1984 Pontiac Firebird KITT Coupe

For 1984, Pontiac produced a total of 128,304 Trans Ams. 62,621 were Firebirds, 10,309 were Firebird S/E models, and the remaining were Trans Ams. A mere 1500 were 15th Anniversary T/A models and 1,32 were Recaro editions. The most famous was the Pontiac Firebird which played a leading roll on the hit TV show Knight Rider. It played the role of KITT (short for Knight Industries Two Thousand) and driven by David Hasselhoff who played Michael Knight. KITT was a 300-mph, technology-filled, self-aware, man-made, communicative, bullet-proof marvel. It was designed to aid and protect Michael as he fought crime across America.

The design of KITT, in real life, was the work of Michael Scheffe who also worked on Back to the Future: Part II. On the show, the car is credited as being the creation of billionaire Wilton Knight.

The most distinctive and memorable feature of KITT was the strip of red lights that were inset on his nose and flashed when he spoke. This example is a later modification of the original idea. It has further modifications by 'Kustom King' George Barris. The car was used during the third season and fitted with the 'Super Pursuit Mode' variant of KITT used in the Knight Rider 2010 made for television movie (1994). The idea of the 'Super Pursuit Mode' was to give KITT a 40 percent increase in speed through the assistance of retractable airfoils and jet boosters. In reality, it is a panel of lights and screens.

Other notable appearances by this car were in the 2006 feature motion picture The Benchwarmers. This is the only Super Pursuit Mode car left in existence.

In 2007 this Pontiac was brought to the Quail Lodge Resort & Golf Club in Carmel, California where it was auctioned at the Bonhams auction, An Important Sale of Collectors' Motorcars and Automobilia. It was estimated to sell for $60,000 - $80,000 but failed to find a buyer willing to satisfy the car's reserve. The lot was left unsold.

By Daniel Vaughan | May 2008