Every time you say a car was crushed I smile knowingly...”crushed” is what they want you to think. We all know KITT’s molecular-bonded shell is too strong to be “crushed.” Right?
Except at the very beginning of season 4, K.I.T.T. had actually *lost* it, which was why that tank banged him up so badly and he was rebuilt with the added speed of Super Pursuit Mode in mind.
Due to the spraying KITT got at the end of Season 3 (?), the Molecular Bonded Shell was destroyed. This reduction in weight allowed the SPM and Convertable modifications.
well some of the body mod's were real, by what i mean is GM and or land speed racer's did have a biger hood bulge for turbocharging system ( vary valid reason to have said modifications ) and the front moving grills ( same shape so ripe off 🤔?? as charger ) ( and i think 🤔 but think but can't ask dodge managers but from what i gathered the 60's B-body's were ment to have the jet/turboprop/shaft engine ect. as a option but didn't happen sadly ) on the fender was ment to be factory ( for desert/extra engine bay airflow/cooling ect. ) dodge charger/super-bird/e-body pre-1973 ish as the was a pre production run/test on a 1968 charger but for some unknown reason to me Richard/team didn't get that into what i bought years later as a 21 year-O as a 90's kid and im not sure what to think about it anyways all together um yeh 3-car's/kitt in one doesn't make much sense as all 3 are wildly different in need's
I've always wanted someone to test the aerodynamics of KITT in his usual mode, vs KITT in Super Pursuit Mode - I've always wondered just how much drag all those pop-out panels and everything added, or if there was any benefit in terms of down-force, etc. I'm guessing they probably ruined the aerodynamic properties of the car.
I loved the SPM when it came out, it went from a Trans Am to an Indy car. It's amazing sports cars nowadays have similar features like the rising rear spoiler and other features. KITT inspired the car industry. Thanks for the video.
I absolutely loved the last season of Knight Rider because of KITT’s Super Pursuit Mode. It’s a shame that Knight Rider didn’t get another season or two after the final 4th season. It would’ve been really cool to see what other additional features and Upgrades KITT might’ve gotten. I can’t believe even from a collectors stand point Pontiac ordered the Super Pursuit Drive Vehicle to be destroyed. What a total waste of not just Knight Rider history but tv history as well.This was a really great video and thank you for giving Super Pursuit Mode some much needed love.
Unfortunately, it was part of the contract with Pontiac that they had to crush those particular cars, due to them being potentially unsafe to actually drive after the train derailment. Sure, I agree there should have been another option, but it's what the studio agreed to.
I'll back you up Lee. Actually to me I don't think the show has weathered the years very well. Like you said as an 10-year-old I thought it was the coolest thing ever, But at 46 I find it sadly unwatchable.
Yea......I'm the same with StreetHawk.......as an eight or nine yr old I couldn't imagine a cooler motorcycle. I was lucky to survive my late teens and 20s thinking I might be good enough to be the next Nicky Hayden in supersport AND simultaneously convinced I could could cut a reaction time on a dragstrip comparable to Ricky Gadson. You know what.......I WAS WRONG TWICE !!! ...and after accumulating my fair share of injuries from having owned,rode,raced,and sometime straight destroying multiple Yamaha R1s...... numerous Ninjas from Tom Cruise GPZ 900s to ZXR900s....(and every other ZX from 6 to 12).......to several Suzukis ranging from oil cooled Gixxers .....Scarab shaped SRADS.....to a built and boosted Busas. Now at 45 I look back at that old XR500 dirt bike with a bunch of fiberglass and bondo bullshit hanging off of it being passed off as a 3 million dollar dirt bike that does 300 mph and old StreetHawk doesn't have quite the same aura of sexiness about it that my 3rd grade eyes once saw 😂. BUT.......if I had to be totally honest with myself I would still have to tell you that even today it doesn't matter if I jump on a 50 cc scooter or the lastest Valentino Rossi replica racebike some youngster lets me ride around the block.......I still will humm the Street Hawk theme to myself when I start to open the throttle up Bwahahahaha!!!! Straight Truth
I often wonder which KITT car they actually wrecked as it had a hardtop rather than a T-top. Whether it was a previously used hardtop or was only used in that episode for the scenes with KITT wrecked.
As a child watching in the eighties i was wholly offended by the SPM car, so much so that i stopped watching the show. Little did i know it would be the final series.. After watching this episode i can appreciate the forward thinking and work that went into creating this transforming car. Keep up the great work guys.
Ok, this episode was very interesting. Barely made it through seeing KITT being pulled from the acid pit once again and I don't know how many more times I can hear KITT has been crushed!! My childhood heart can't take much more. You guys really do your homework finding out this information. Thank you so much for all you do!
Is there anything you don’t know about Knight Rider?😂 Amazing video, that just leaves me wanting more like this on the different KITT-cars. It confirms that your CZcams-channel beats everything else on the TV...along with Knight Rider on Blu-Ray.
Another great informative video. Keep up the excellent work. As a kid born in the 70's who lived the 80's (especially Friday night TV) to it's fullest, I appreciate the work you are doing.
