page_title: KITT
section_title: Features
hierarchical_section_title: KITT / Knight Industries Two Thousand (KITT) / Features
caption_attribution_description: Taken at the 2011 Canadian International Auto Show
context_page_description: KITT is the short name of two fictional characters from the adventure franchise Knight Rider. While having the same acronym, the KITTs are two different entities: one known as the Knight Industries Two Thousand, which appeared in the original TV series Knight Rider, and the other as the Knight Industries Three Thousand, which appeared first in the two-hour 2008 pilot film for a new Knight Rider TV series and then the new series itself. In both instances, KITT is an artificially intelligent electronic computer module in the body of a highly advanced, very mobile, robotic automobile: the original KITT as a 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, and the second KITT as a 2008–2009 Ford Shelby GT500KR.
  During filming, KITT was voiced by a script assistance with voice actors recording KITT's dialog later. David Hasselhoff and original series voice actor William Daniels did not meet each other until six months after the series began filming. KITT's evil twin is KARR which is an acronym of Knight Automated Roving Robot. KARR was voiced by both Peter Cullen and Paul Frees in season one and season three of the NBC original TV series, respectively, of Knight Rider.
context_section_description: The front-mounted scanner bar that, among other things, allowed KITT to see was a nod to the Cylons, villains from the TV series Battlestar Galactica, which had been created by Glen A. Larson, who also created Knight Rider and even used the iconic Cylon eye scanner audio to that effect.
  A refit in the 1985–86 season included the addition of "Super Pursuit Mode" and a convertible top.
  Computer AI
  KITT is essentially an advanced supercomputer on wheels. The "brain" of KITT is the Knight 2000 microprocessor which is the centre of a "self-aware" cybernetic logic module that allowed KITT to think, learn, communicate and interact with humans. He is also capable of independent thought and action. He always had an ego that was easy to bruise and displayed a very sensitive, but kind and dryly humorous personality. He also has an in-dash entertainment system that can play music and video, and run various computer programs including arcade games which Michael sometimes indulged in while KITT was driving. According to Episode 55, "Dead of Knight", KITT has 1,000 megabits of memory with one nanosecond access time. According to Episode 65, "Ten Wheel Trouble", KITT's future capacity is unlimited. KITT's serial number is AD227529, as mentioned in Episode 31, "Soul Survivor".
  Alpha Circuit
  KITT's "Alpha Circuit" is part of KITT's main control system which allows the CPU to drive the car. The time KITT's "evil twin" KARR spent submerged in water damaged his Alpha Circuit, which required KARR to have an operator to control his Turbo Boost function.
  Molecular Bonded Shell
  KITT is armored with "Tri-Helical Plasteel 1000 MBS" (Molecular Bonded Shell) plating which protects him from almost all forms of conventional firearms and explosive devices. He could only be harmed by heavy artillery and rockets, and even then, the blast usually left most of his body intact and only damaged internal components. The shell protected every part of the car including the tires. As a result, KITT's body is durable enough to act as a shield for explosives by driving over bombs to cover them and suppress the blast, ram through rigid barriers of strong material like cinder block walls or steel gates without suffering damage himself while damage to the car's structural integrity with its frequent long jumps on turbo boost is never an issue. The shell also protected him from fire and electricity; however, it was vulnerable to some potent acids and at least one formula was made (with knowledge of the shell's chemical base) to partially neutralize it. The shell is actually a combination of three secret substances referred together as the "Knight Compound", developed by Wilton Knight, who entrusted parts of the formula to three separate people. These individuals each only know two pieces of the formula, ensuring that any two of them could make more of the Knight Compound in an emergency situation and that no one person would be able to make it alone. The shell provided a frame tolerance of 223,000 lb (111.5 tons) and a front and rear axle suspension load of 57,000 lb (28.5 tons). In the pilot "Knight of the Phoenix", the shell is described as the panels of the car itself; in the later episodes, especially from season two onward, the idea of the shell being applied to a base vehicle chemically is used.
  Pyroclastic Lamination
  KITT is protected by a thermal-resistant coating that can withstand sustained temperatures of up to 800 degrees Fahrenheit (426 °C). First used in Episode 32, "Ring of Fire".
  Power System
  KITT is powered by the Knight Industries turbojet with modified afterburners and a computer controlled 8-speed turbodrive transmission. Specifications 0–60 mph in 2 seconds (1.37g), standing to quarter mile 4.286 seconds. Electromagnetic hyper-vacuum disc brakes: 14 foot (4.25 m) braking distance (70–0 mph – 112–0 km/h - 11.7g).
  Turbo Boost
  Used in most episodes, a pair of rocket boosters mounted just behind the front tires that lifted the car, allowing KITT to jump into the air and pass over obstacles in the road. Also, occasionally, Turbo Boost was used to allow
caption: KITT instrumentation (1st/2nd seasons)
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