Good Find Friday features interesting vehicles we’ve found for sale while conducting market analysis or appraisal research. They are not for sale by Wolf and Mare and we have no business relationship with the sellers. We just think they’re worth learning about and sharing with our readers!

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There are lots of different entry points into the collector car hobby. It could’ve been a father or family member who had a classic, a visit to a car show, or maybe a magazine picked up one day in the bookstore (when bookstores were still a thing). My answer to the question “How did you get into cars” might be different from day to day, simply because I had many sources of inspiration. If you asked me which car was the first I ever loved, that’s an easy one: the talking black Trans Am from Knight Rider. Today’s Good Find Friday feature car is a replica of this car, or “KITT” as he was called.

Knight Rider was an action-adventure television series that aired from 1982 to 1986, starring David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight, a “young loner” working for the secretive Foundation for Law and Government (FLAG). The show’s real star of the show was KITT, an advanced, artificially intelligent sports car based on a modified Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. Equipped with cutting-edge technology, near-indestructible armor, and a witty personality, KITT assisted Michael on missions to “help the innocent, the helpless, the powerless in a world of criminals who operate above the law.”

For a kid growing up in the 1980s, the high-speed car chases, gadget-of-the-week, and lighthearted humor was fun and exciting. My parents indulged my love of this show with toys and apparel, even though they must have thought it was corny. My favorite toy was probably my Knight Rider big wheel, which I used to pilot around the neighborhood on my own adventures. I’ll admit it: I still love Knight Rider, and I’m not the only one.

Based on my observations over the years, Knight Rider seems to have enjoyed equal or greater popularity in Europe, especially in Germany. Decades of reruns, fan clubs, media coverage, and the phenomenal popularity of David Hasselhoff demonstrate that it’s more than just a cheesy 80s TV show, but a real cultural icon. Perhaps this is why there are so many replicas of KITT in Europe. In fact, some of the highest quality conversion parts including body panels, electronics, and full conversions are produced overseas.

Today’s Good Find Friday car is a nicely built replica of the Knight Industries Two Thousand or “KITT” from the television show Knight Rider. It’s currently on offer in France with an asking price of €59,900 and has just 40,000 original kilometers on the odometer.

The Knight Rider replica community is more robust than you’d think, with regular meet-ups and fan events on both sides of the Atlantic. It’s said that there are literally thousands of KITT replicas world-wide. As you can imagine, quality can vary greatly from car to car and depends on the parts used and the skills of the assembler.

Today’s car has a documented history of spending time at American Garage, an Italian automotive shop that specializes in TV and movie replicas. They’re known for their impressive electronics packages that add considerable functionality to the “computerized” dashboard of Knight Rider replicas.

This particular replica is based on a 1989 Pontiac Trans Am, while the original car was always based on a 1982 model. Backdated to the proper look, this replica benefits from the later car’s higher horsepower V8 and its more reliable fuel injected engine. T-tops are a must on a KITT replica and this car has them, though some of the stunt cars featured fake T-Tops and could technically be considered accurate.

Exterior “Knight Rider” features include the distinctive front nose with red scanning light, black paint, turbo cast wheels with “bowling ball” hubcaps and smoked tail light blackout panel.

The interior is dominated by a recreation of the TV show’s digital dashboard from the first two seasons, and includes both functional and decorative instrumentation and two flat-panel televisions. An overhead console that matches the one used in the early seasons is also mounted to the t-top bar. KITT’s iconic “yoke” style steering wheel (now common on Teslas and even available on Mercedes-Benz cars!) features a Knight Industries logo. The iconic equalizer voicebox from which KITT “spoke” is located just ahead of the steering wheel.

Interestingly, the door panels date to the later car interior. Authentic 1982 door panels would be more accurate, but perhaps not as nice. The seats are upholstered in velour while the actual car used a tan “Parella” style cloth. The authentic material looks better, but isn’t nearly as hard wearing as velour and is nearly impossible to find.

A detailed video from American Garage highlights the car’s construction and features, and is worth a watch if you’re curious about what the car can do and what it’s like to live with one.

Knight Rider replicas don’t frequent the auction market, but sales comparisons do exist. The highest price paid at auction appears to be about $60,000, with the lowest price being about $18,000. Not every KITT replica is complete, for example the 1987 Pontiac Trans Am KITT replica that sold for $18,000 was an exterior conversion only, with a stock Pontiac Firebird interior.

Real Knight Rider nuts (like yours truly) are highly knowledgeable on the details of a high-quality replica and prices reflect this. The most faithful recreations go for the biggest money, unless there’s a connection to the show or one of the original builders. The $60,000 comparable mentioned above was owned by car customizer George Barris, who built the “Super Pursuit Mode” variant of KITT from the final season of the show.

The real selling feature of today’s replica KITT is the electronics, which aside from lots of blinking lights feature genuine computer-controlled actions like raising and lowering the windows, activating the headlights and more. It even includes smart watch integration!  That type of complexity is uncommon in a Knight Rider replica.

If the asking price is too high, the costs to import too daunting or you’re worried about updating the software from French to English, there’s a very similar replica located in New Hampshire currently listed on Bring a Trailer that might suit your fancy.

I used to have a 1982 Pontiac Trans Am and I often miss that car. It wasn’t the fastest, nor was it the most well-built car I’ve owned, but it was a beautiful design and the same year used for KITT. I don’t think I’d ever own another low-miles 1982 Trans Am, but a proper KITT replica could be fun for a while.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Wolf and Mare provides car finding, appraisal and auction services for sellers and buyers of collector European cars. We also provide importation services. Give us a call or drop us a line!