I never really liked SPM in the show, but I always enjoy your videos. The research you do is really, really impressive. Thanks so much for all of your videos.
I absolutely love your videos, sharing with us all your knowledge on everything knight rider. I'm 49 this year and I still.love this show. My little boy now watches the re runs with me.......he too has the same look on his face I did.
Wow. Can't believe they crushed SPM Kitt. Any automotive museum would have loved to have it. It was a testament to how we thought the future speed cars would be at that time. Lots of aerodynamics and downforce wings. Those airbrakes were totally useless probably but wow it caught a lot of young engineers and mechanics imagination.
Thank you for taking the time to document all of this history so that it's preserved indefinitely. Yall's wealth of knowledge coupled with your ambition astounds me. Even though Knight Rider went off the air 6 years before I was born, I rank it among my favorite TV shows. Keep up the awesome work!
@@MasterMacLeod when I was taking Auto Repair in High School....there was a perfectly gorgeous 1976 Monte Carlo parked in the rear corner. It was our "school repair instructional unit" we never touched but to dismantle it the last month we were there. Tuxedo black with charcoal grey interior. It was a truck wreck car. GM demanded it only be used for instruction or to be crushed. Broke my damned heart. Ive wanted one since but I dont have a spare $12k sitting around.
One of the good ideas of this was that KITT was now less invulnerable than he had been before. He was faster now, but not as OP when it came to armor. Its rare to see a show scale back an ability.
I remember hating the spm mode car. Looked like they couldn't be bothered to paint behind all the extending parts. And also the film Sped up just didn't look realistic. I still loved watching the episodes though.
I love this series of videos you're doing. I was a kid when this show was on and am still a fan today. Your eye for detail is astounding! I never would have picked up all those little details, but thanks to you, we now have a good idea of what happened to the cars. Pity none of the original pursuit cars survived - they would have been worth quite a lot today. Thanks for the trouble you go through and hard work on your videos ;)
Another great video! Thank you so much for feeding my unknown desire for incredible Knight Rider lore. I always light up when I see a new video posted! Looking forward to this weeks commentary.
I think that that they’re only two left in captivity. Breeding attempts have failed multiple times… maybe there is still hope for finding more in the wild
The order to crush the train derailment cars was a tragedy in my opinion. It is the reason we don't have any of the screen used two-tone black and silver cars from "KITT V. KARR" and no screen used SPM cars. I understand the studio's hand was forced due to regulations however, someone should have done something to at least spare one screen used two-tone KARR and the driving SPM car. It is so sad the fate of those cars was the crusher and not the display floor inside a television history museum.
They threw out all the original Star Trek stuff, erased many of Johnny Carson's tapes ... have they finally realized some of this will be valuable later? Carson was FURIOUS.
The production company could have got around the Pontiac clause of crushing the car by not officially cancelling the show and scheduling the next episode to be filmed in 100 years :)
Oh wow, love the Batmobile from the 60s Adam West Batman series. 2:05 Despite obviously being stickers, love how they attempted to detail the dash and overhead console in SPM KITT.
The staggering expenses run up by Barris' shop is part of what killed the series in the end, never mind that all that junk would make the car slower than the normal KITT.
@@startingQB : Expectations were different back then, which is why the Six Million Dollar Man could get away with what would nowadays be called cheesy. Far as air dynamics, look at Street Hawk. Making Knight Rider look plausible.
I don’t remember this version, but was lucky enough to Get my picture taken as a kid sitting In one of the first KITT variants making the car show rounds back in The 80’s. Cost my dad $5 for a Polaroid shot. Wish I still had it.
You guys a awesome! Completely lost for words... have been following you for a while... the work you put into all of your videos is just amazing! Thank you!!
Wow! I always thought the car used for the acid pit scene in Junk Yard Dog would have been sent off the scrap heap after. Now it's even cooler that it became a SPM car later in the series! I'm glad none of the Trans Ams in the show went to waste and all of them had a specific role to play! Thanks for this! Awesome stuff!
Well, I don't mix up things. Transformers G1 is always different from KITT. It was a different concept, a different path, and we were mainly glad to see that red customized Freightliner - Optimus Prime. Here we have a car that changes its body to have a better airflow, better downforce, and, therefore, have much higher speed. As already mentioned, the Turbine from SPM is brutal. That manual car...It really did a lot in the series. We only have memories now. Speaking of memories, how about that episode that KITT goes SPM at night? All those lights even in the mudguards. It was close to a plane.
I guess I was about 13 when this season started and it could have been my age, but the SPM just seemed a little too much for me. I still watched, though, because it was KITT and he was still the most awesome car on TV. (Has there been a cooler car on TV since?) Love the videos! Keep it up!
This show ended way before i was born, but i still love kitt to this day, it was one of the best tv shows i have seen while growing up in former soviet union :D
When you mentioned seeing evidence of buttons for the remote hatch release, rear defrost, and rear wiper...you're just seeing the harness connections. They would be there regardless of what options the car came with. The wiring is all there for every feature the car could possibly come with. It makes the most sense to just make one harness.
3:28, loving that still photo..it's like Michael Knight visiting the Ghostbusters lol! I know someone else has pointed this out I'm sure, but still cool as is the video.
