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Interesting Facts About Kitt From ‘Knight Rider’ That Will Blow Your Mind

The Pontiac Trans Am was one the most successful cars to appear in hit movies and on TV. It had a massive string of successes that included appearances in ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ and ‘Knight Rider.’ The latter show was an especially successful run for the Trans Am at a time when the third-generation GM F-Bodies were providing questionable performance. The futuristic styling of the car and star David Hasselhoff put the TV show on the map. The ‘Kitt’ car, as it’s called, is one of the most influential TV cars to this day.

It showed the world that special effects and technology could be used on a television set as well as the big screen. It also helped Pontiac stay afloat at a time when the brand was transitioning from the muscle car era. There was a lot more to the Kitt car than just the outward appearance and a lot of planning went into it. We looked at some of the most interesting facts about Kitt and they may just blow your mind. Check them out here.

Photo Credit: Simki

Automotive Crime Busting Star

Before Kitt being the focal point of a TV show, there hadn’t been a network television show where a car was the focal point. Sure, you had the Dukes of Hazzard, but the infamous General Lee Charger wasn’t truly the focal point of the show. Kitt was a sidekick. Sometimes, it would display an attitude or humor depending on the episode. A lot of creative writing went into the show, and much of that was for the car (via TV Insider).

Photo Credit: Simki

Fans were enamored with all of the technology that went into the car. Also, the slick black styling of the Trans Am helped in general. Kitt went on to be one of the few crime-busting stars who just happened to be a car. Knight Rider was one of the most popular shows from the era and the car was a major reason for that.

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Strange 1990s SUVs Most Drivers Have Never Heard Of

Amongst many other things, the 1990s were a time when the SUV came into mainstream acceptance. All of a sudden, it was chic to drive an oversized behemoth that guzzled gas. The SUV is a versatile kind of vehicle, and back in the 1990s, they were big business. The most obvious success stories to come out of this decade were the Ford Explorer and the Chevrolet Tahoe, as well as the Jeep Grand Cherokee. But there were also a few strange SUVs that you might not have ever seen.

We looked back at strange 1990s SUV models that most drivers have never heard of. These were not your average SUVs and nowadays they’ve gone on to become collector’s items. See if you’ve ever heard of them right here.

Photo Credit: Motorious

1996 Bentley Dominator

To the common driver, the Bentley Bentayga is referred to as the company’s first SUV. And that’s true in the fact that it is the first mass-produced SUV with a Bentley badge on it. But that’s not necessarily the full truth, as there was a Bentley SUV that was specially built in 1996. The Bentley Dominator was a custom-built model for Hassanal Bolkiah, the 29th Sultan of Brunei, who has a car collection spanning 7,000 vehicles (via RRSilver Spirit).

Photo Credit: Motorious

When you have that much money you can afford just about anything, and that’s the case with the Dominator. The SUV had most of its parts sourced from Land Rover with the exception of the Bentley 6.75-liter V-8. There are only six Dominators that were ever built and they’ve rarely come up for auction.

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These Are The Best Cars Set To Come Out In The Next Five Years

It’s no secret that the car industry suffered a lot of problems in the last couple of years. From the global pandemic and chip shortage to the rising costs of materials, all of it spelled trouble for car brands. However, the future still looks bright for the auto industry since manufacturers are preparing to present a wealth of new models and technologies in the next five years.

As expected, most of those cars will be electric, but there are more than a few ICE-powered cars that will be on sale. We will also see the debut of new names as well as the return of old ones. New classes will be added, and the existing ones will get new players. Here are the best cars that are set to come out in the next five years.

Photo Credit: Top Gear

Hyundai N Vision 74

After excellent reception by car fans and the car press, Hyundai decided to put this fantastic concept into production. We don’t have an exact release date or specs at the moment. But, astonishingly, this incredible design will be born as a production car (via Top Gear).

Photo Credit: Hyundai

Presented last year, the N Vision 74 is one car we can’t wait to see on the road. Blending ’70s aesthetics with modern material and technology, the N Vision 74 looks like a long-lost concept car but with a modern twist, which was precisely the idea behind it. It was well-received and car fans are now waiting to see in what exact form will be resurrected. Will it have a hybrid or hydrogen powertrain, or will it be fully electric? A turbocharged ICE engine? At this point, it’s anybody’s guess.

