VIC Knight

12/10/2026

Since so many of you got interested in my previous article about the 2008 Knight Rider series, I wanted to dive deeper into the machine that stole the show: the voice of KITT. While the original 1980s series gave us the legendary William Daniels breathing life into the iconic Pontiac Firebird, the 2008 reboot brought in a powerhouse Hollywood actor to voice the sleek Shelby Mustang GT500.

That voice belonged to none other than Val Kilmer, who brought his own smooth, commanding, and witty delivery to the AI. True to the tradition of William Daniels keeping his original 80s role uncredited, Kilmer also chose to remain uncredited for his phenomenal work across the 2008 revival, letting the car speak for itself.

Years later, Kilmer faced a massive personal battle against throat cancer that severely damaged his natural speaking voice. In a truly sci-fi turn of events that mirrors the very technology he once voiced, cutting-edge AI voice cloning allowed him to digitally reconstruct and recover his classic, signature sound—proving that the incredible technology we love on screen can sometimes create real-world miracles off it.

10/10/2026

The Knight and the Caped Crusader. Gotham's new dynamic duo, fueled by turbo boost and justice.

09/10/2026

Waiting for K.I.T.T. to hit the turbo boost and slide right into the back of this like a pro.

09/10/2026

The two thousand and eight revival of Knight Rider came to life because network executives at NBC were desperate to fix their sagging ratings by bringing back popular retro franchises. The studio hired writers and producers who wanted to mix the high tech crime fighting of the original nineteen eighties show with modern action movie vibes, drawing heavy inspiration from the fast paced style of contemporary blockbuster car films. They planned the series to feature a brand new generation of heroes, centered around Mike Traceur, who was later revealed to be the estranged son of the original Michael Knight, teaming up with a sleek new Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR acting as the updated KITT.

Behind the scenes, the production was quite messy and went through constant changes because the network could not decide what kind of show they actually wanted to make. In the beginning, the plot focused heavily on a secret underground government base called the SSC, complete with a massive cast of federal agents, security personnel, and science nerds. Many hardcore fans of the original series complained that this ruined the core spirit of the franchise, because the original show was always about a lone, independent man and his car fighting outside the system rather than taking orders from government bosses. Realizing the ratings were dropping after the initial excitement wore off, the studio tried to fix the show midway through the season by completely firing several main characters, shutting down the government base, and trying to return to the simple, rogue style of the classic era.

Unfortunately, these emergency fixes came far too late to save the show from its financial and ratings trouble. The production costs for building all the stunt cars, digital effects, and custom Mustang bodies were extremely high, and when viewer numbers kept falling during the late autumn sweeps, NBC panicked and cut the initial episode order down from a full twenty two episodes to just seventeen. The series limped to a quiet finish in early two thousand and nine, and the network officially canceled any plans for a second season. Rumors later surfaced that if the show had survived, the producers genuinely wanted to bring David Hasselhoff back for a proper on screen crossover and involve the original KITT more deeply, but the abrupt cancellation left those plans unfulfilled.
-VIC Knight-

09/10/2026

As Knight Rider fans, after that wonderful television series ended in 1986, it left a huge void in our hearts. Few years later, in May 1991, NBC released a television movie titled Knight Rider 2000 to see if that legend could be brought back to life. The main reason this was created years after the original story concluded was to refresh the memories of a franchise that had gained massive global popularity in the late 1980s, and to take advantage of a brief break David Hasselhoff—who starred as Michael Knight—had from filming Baywatch.
This movie is closely connected to the original story because we get to see both of our favorite characters, Michael Knight and Devon Miles, return. Set in the future (the year 2000), law enforcement methods have changed, and there is an attempt to deactivate the old KITT and introduce a modern, high-tech new vehicle. Devon Miles brings Michael back into the project, and the main plot revolves around salvaging the AI computer brain of the forgotten old KITT and integrating it into a brand-new red car.
The most talked-about and controversial aspect of this film was the car's color and shape. Instead of the iconic black Pontiac Trans Am we all know, a remarkably uniquely shaped red car was used. In truth, it was built using a 1991 Dodge Stealth, customized with fiberglass body panels modeled after the Pontiac Banshee, an extremely rare concept car owned by General Motors (GM).
To be honest, the film received mixed reactions. While seeing David and Devon back together brought immense joy to fans, this newly introduced red "Knight 4000"—suddenly replacing the black car we were so used to—wasn't quite as well-received. Though it wasn't as successful as the original car, we can never forget it as a wonderful moment that revived Knight Rider memories in the early 1990s.

08/10/2026

Most of KITT’s features are part of our everyday tech now, but which classic KITT feature do you think modern science and technology are still completely unable to achieve?

08/10/2026

Looks like KITT’s AI had one too many logic errors in the space-time continuum. Now Michael's stuck with a flux capacitor while Doc and Marty are trying to turbo-boost out of 1955.

06/10/2026

What do you think about headlights? Not KITT type though.

05/10/2026

Originating in 1893 in Michigan as the "Pontiac Buggy Company" founded by Edward M. Murphy, Pontiac became a highly popular name in American automotive history. Having initially manufactured horse-drawn carriages, Murphy established the "Oakland Motor Car Company" in 1907 with the advent of the automotive era. Later in 1909, the company was acquired by General Motors (GM), and in 1926, the Pontiac brand was officially introduced to the market as a subsidiary of Oakland. Named after the Native American Ottawa war leader "Pontiac," the brand began its journey by introducing powerful six-cylinder cars at prices accessible to the general public.
Over time, Pontiac succeeded in producing a series of brilliant and fast vehicles that shook the automotive world. Particularly in the 1960s and 1970s, the Pontiac GTO introduced by them is considered the world's first true muscle car, gaining immense popularity among the younger generation. In addition, they gifted the world a host of exciting sports car models such as the Firebird, Trans Am, and Grand Prix. Another major talking point among car enthusiasts was the 1980s mid-engine lightweight sports car, the Pontiac Fiero, followed by the high-performance G8 sedan created in partnership with Holden in Australia.
The history of the Pontiac brand was immortalized globally by the world-famous 1980s television series Knight Rider. The intelligent supercar that spoke alongside the main character Michael Knight—KITT—was built using a Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. This creation sparked a deep passion and obsession for Pontiac cars among millions of youths worldwide, significantly boosting brand sales and cementing the Pontiac name in pop culture. Additionally, the black and gold Trans Am featured in the 1977 film Smokey and the Bandit further doubled their fame.
However, despite its immense popularity, Pontiac faced a severe setback with the global economic crisis of 2008. Under government-backed restructuring plans to rescue its parent company General Motors (GM) from bankruptcy, a decision was made to cut brands that suffered financial losses and high production costs. As a result, Pontiac production was halted in 2009, and by 2010, its final car rolled off the line, closing this legendary brand and cementing its place in history.
— VIC Knight—

04/10/2026