a 82 Camaro, I had a 88 Camaro) only had the power go to one wheel at a time (one wheel would go forward, the other would go backwards in reverse, but both did not go in the same direction at the same time), I THINK my dad's 83 Trans Am had the both wheels at the same time as KITT's.

[kitt1]

From personally talking to stunt coordinator Jack Gill, I was told that the stunt cars had the 305 engines taken out and a crate 350 motor put in without the smog crap attached.

When a car has both wheels turning, that's Positrac. Positrac means both wheels are locked or fixed to rotate together. The higher end Trans ams and GTAs had Positrac. Also, some had 4 wheel disc brakes. My 1991 GTA has all of that and more. Including a 350 tuneport engine. I hope I answered your questions.

Mark Puette
SOUTHERN KNIGHTS

[Dave Knight]

yeah and I looked up the specs of my dad's 1983 Trans Am, he had a Daytona 500 Pace car replica and he had the Posi rear end and rear disc brakes, the only one of the F cars we had that had Posi and rear discs.