K•I•T•T’s Super Pursuit mode was added at the start of the show’s fourth season. It was the result of the redesign of the car to integrate new concepts consisting of improved rocket boosters for enhanced acceleration, retractable spoilers for aerodynamic stability, and movable air inlets for increased cooling. Super Pursuit Mode also provides a 40% boost in speed beyond the car’s top speed of 300 MPH. When Super Pursuit mode is used at night some of the exterior and under the wheel arches glow red. The E•B•S (Emergency Braking System) slows KITT down from Super Pursuit speeds. It consists of a forward braking booster and air inlets that popped out to create air friction (air brakes). First used in Season 4, episode 70, “Knight of the Juggernaut.”
Thank you for this video it’s very impressive how much detail you go into to find where the SPM car was built from. I personally thought Super pursuit mode was the best and I remembered feeling sad when I found out the series didn’t go beyond the fourth season. Hopefully there are brighter days for us Knight Rider fans.
sad to hear they all came from the train derailment situation so they had to be crushed, they would've been really cool to see them being used in a tour or at something similar to the Universal Studius Hollywood ride
Pretty sure super pursuit mode is now owned by my 17 year old neighbor, except it’s a 2003 Toyota and he’s attached everything he could find to the car while also removing the muffler.
As a kid in the 80s we used to watch knightrider at 530pm on a saturday afternoon ITV in the UK....I couldn't wait for another episode to appear on my tv!! Just brilliant! Which goes to show that hard work on a tv show pays off!! 😉👍
At that time I was only able to watch the show on Austrian TV. I did not know anything about "Transformers", but I surely remember the awe it gaves me seeing K.I.T.T. unfold like that.
SPM was great and I liked the look of all the components protruding. What does bother me is the overspray of the black paint of the drivers side Dia-plane seen here at 2:51. You can clearly see the top right of the oval white circle has some black bleeding.
I for one loved the SPM additions to KITT. It did the design justice, i had a function storywise and it gave us an upgraded favorite personage. SPM KITT was awesome, too bad it was the final season.
I always remember quotes from the show but have forgotten which episode. Some of my favourite ones: Michael: KITT, football is like buttermilk, you like it or you don't. Michael: it's the gun that's not loaded that's the problem. Michael: [first time he sees inside of KITT] that looks like Darth Vader's bathroom!
I think the one I liked best was when he first drove KITT, wondered where the controls for the radio were (or something to that effect) and KITT calmly asks "What would you like to hear?"
Not my normal corner of car-CZcams, but I have no regrets watching this. Kitt is right up there with the 'Vice Testarossa for favorite 80's hero car. The SPM transformation was mind-blowing to a younger me and ahead of it's time design-wise. Just look at the "race mode" on the McLaren P1 or Ford GT, fiction turned reality minus the rockets, lol.
I’ve never understood why people associate Miami Vice with the white Testarossa, for me it was all about the black Daytona, I guess the Testarossa fitted the times and themes better.
@@astonwards7236 First impressions in my case. One of, if not the first, episodes I watched was the one where they got the TR after the Daytona went up in smoke. As a ~10 year old or whatever I was at the time, it was the most beautiful thing I'd seen in my life. I have still not recovered from my mid-engine obsession, lol.
SPM was my favorite feature! I was sad whenever a 4th season Ep aired that didn’t use SPM. But of course I was obsessed with any transforming vehicle, including Transformers and my other favorite cartoon at the time, MASK.
you just reminded me of a huge continuity error in Knight rider. When bonnie rebuilt kit with her team of street mechanics they couldnt recreate the molecular bonded shell. Bonnie informs Micheal of this herself, yet for the whole of series 4 KITT drives through everything and anything without getting a scratch.
Also I thought it would be fun to point out the super pursuit aero is wrong, those dive planes on the nose of the car would make it take off faster than Peter Dumbreks mercedes not stick it to the road....
Loved this wee gem of info on the SPM cars..i was aware they used 2 cars for SPM,note the acid KITT car was never repaired after filming..which leads to think they had plans for the SPM cars well before s4 so decided to use the gutted out Trans-Am for the hydraulic car rather than repair it.... Joe,any chance of doing a special on the 2 blind drive KITT cars??... Keep up the good work!!
I remember very well when I saw it for the very first time it immediately recall to me the contemporary WRC B-Group cars, for example the Ram Scoop wich comes out from the top pillar remind those fitted on the 1985 Lancia Delta S4 Rally Car (it may also remind of those fitted on the 2001 Lambo Murcielago though) , also the front wings are peculiar, them remind of the '86 Pikes Peak Audi Sport Quattro.
I'm guessing the two convertible cars got scrapped as well. Appreciate your detective work, but the answer to the mystery is a real downer. A shame there wasn't a way to save these cars.
