In the Still of the Knight

A dissection of sorts of the new Knight Rider.

Okay, I have to admit, I am a bit of a TV and movie junkie, so when I got the press release (like everyone else here at MM&FF) about the Shelby GT500KR Mustang being the new vehicle of choice for the recent Knight Rider TV movie, I knew I would have no problem sitting down and watching the show. Admittedly, it was a bit cheesy, but then again, it was a TV movie, so what do you expect!

Compared to the old show featuring David Hasselhoff and the then-new ’82 Firebird named KITT, the show embraces not only a new (and much more of a studly) ride, but some of the show’s ancestry as well. The star of the show isn’t the new driver, but the car itself, much like it was back in the ‘80s. Thanks to support from Ford, KITT (now Knight Industries Three Thousand...yes I actually remember this stuff!) has a few “features” I wish I had for my car. Besides the fact the car is based off of the GT500KR packing 540 horsepower, the blown Snake is dressed in black with grey stripes in street trim. Throw in the pulsating red LED lights in the openings of that killer KR hood, and the car is one badass ride. In hyper mode, the car is dressed with an import-like rear wing, but throw that away and look at the car from a front ¾ angle with the black rims and the car has a tough look to it. You can’t help but wonder when the first KITT clone will appear at the car show near you.

By far, the transformation this car did during the 2-hour movie went from wild to mild. To avoid the bad guys, the car changed into a pair of lower-profile Mustang GT’s, one in Vista Blue and the other in silver. Man, if only my car could pull that off while cruising the highways and by-ways of New Jersey. I’d never get a speeding ticket again!

Besides the obvious fiction surrounding the car, it was pretty neat to sit down on the couch with the missus and watch a 2-hour network program featuring a Mustang as the star. Hopefully the show is expanded into a weekly series and we all can enjoy seeing this Mustang on the big-screen. According to Reuters online, the movie was such a big success in its time slot, that the show’s 12.7 million viewer rating most likely ensures that a remake of the series will air in the fall.

One can only wonder what kind of a plot this show will have. For those of us young enough to have watched the original version, who can forget when KITT tangled with KARR, a demonic version of KITT. Who knows, maybe in the new version of the show, KARR is a certain two-tone GM product soon to hit showroom floors and it gets a thorough thrashing from our KITT Mustang. Ah, the possibilities.  

Now if I could only get my own version of KITT…