This was a great show for both the computer geek and car fanatic in all of us.  The 1982 Pontiac Trans Am (known as the Knight Industries Two Thousand -K.I.T.T.-) had everything in it, unlike the sci-fi vehicles of today's television shows.

Here's a little list of what it had or was capable of doing;

- It could jump over most anything, it had an auto-drive capability allowing it to drive by itself, had puncture proof/lava resistant tires, jamming signals, could override vehicles, could drive other vehicles, open all doors - windows - T-Tops - hood and hatch by itself, a major computer on wheels, could link up to other computers, open door and pad locks, create smokescreens and oil slicks, talk, tap phones, trace phone calls, parachute for emergencies, full duplex video teleconferencing, play video games, and much more.

Here is my tid-bit list below;

    On a few jumps, they used a dune buggy with a Pontiac T/A body on it.  Look on some of the jumps that show the underneath of the car and you can see through to the windshield.  When this car was suppose to be driving automatically, the seat had another seat underneath it.   The back of the 2nd seat was actually sitting against the back seat with a cover over the back of the front, 1st, seat that stretched over to the bottom of the back seat to cover the stunt driver.  Every time a button was pressed, listen closely and it sounds like the touch tones on a phone.  Also, on the newer episodes, look at where all the other accessory buttons are located.  They are all directly located under the Turbo Boost button.

Here are a few photos of the original K.I.T.T.---

    This mode of K.I.T.T. was named the Super Pursuit Mode.  K.I.T.T. was capable of 40% more speed in this mode and was able to stop on a pinhead with the Super Brake System, which were three air-brake panels that popped out to assist the normal brake system.  The brake panels are shown in this photo, one is on the roof and the other is the very back panel behind the door.

    Here's a photo of K.I.T.T. jumping over a lake with the assistance of his Turbo Booster Rockets which are able to be adjusted to suit the degree of projectory.

    These two photo's show the old and new dashes for K.I.T.T. The newest dash being on the bottom. The new dash does have a monitor, but they gave Michael a one bigger monitor instead of two little ones.

And here is the K.I.T.T. convertable.  A very nice addition to K.I.T.T. in the later years to make him look like a true sports car.

    There was an NBC movie made, like a reunion in 1990 (I think), that was called Knight Rider 2000.  The original K.I.T.T. was sold for parts and the foundation built a prototype car, but during about ¾ of the movie it was just a plane robot car, no pizzazz.  Then Michael Knight, the star by the way of the original series, put K.I.T.T.'s electronics back together and put it into the prototype and made the car actually better.  Here's a look at the new K.I.T.T.

    Now I have some news for a few of you out there.  There are a lot of web sites that tell you about both the series, the movie, and the rumored Team Knight Rider.  When they say that the new K.I.T.T. (or K.I.F.T.) is referred to as a Pontiac Firebird, they are WRONG!!! The new K.I.T.T. is a Pontiac BANSHEE.  Perhaps the car was a couple cars with fiberglass to make it look like it does right now, however the car is supposed to be one of Pontiac's prototype cars, the Banshee.

SOURCE: Volo Auto Museum
The Volo Auto Museum Presents TV's 'Knight Rider' Stunt Car K.I.T.T.
VOLO, Ill., March 27 /PRNewswire/

-- K.I.T.T. -- the Knight Industries Two Thousand -- earned the title: "The World's Most Incredible Car.'' James Bond's Aston Martin DB5 was just child's play by comparison, and it was amazing. It did lots of stuff.

But KITT could do it all.

The onboard computer thought and talked, sensed nearby dangers.

KITT could race to 200 miles per hour.  And Turbo-Boost let KITT jump over 50 feet to clear obstructions. And if obstacles were unavoidable, KITT'S molecularly bonded shell let it hit, crash and smash its way through.  KITT was virtually indestructible.   Even bullets could not penetrate the shell.

Now for the tricky stuff: KITT could X-Ray objects and buildings, perform chemical analyses on the spot, analyze people's voices as a lie detector, even eject unwanted visitors.  The best part, KITT could analyze injured people's vital signs and call for appropriate assistance.

When situations were getting complicated, KITT interfaced with Michael (David Hasselhoff) through his wrist communicator.  And Michael could call KITT to come to his rescue at any time.

Simply put, KITT was in control at all times.  And Michael -- well -- he was the thinking car's man.

Volo is delighted to display such a car. Kids of all ages love our KITT.  Enjoy watching it's incredible dash console at work.  Yet to some TV fans, the fascination is with the stunt car.  A perfect miniature of KITT -- a mere 2 feet long -- this was the KITT that did the 50 foot leaps and hard landings.  And the wear and tear of its hard life show.  It's a bit beat up, but provides an insight into some TV secrets.

The Dukes of Hazzard's General Lee, like KITT, did its acting on the ground.  But other full size Dodge Chargers, hundreds of them, did the leaps, crashes and smashes.   The little KITT stunt car did the work of all those Dukes' General Lee's, and survived in amazingly good shape.

TV Alert: The Volo Auto Museum also has Bo Duke's own General Lee on display, along with several other Famous Celebrity cars.  More? HOLY HUBCAPS! How about the world's most recognizable car.  It's on display.

The Volo Auto Museum is located in the village of Volo, Illinois, about an hour northwest of Chicago and an hour southwest of Milwaukee near the intersection of Illinois highways 12 and 120.  The Auto Museum's four salons are open 7 days a week from 10 to 5.   And all 250 collectible cars are for sale.  The three Antique Malls with some 300 antique dealers add to the good times Volo Country Village has to offer.  In celebration of its 40th Anniversary, the Volo Auto Museum has planted 100 trees, created extensive flower gardens and a park with classic fountains and benches for the fun loving weary.