They need just car channels like this for all classic movie cars. Like I want an in depth story and update on the original Bullitt mustang they found in a junk yard in Mexico of all places
I think SPM mode was way cool but far to often utilized taking away the cool factor after time.Seeing it light up at night was only used twice as well. The retractable roof mode was accomplished by having only part of the car affixed to a boat trailer (don't know if that still exists?)The amazing thing was (and never shown) was the guy who designed and created it all ,Dennis Braid,( seen in the picture at 8:53 on the far left and also the picture at 9:00 with Jack Gill and George Barris)) actually made the metal work (B pillars,metal roof) from an actual trans am fold up and go into the back of the car.We only got to see the top part rise for a few seconds and then a fiberglass piece manually slid over the rear area to cover this. Then the shot was of a purpose made convertible with this area already fixed in place (movie magic).The engine in that car was a V6 too. I do know the actual static SPM car was crushed as i've briefly seen the wrecking ball picture and it was in line to be crushed.The actuator SPM car though i have no idea and always thought they used a mirror image to save having both sides made up. Great research though guys and i'm loving the whole thing.Keep it up.
Also i've just noticed,the picture you have of George Barris standing with the SPM car and first Batmobile at 1:44 (i have this picture also),IS the actuator SPM car as the body side flap louvers(especially the lower one) are totally white and obviously with the actual deep air slots and exactly like the ones you see when these are filmed moving outwards. If you look at the picture you have in hi def of the SPM car showing the air deflector(stone chip guard) missing at 8:50, you can see the side louver air holes are not real and some kind of fake hole illusion sticker/paint is used.They look flat. Nice too to think i have the picture of the actuator car very rarely (if ever )seen fully. As for your comment on the inside of the SPM car usually not shown. I too noticed this as you can see if it is by the rear hatch being slightly elevated from the inside.Usually it was a normal mode car. Great info though.
OMG at 5:54 there is a beautiful late 70’s square body stepside 4x4 in the driveway. I wish I still had my 79 Chevy custom deluxe stepside 1/2 ton 4x4.
Every time you say a car was crushed I smile knowingly...”crushed” is what they want you to think. We all know KITT’s molecular-bonded shell is too strong to be “crushed.” Right?
Except at the very beginning of season 4, K.I.T.T. had actually *lost* it, which was why that tank banged him up so badly and he was rebuilt with the added speed of Super Pursuit Mode in mind.
KITT's body and frame cannot be crushed, dented, scratched, or otherwise harmed.
Due to the spraying KITT got at the end of Season 3 (?), the Molecular Bonded Shell was destroyed. This reduction in weight allowed the SPM and Convertable modifications.
Except, in a later episode, it was mentioned indirectly that he had it back when him, micheal and RC "went through" lava.
Yeah SPM looks more ridiculous than ever now, but I gotta say the transformation sequence itself is still pretty damn thrilling to watch.
Loved the sounds of it. Almost as much as Arnold "gearing up" in Commando.
I had no issue with the side scoops, but the split front end and the rockets at the rear? Always felt they were stupid, back then, and today still.
Cheesy by today standards
well some of the body mod's were real, by what i mean is GM and or land speed racer's did have a biger hood bulge for turbocharging system ( vary valid reason to have said modifications ) and the front moving grills ( same shape so ripe off 🤔?? as charger ) ( and i think 🤔 but think but can't ask dodge managers but from what i gathered the 60's B-body's were ment to have the jet/turboprop/shaft engine ect. as a option but didn't happen sadly ) on the fender was ment to be factory ( for desert/extra engine bay airflow/cooling ect. ) dodge charger/super-bird/e-body pre-1973 ish as the was a pre production run/test on a 1968 charger but for some unknown reason to me Richard/team didn't get that into what i bought years later as a 21 year-O as a 90's kid and im not sure what to think about it
anyways all together um yeh 3-car's/kitt in one doesn't make much sense as all 3 are wildly different in need's
I love the sound of the turbine screaming whenever KITT enters SPM
The first time he hit super pursuit mode was one of those TV moments I could never forget from my childhood
I've always wanted someone to test the aerodynamics of KITT in his usual mode, vs KITT in Super Pursuit Mode - I've always wondered just how much drag all those pop-out panels and everything added, or if there was any benefit in terms of down-force, etc. I'm guessing they probably ruined the aerodynamic properties of the car.
I loved the SPM when it came out, it went from a Trans Am to an Indy car. It's amazing sports cars nowadays have similar features like the rising rear spoiler and other features. KITT inspired the car industry. Thanks for the video.
I absolutely loved the last season of Knight Rider because of KITT’s Super Pursuit Mode. It’s a shame that Knight Rider didn’t get another season or two after the final 4th season. It would’ve been really cool to see what other additional features and Upgrades KITT might’ve gotten. I can’t believe even from a collectors stand point Pontiac ordered the Super Pursuit Drive Vehicle to be destroyed. What a total waste of not just Knight Rider history but tv history as well.This was a really great video and thank you for giving Super Pursuit Mode some much needed love.
Unfortunately, it was part of the contract with Pontiac that they had to crush those particular cars, due to them being potentially unsafe to actually drive after the train derailment. Sure, I agree there should have been another option, but it's what the studio agreed to.
@@MatthewN8OHU It was good that Pontiac cared enough about people's safety to mandate that, honestly. RIP Pontiac.
As an 11 year-old, SPM was one of the coolest things I had ever seen! As a 47 year-old... not so much.
