A Pontiac Firebird replica of KITT from the hit 1980s television series Knight Rider is heading to auction, and this particular car has a rather interesting history with David Hasselhoff himself.
The black Pontiac was built to recreate the famous talking car driven by Michael Knight in the series. However, rather than being an original screen-used vehicle, this replica reportedly spent much of the 1980s accompanying Hasselhoff to promotional events, television appearances and even his concerts.
It’s now being offered through Broad Arrow Auctions in Zürich, with an estimated value of between £227,000 and £454,000.
Anyone familiar with Knight Rider will immediately recognise the car’s distinctive appearance. There’s the black bodywork, pop-up headlights and, of course, the futuristic dashboard packed with illuminated buttons and displays.
Inside, things are wonderfully 1980s. The cabin features yellow velour seats, a distinctive gullwing-style steering wheel and a dashboard designed to look like the advanced computer system from the television series.
While the original KITT was famous for its artificial intelligence, voice commands and extraordinary abilities, this replica is more about recreating the appearance and atmosphere of the television car.
Its history is arguably just as interesting as its design.
According to the auction information reported by Top Gear, the Pontiac was stolen in Italy during the 1990s before eventually being recovered by Interpol and returned to its owner.
The car has also reportedly been examined by the Knight Rider Historians, a group dedicated to documenting and preserving the history of the television series, who have verified its connection to Hasselhoff.
There is one important detail for potential buyers, though. Due to the extensive modifications carried out to recreate KITT, the Pontiac isn’t road legal.
That means whoever buys it will be getting a piece of television memorabilia rather than something they can simply take out for a Sunday drive.
The sale also includes a collection of memorabilia, including photographs showing Hasselhoff with the replica.
With an estimate approaching half a million pounds at the upper end, this certainly isn’t an inexpensive way to relive the 1980s. But for a dedicated Knight Rider fan, owning a KITT replica with a documented connection to the show’s leading man could be difficult to resist.
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