Weird high-concept shows peppered the big three networks of the 1980s. The weirdness of Manimal and Automan couldn’t find a steady audience, but shows such as Airwolf and Alf stuck around long enough to solidify a place in the zeitgeist. But none of them could top Knight Rider and its automotive star K.I.T.T. (Knight Industries Two Thousand), a talking car that drove itself, had an arsenal of weapons, and for some unknown reason could jump when the turbo boost was enabled. David Hasselhoff played Michael Knight, the crime-fighting human protagonist of the series.
Turns out Hasselhoff has had his own personal K.I.T.T. vehicle stashed away for the past few decades, and now the actor is auctioning off this piece of television history. According to the auction description, the 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am conversion is a fully functioning K.I.T.T. car, although don’t expect any weaponry or the vehicle actually helping you solve crimes while it doles out droll observations. Instead, from the posted photos we see that the dash lights up like a crime-fighting Christmas tree, and we’re betting the Cylon-esque series of red lights on the hood are functioning.
The influence of the show and especially of K.I.T.T. is still being felt today. Self-driving cars that talk to you are still works in progress. Maybe they won’t solve crimes or leap into the air, but we do have swanky smartwatches like Michael Knight’s that can control some features of current vehicles on the road.
A bonus of this auction is that if the final vehicle price exceeds the reserve by 25 percent, David Hasselhoff will personally deliver the car to the new owner. The chances of that occurring are extremely good; the current bid is $975,000, and the original estimate for the vehicle was between $175,000 and $300,000. The auction is set to end on January 23. There is one rub, though: the car is currently in the U.K. But if you’re willing to bid a million dollars on a TV car, you’re likely the type of person with the means to transport it to your home, along with the star of Baywatch and America’s Got Talent.