This is nearly blasphemous.
well im 43, and i still dig it, haw! that said what you say has some truth.
I'll back you up Lee. Actually to me I don't think the show has weathered the years very well. Like you said as an 10-year-old I thought it was the coolest thing ever, But at 46 I find it sadly unwatchable.
Yea......I'm the same with StreetHawk.......as an eight or nine yr old I couldn't imagine a cooler motorcycle. I was lucky to survive my late teens and 20s thinking I might be good enough to be the next Nicky Hayden in supersport AND simultaneously convinced I could could cut a reaction time on a dragstrip comparable to Ricky Gadson. You know what.......I WAS WRONG TWICE !!! ...and after accumulating my fair share of injuries from having owned,rode,raced,and sometime straight destroying multiple Yamaha R1s...... numerous Ninjas from Tom Cruise GPZ 900s to ZXR900s....(and every other ZX from 6 to 12).......to several Suzukis ranging from oil cooled Gixxers .....Scarab shaped SRADS.....to a built and boosted Busas. Now at 45 I look back at that old XR500 dirt bike with a bunch of fiberglass and bondo bullshit hanging off of it being passed off as a 3 million dollar dirt bike that does 300 mph and old StreetHawk doesn't have quite the same aura of sexiness about it that my 3rd grade eyes once saw 😂. BUT.......if I had to be totally honest with myself I would still have to tell you that even today it doesn't matter if I jump on a 50 cc scooter or the lastest Valentino Rossi replica racebike some youngster lets me ride around the block.......I still will humm the Street Hawk theme to myself when I start to open the throttle up Bwahahahaha!!!! Straight Truth
I disagree!!!! back then and now this is🔥🔥
Seeing KITT getting wrecked by the battering ram, could bring grown men to tears.
I literally feel haunted by that scene to this day, I used to close my eyes watching that as a kid and I wouldn’t be any better today!
God, that scene stuck with me. But the acid was worse for me. Way worse...
Yes it does
I often wonder which KITT car they actually wrecked as it had a hardtop rather than a T-top. Whether it was a previously used hardtop or was only used in that episode for the scenes with KITT wrecked.
I was traumatized after the first KITT vs Goliath battle. That one was brutal as well.
As a child watching in the eighties i was wholly offended by the SPM car, so much so that i stopped watching the show. Little did i know it would be the final series..
After watching this episode i can appreciate the forward thinking and work that went into creating this transforming car.
Keep up the great work guys.
Thanks guys. Found your channel a week ago and love it. This is the type of content that CZcams seems made for.
Ok, this episode was very interesting. Barely made it through seeing KITT being pulled from the acid pit once again and I don't know how many more times I can hear KITT has been crushed!! My childhood heart can't take much more. You guys really do your homework finding out this information. Thank you so much for all you do!
You will be crushed to hear about another KITT being crushed. It is crushing, isn't it? To hear about your crush getting crushed? Crush crush crush.
@@KnightRiderHistoriansOfficial I'm CRUSHED by your comment lol
Rip Super Pursuit Mode May It Be Lost But Not Forgotten.
Every time I hit the sport mode button in my car I engage Super Pursuit Mode😎
The same can be said about David Hasselhof
@@danielplowright5701 hey hey now don't hassle the Hoff lol
Is there anything you don’t know about Knight Rider?😂 Amazing video, that just leaves me wanting more like this on the different KITT-cars. It confirms that your CZcams-channel beats everything else on the TV...along with Knight Rider on Blu-Ray.
Thanks Jacob!
Another great informative video. Keep up the excellent work.
As a kid born in the 70's who lived the 80's (especially Friday night TV) to it's fullest, I appreciate the work you are doing.
When I was a kid me and my friends at school lost our minds when they ran the super pursuit mode. It's all we talked about the whole next day.
Great idea for a video. The sounds of the transformation also were a big part of its appeal.
I never really liked SPM in the show, but I always enjoy your videos. The research you do is really, really impressive. Thanks so much for all of your videos.
I absolutely love your videos, sharing with us all your knowledge on everything knight rider. I'm 49 this year and I still.love this show. My little boy now watches the re runs with me.......he too has the same look on his face I did.
Wow. Can't believe they crushed SPM Kitt. Any automotive museum would have loved to have it. It was a testament to how we thought the future speed cars would be at that time. Lots of aerodynamics and downforce wings. Those airbrakes were totally useless probably but wow it caught a lot of young engineers and mechanics imagination.
Thank you for taking the time to document all of this history so that it's preserved indefinitely. Yall's wealth of knowledge coupled with your ambition astounds me. Even though Knight Rider went off the air 6 years before I was born, I rank it among my favorite TV shows. Keep up the awesome work!
The derailment incident: A shadowy flight into the depressing world, of a bunch of cars, that officially don't exist …
Yeah...the REAL story behind Knight Rider.
Kinda made me chuckle.
Curious... did you guys repaint the KITTs that you own or do the countless layers of that fine Scheib 'enamel' survive?
