KITT Now A Mustang Shelby GT500KR
NBC has finally pulled the lid off their new version of KITT, custom made for their new Knight Rider movie. A 540 horsepower black-with-gray stripes Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR will serve as the highly specialized Knight Industries Three Thousand.
This will no doubt be a disappointment in the eyes of purists, hoping the series would stick with either a rebuilt Trans Am, or at least a GM-made car like the new Camaro and the Z06 Corvette. WorldCarFans readers had also been anticipating something fancier, like the Maybach Exelero, Nissan GT-R, or the Koenigsegg CCX.
Three versions of the car will be used in the show, including the everyday KITT Hero, the harder, better, faster, stronger KITT Attack, and the driverless KITT Remote. Nanotechnology will allow KITT to shape shift and change color on the fly, and KITT's supercomputer brain can hack into any computer and electrical system.
KITT will have the same artificial intelligence that made it, and the original Knight Rider, an icon of the 1980s. Unfortunately, William Daniels will no longer provide the voice of the vehicle. Instead, KITT will be voiced by comic actor Will Arnett. Not to dog Arnett, who was pretty funny in Arrested Development, he seems somewhat miscast in the role.
In the original Knight Rider, Michael Long is a police officer nearly killed by a gunshot wound ot the head. After being publically announced as killed, Long is given facial reconstructive surgery and renamed "Michael Knight" by reclusive billionaire philanthropist Wilton Knight. Wilton Knight runs an underground crime fighting organization, and brings in Michael as his new agent.
David "The Hoff" Hasselhoff, who played Michael Knight, will return as an elder version of his character. All My Children star Justin Bruening will play an ex-Army Ranger Mike Tracer, responsible for helping track down the feared-dead original KITT creator, Charles. Charles' daughter, Sarah Graiman, will be played by Deanna Russo, and Bruce Davison plays Charles. Sydney Tamiia Poitier, who you may recognize as the star of Quentin Tarantino's half of Grindhouse, plays an FBI agent helping Graiman and Tracer. Poitier is the daughter of legendary actor Sydney Poitier.
The two-hour movie is supposed to serve as a back-door pilot for a new Knight Rider series. If successful, and the Writers' strike ends, episodes of Knight Rider may be ready by the next fall season.
American network NBC will debut the new Knight Rider at 9pm ET on Sunday, February 17.
I like how "nano" technology gives the car a huge wing and side vents haha. Oh man, if only they made the side vents more like the 2003 era mustangs... not big squares. Also, lol 2 wings.
lets see who gets more fan mail The Car or Justin Bruening, with his shirt off. Should have been the new camaro though much more furturistic
a mustang GT as the new KITT, noooooo..a mustang GT is not a toy...
It just does not seem to be a good fit. I agree the new KITT should have been a new Camaro or Corvette...even a BMW M6 or an Audi R8 but not a mustang...why not a Ford GT... a mustang...just does not compute....
Wow. I wish I could've been a fly on the wall in THAT set of negotiations. Wonder what made them jump ship to Ford. Does NBC have a big advert campaign with Ford? Did GM drop the ball?
As if the scheduling set backs weren't bad enough, this is not the type of PR the new Camaro needs.
it's all about $$, who was willing to pay the bigger ammount, if you think nbc cares about cars you are sadly mistaken. GM had transformers, Ford had I Am Legend(amazing movie). Now ford got KITT, it was expected for ford to come back and buy a big title series or movie. In my opinion GM waited too long with the Camaro it should have been a smooth transition from 1 model to the next not a 6 year wait. And now with the Challenger being 37,995$ for 425hp i think GM is going to have a hard time selling their Camaro. And then ontop of this mistake they have not even announced a Trans Am. From mistake to mistake.
That looks hideous. Nothing to aspire to at all.
Agreed bristol. This is what you get when a tuner hollywood guy doing work. Throw on a bunch of wings and side flares and hope it comes together
They should have gone with the Ford Pinto...would have been just as good.
not sleek, too retro- I thought it was gonna be a Konnisegg (however thats spelt) why not a Noble?
I am totally dis-appointed.The Night Rider series was totally ignorant anyway.Hollywood was hurting for business when Night Rider was produced.This new series will be the same.A stupid movie for an entertainment starved audience.
a just can't belive that they will use as stupid car as that. rear supsention on this car tells that this is only for driveing fast in a straith line
hmmm... i wish they did keep it a GM car like the new camaro or something, but this mustang does look bad ass. lets see what happens. do you guys think this show will be a hit? i'm willing to give it a try, for lack of anything better to watch on tv.