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Looking for a project F-100

Reflecting back on my life I found myself reminiscing about the times spent in a garage with friends working on my 1971 Datsun 510 and 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle. Both cars long gone because of life events I longed for another project… or two. So I bought a 2000 Yamaha Road Star and a 1969 Ford F-100 Ranger. All original the F-100 has a 360 cubic inch engine under the hood, and is the long bed 4×2…

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Long-Time GTO Affair

I purchased my first car a 1966 Pontiac GTO in May of 1968, and never parted with it. After enjoying the car for years, I performed a frame off restoration on the old gal that was completed in 2016. The car was originally built from the factory with a 389 cubic inch engine, 4-bbl carburetor, but now has been upgraded to a period correct factory Tri-Power setup and factory front disc brakes.

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Father/Son Malibu

When I was younger I used to race, legally and illegally, in the N.Y. / N.J. area. I made some money and won quite a few trophies at the track. About 13 years ago, my youngest son, after asking me about racing and the Muscle car era I grew up in, asked me if we could find something to build together. I naturally said yes! We found a 1981 Malibu 2 door coupe that someone had converted from a 6cyl.

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My First and Only Classic Car?

I got into the car hobby in the 80 s with my late brother John. It started by going to local car and cruise nights and elevated from there. John found a 1957 ford retractable from Iowa that needed work and bought it and drove it as is. As for me I never dreamed I would own or could afford a classic car but it all changed one Saturday morning in 1988. In the Boston Globe that morning one 1967 chevy…

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The Queen of Oklahoma

This photo is of my 1973 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow, taken on Rt. 66 in Oklahoma. She was originally purchased by Vogue Magazine in London and made it to America in 1984 to a banker in Ada, Oklahoma. His estate sold it to an exotic car dealer in Kansas City where I acquired her in 2014. She is Caribbean Blue with tan leather interior and only 67,000 original miles. She has won several car shows and…

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1970s Cars That Deserve More Credit Than They Get

One of the most forgotten and overlooked decades of the automotive industry was the 1970s. With the fuel embargo and the fact that automakers had to downsize cars in size and power, the decade didn’t have very many hits overall. For the most part, it wasn’t a very exciting time in automotive design. But there were still quite a few well-known cars that came out of the decade. And some of these hidden gems have come to light recently.

Indeed, car enthusiasts are starting to experience more and more of what the decade had to offer. Cars like the AMC Gremlin that were once considered obsolete have now become classics. Even the Pinto-based Mustang has started to gain a decent following these days. It could even be said that the decade wasn’t as bad as most enthusiasts remember it being. Many of the cars had their own unique style, whether it was the velour interiors or the move toward digital dashboards there was a lot to like about the decade in general. We looked back at some 1970s cars that deserve more credit than they get.

Photo Credit: AMC

AMC Gremlin

If there’s one car that’s synonymous with cheap ’70s hatchbacks, it was no doubt the Gremlin. The car was designed and sold by cash-strapped AMC in an attempt to jump on the economy car craze of the decade. With stiff new competition from Honda and Toyota, domestic automakers had to come up with a plan. AMC recycled a lot of parts from their existing vehicle line and it showed in the quality of the car (via Motor Trend).

Photo Credit: Hot Rod

While the Gremlin wasn’t the most technologically advanced car, it did have a unique design. The interior of the Gremlin was a lot larger than other compact cars at the time, and that was one of the best-selling features. The Gremlin had a 304 V8 engine, which was unheard of in a compact. Its body was widely used in NASCAR and dirt track racing. There’s no denying that the Gremlin was one of the most underrated cars of the decade.

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Surprising Facts About The ‘Starsky and Hutch’ Ford Gran Torino

There have been many memorable cars featured on TV shows over the past several decades. From the original Batmobile in the early ’60s to Walter White’s beige Pontiac Aztec on Breaking Bad, many cars have become part of a popular subculture. Along those lines, millions of viewers will immediately recognize the bright red 1974 Ford Gran Torino from the legendary TV show “Starsky and Hutch.” This even includes car fanatics who weren’t born when this show was first on the air.

Even though the show and its plot are easily forgettable as a template of the “buddy cop” genre, the car isn’t. Overall it’s one of the most recognizable cars ever to be featured on television. Building on that recognition, the story of this famous red Gran Torino is an interesting one for car fans to dive into. We dove into the surprising facts about this legendary TV car you probably don’t know, so check them out right here.

Photo Credit: Motor 1

“Striped Tomato”

This nickname for the Gran Torino was used throughout the show but wasn’t part of the script. In fact, when producers saw the car, they weren’t very enthusiastic about the model and its color combo so they called it “Striped Tomato.”

Photo Credit: Ford

However, writers adopted the phrase and used it in dialogue, so the nickname stuck. After all, a big red Ford Gran Torino coupe couldn’t be called any different (via Star Cars). Now, the nickname will go down in auto history just like the car itself.

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