GM execs should be locked up
@@MasterMacLeod when I was taking Auto Repair in High School....there was a perfectly gorgeous 1976 Monte Carlo parked in the rear corner. It was our "school repair instructional unit" we never touched but to dismantle it the last month we were there. Tuxedo black with charcoal grey interior. It was a truck wreck car. GM demanded it only be used for instruction or to be crushed. Broke my damned heart. Ive wanted one since but I dont have a spare $12k sitting around.
One of the good ideas of this was that KITT was now less invulnerable than he had been before. He was faster now, but not as OP when it came to armor. Its rare to see a show scale back an ability.
I remember hating the spm mode car. Looked like they couldn't be bothered to paint behind all the extending parts. And also the film Sped up just didn't look realistic. I still loved watching the episodes though.
I love this series of videos you're doing. I was a kid when this show was on and am still a fan today. Your eye for detail is astounding! I never would have picked up all those little details, but thanks to you, we now have a good idea of what happened to the cars. Pity none of the original pursuit cars survived - they would have been worth quite a lot today. Thanks for the trouble you go through and hard work on your videos ;)
Thanks so much!
Another great video! Thank you so much for feeding my unknown desire for incredible Knight Rider lore. I always light up when I see a new video posted! Looking forward to this weeks commentary.
As a kid I loved Knight Rider and when they brought in SPM I was blown away...
Cute view of SPM KITT in the filming location of the Ghostbusters firehouse interior before naming the SPM unique parts.
How many David Hasselhoffs did they use in the series ?
And how many still exist today ?
I think that that they’re only two left in captivity. Breeding attempts have failed multiple times… maybe there is still hope for finding more in the wild
The order to crush the train derailment cars was a tragedy in my opinion. It is the reason we don't have any of the screen used two-tone black and silver cars from "KITT V. KARR" and no screen used SPM cars. I understand the studio's hand was forced due to regulations however, someone should have done something to at least spare one screen used two-tone KARR and the driving SPM car. It is so sad the fate of those cars was the crusher and not the display floor inside a television history museum.
They threw out all the original Star Trek stuff, erased many of Johnny Carson's tapes ... have they finally realized some of this will be valuable later?
Carson was FURIOUS.
The production company could have got around the Pontiac clause of crushing the car by not officially cancelling the show and scheduling the next episode to be filmed in 100 years :)
Oh wow, love the Batmobile from the 60s Adam West Batman series. 2:05 Despite obviously being stickers, love how they attempted to detail the dash and overhead console in SPM KITT.
I love this video and the last video about KARR but I get really sad when I find out the fate of these classic cars. Well you can't save them all
The staggering expenses run up by Barris' shop is part of what killed the series in the end, never mind that all that junk would make the car slower than the normal KITT.
Yep, ruined the lines of the car. Destroyed the beauty of an externally only slightly modified car being a supercar.
Like what they did to the F15 when they "loaded it up with so much junk"
But it looked cool. Lol. watching this as a kid I had no idea about air dynamics.
@@startingQB : Expectations were different back then, which is why the Six Million Dollar Man could get away with what would nowadays be called cheesy. Far as air dynamics, look at Street Hawk. Making Knight Rider look plausible.
Another superb video! You asked us if we want more of quality updates like this, hell yes!. Keep up the excellent work.
Wow that was a damn shame those cars were destroyed.😱 those cars would have been perfect for a car museum😭
I don’t remember this version, but was lucky enough to Get my picture taken as a kid sitting In one of the first KITT variants making the car show rounds back in The 80’s. Cost my dad $5 for a Polaroid shot. Wish I still had it.
You guys a awesome! Completely lost for words... have been following you for a while... the work you put into all of your videos is just amazing! Thank you!!
Wow! I always thought the car used for the acid pit scene in Junk Yard Dog would have been sent off the scrap heap after. Now it's even cooler that it became a SPM car later in the series! I'm glad none of the Trans Ams in the show went to waste and all of them had a specific role to play! Thanks for this! Awesome stuff!
Have to admit, I was one of the guys who loved the SPM car. Great breakdown as always! Looking forward to Short Notice this Friday!!
Well, I don't mix up things. Transformers G1 is always different from KITT. It was a different concept, a different path, and we were mainly glad to see that red customized Freightliner - Optimus Prime. Here we have a car that changes its body to have a better airflow, better downforce, and, therefore, have much higher speed. As already mentioned, the Turbine from SPM is brutal. That manual car...It really did a lot in the series. We only have memories now.
Speaking of memories, how about that episode that KITT goes SPM at night? All those lights even in the mudguards. It was close to a plane.
I guess I was about 13 when this season started and it could have been my age, but the SPM just seemed a little too much for me. I still watched, though, because it was KITT and he was still the most awesome car on TV. (Has there been a cooler car on TV since?) Love the videos! Keep it up!
This show ended way before i was born, but i still love kitt to this day, it was one of the best tv shows i have seen while growing up in former soviet union :D
Used to love Knight Rider when I was a kid. Now love these videos. The People behind this channel are legends. Thanks for all your efforts
When you mentioned seeing evidence of buttons for the remote hatch release, rear defrost, and rear wiper...you're just seeing the harness connections. They would be there regardless of what options the car came with. The wiring is all there for every feature the car could possibly come with. It makes the most sense to just make one harness.
Fantastic SPM car info Joe, love it! Would certainly love to hear more details about the other cars as well!
3:28, loving that still photo..it's like Michael Knight visiting the Ghostbusters lol! I know someone else has pointed this out I'm sure, but still cool as is the video.
K•I•T•T’s Super Pursuit mode was added at the start of the show’s fourth season. It was the result of the redesign of the car to integrate new concepts consisting of improved rocket boosters for enhanced acceleration, retractable spoilers for aerodynamic stability, and movable air inlets for increased cooling. Super Pursuit Mode also provides a 40% boost in speed beyond the car’s top speed of 300 MPH. When Super Pursuit mode is used at night some of the exterior and under the wheel arches glow red. The E•B•S (Emergency Braking System) slows KITT down from Super Pursuit speeds. It consists of a forward braking booster and air inlets that popped out to create air friction (air brakes). First used in Season 4, episode 70, “Knight of the Juggernaut.”
Thank you for this video it’s very impressive how much detail you go into to find where the SPM car was built from. I personally thought Super pursuit mode was the best and I remembered feeling sad when I found out the series didn’t go beyond the fourth season. Hopefully there are brighter days for us Knight Rider fans.
I didn't exactly care for the convertible portion of KITT but I absolutely love the super pursuit mode
You guys are giving new meaning to "Train Wreck Car"... for a good reason.
I was never a fan of Super Pursuit Mode, but this was an enjoyable watch.
sad to hear they all came from the train derailment situation so they had to be crushed, they would've been really cool to see them being used in a tour or at something similar to the Universal Studius Hollywood ride
Pretty sure super pursuit mode is now owned by my 17 year old neighbor, except it’s a 2003 Toyota and he’s attached everything he could find to the car while also removing the muffler.
Spunds like a misplaced honda owner
the term is "Bosozoku"
Thank you for being so diligent in tracking down what happened to these cars.
Thank you guys for saving this beautiful car
I love seeing what the mock up SPM/acid pit KITT looked like before Junkyard Dog.
Being 6 at the time SPM KITT was happy times!!!
the modifications to kitt for SPM makes perfect sense,, most of it is literally modern race car aerodynamic technologies
As a kid in the 80s we used to watch knightrider at 530pm on a saturday afternoon ITV in the UK....I couldn't wait for another episode to appear on my tv!! Just brilliant! Which goes to show that hard work on a tv show pays off!! 😉👍
The extra scoops are cool, but I can never escape feeling that the nose is silly.
Excellent work once again, gentlemen. Great deep dive into (and out of) the acid pit!
I’m really glad this channel exists
We are too ;)
Amazing, the things you can learn about Knight Rider here.
Thanks for researching and continuing our enjoyment of a brilliant TV show
So much fun with KITT back in the day. ..
Very informative video!
Can't wait for the 10 Wheel Trouble commentary!
When I was growing up in Burbank I saw this car before they ever used it for the show. My friends didn't believe me until the show came out lol.
At that time I was only able to watch the show on Austrian TV. I did not know anything about "Transformers", but I surely remember the awe it gaves me seeing K.I.T.T. unfold like that.
SPM was great and I liked the look of all the components protruding. What does bother me is the overspray of the black paint of the drivers side Dia-plane seen here at 2:51. You can clearly see the top right of the oval white circle has some black bleeding.
Only if all history lessons were as interesting as these Knight Rider history lessons
Other than being CRUSHED by the cars acually being crushed, I always enjoy these glimpses into the history of the show. 👍👍
Loved the Knight Rider Series, both of them. Trans Am & the Mustang, especially the Mustang...
I for one loved the SPM additions to KITT. It did the design justice, i had a function storywise and it gave us an upgraded favorite personage. SPM KITT was awesome, too bad it was the final season.
I always remember quotes from the show but have forgotten which episode. Some of my favourite ones:
Michael: KITT, football is like buttermilk, you like it or you don't.
Michael: it's the gun that's not loaded that's the problem.
Michael: [first time he sees inside of KITT] that looks like Darth Vader's bathroom!
I think the one I liked best was when he first drove KITT, wondered where the controls for the radio were (or something to that effect) and KITT calmly asks "What would you like to hear?"
I have to give you guys major respect for your amazing detective and research work on everything Knight Rider. Excellent work!
Not my normal corner of car-CZcams, but I have no regrets watching this. Kitt is right up there with the 'Vice Testarossa for favorite 80's hero car. The SPM transformation was mind-blowing to a younger me and ahead of it's time design-wise. Just look at the "race mode" on the McLaren P1 or Ford GT, fiction turned reality minus the rockets, lol.
I’ve never understood why people associate Miami Vice with the white Testarossa, for me it was all about the black Daytona, I guess the Testarossa fitted the times and themes better.
@@astonwards7236 First impressions in my case. One of, if not the first, episodes I watched was the one where they got the TR after the Daytona went up in smoke. As a ~10 year old or whatever I was at the time, it was the most beautiful thing I'd seen in my life. I have still not recovered from my mid-engine obsession, lol.
Awesome information. They did quite some recycling on the cars back then.
KNIGHT RIDER SPM & C?! Ultra cool vehicle!
SPM was my favorite feature! I was sad whenever a 4th season Ep aired that didn’t use SPM. But of course I was obsessed with any transforming vehicle, including Transformers and my other favorite cartoon at the time, MASK.
You know I never thought I would need to know about this T.V. show car from my childhood. I am glad you did this. Thanks 😊
Thaaaaanks Bro for Good Informaation About SPM K.I.T.T !! I'm Saad About What I Heard!😔😔 Greetings from Finland 🇫🇮🇺🇸🇫🇮🇺🇸
Honestly if Pontiac came back and made only KITT cars they'd be super famous. Of course they'd have to price them normally too.
it added even more fantasy for the younger viewers at that time :) fantastic !
you just reminded me of a huge continuity error in Knight rider. When bonnie rebuilt kit with her team of street mechanics they couldnt recreate the molecular bonded shell. Bonnie informs Micheal of this herself, yet for the whole of series 4 KITT drives through everything and anything without getting a scratch.
Also I thought it would be fun to point out the super pursuit aero is wrong, those dive planes on the nose of the car would make it take off faster than Peter Dumbreks mercedes not stick it to the road....
Loved this wee gem of info on the SPM cars..i was aware they used 2 cars for SPM,note the acid KITT car was never repaired after filming..which leads to think they had plans for the SPM cars well before s4 so decided to use the gutted out Trans-Am for the hydraulic car rather than repair it....
Joe,any chance of doing a special on the 2 blind drive KITT cars??...
Keep up the good work!!
Great stuff! I always wondered if the roof brake flap blocked the t-tops..
Personally as a life long Fan of Knight Rider I think it's a Damn Sacrilegious those Original SPM Cars were crushed.
Wow oh wow oh wow 🤩 . The video I’ve been waiting for Joe 🥰. Thanks soooooooo much 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
I remember very well when I saw it for the very first time it immediately recall to me the contemporary WRC B-Group cars, for example the Ram Scoop wich comes out from the top pillar remind those fitted on the 1985 Lancia Delta S4 Rally Car (it may also remind of those fitted on the 2001 Lambo Murcielago though) , also the front wings are peculiar, them remind of the '86 Pikes Peak Audi Sport Quattro.
I'm guessing the two convertible cars got scrapped as well. Appreciate your detective work, but the answer to the mystery is a real downer. A shame there wasn't a way to save these cars.
One of the convertibles still exists!
Super pursuit mode is one of my favorite cars :D
also transformers never crossed my mind when kitt transforms
They need just car channels like this for all classic movie cars. Like I want an in depth story and update on the original Bullitt mustang they found in a junk yard in Mexico of all places
I think SPM mode was way cool but far to often utilized taking away the cool factor after time.Seeing it light up at night was only used twice as well.
The retractable roof mode was accomplished by having only part of the car affixed to a boat trailer (don't know if that still exists?)The amazing thing was (and never shown) was the guy who designed and created it all ,Dennis Braid,( seen in the picture at 8:53 on the far left and also the picture at 9:00 with Jack Gill and George Barris)) actually made the metal work (B pillars,metal roof) from an actual trans am fold up and go into the back of the car.We only got to see the top part rise for a few seconds and then a fiberglass piece manually slid over the rear area to cover this. Then the shot was of a purpose made convertible with this area already fixed in place (movie magic).The engine in that car was a V6 too. I do know the actual static SPM car was crushed as i've briefly seen the wrecking ball picture and it was in line to be crushed.The actuator SPM car though i have no idea and always thought they used a mirror image to save having both sides made up.
Great research though guys and i'm loving the whole thing.Keep it up.
Also i've just noticed,the picture you have of George Barris standing with the SPM car and first Batmobile at 1:44 (i have this picture also),IS the actuator SPM car as the body side flap louvers(especially the lower one) are totally white and obviously with the actual deep air slots and exactly like the ones you see when these are filmed moving outwards.
If you look at the picture you have in hi def of the SPM car showing the air deflector(stone chip guard) missing at 8:50, you can see the side louver air holes are not real and some kind of fake hole illusion sticker/paint is used.They look flat. Nice too to think i have the picture of the actuator car very rarely (if ever )seen fully.
As for your comment on the inside of the SPM car usually not shown. I too noticed this as you can see if it is by the rear hatch being slightly elevated from the inside.Usually it was a normal mode car.
Great info though.
Dare I say it that in the promo KITT is sitting in the same firehouse used for the Ghostbusters firehouse interior?
OMG at 5:54 there is a beautiful late 70’s square body stepside 4x4 in the driveway.
I wish I still had my 79 Chevy custom deluxe stepside 1/2 ton 4x4.
I have no idea what to do with this information, but I'm glad to have it.
Well, that makes you a true history student! Don't bother with the causes of WW2. This history is more important!
Got the notification, immediately liked the video, watched the video, loved the video, thought 'let me like this video real quick'.....👍👀 ohhh...
I Loved Kitt
Love all your videos! Thanks for putting so much work into this channel and for being so awesome at keeping history with this show!!
Wow Joe, your attention to detail is amazing, and fascinating! I love your enthusiasm it takes me right back!!!!!