Kitt's "Shell" came back when in season 4?

[MIKEMAC]

see this from another thread...

Garth got the formula in "Goliath". There were 3 people, each of whom knew 2 of the 3 components. No one person would know the formula, but any two of them would. Garth got the formula by getting his mother (Wilton Knight's widow) to kidnap two of the people (one of whom was Devon), so they could assemble the formula.

I ageee 100%, It wasn't until last year that I never understood how Kitt was "bulletproof and stuff" again, I always thought that as a kid, but last year we all talked about on this board about when he got his shell back. The statment above is as bold as you can get to that answer. But I know there are some fans that still think he didn't have his shell anymore, I mean they never talked abut it and the purpose of SPM was to replace it, then again Kitt would be useless without it, but here is my one question, you know how in "Golith" one of the 3 people know the formula, but didn't 2 of them die?, not 1? so that means only devon would know it's 2 of 3, and you need all 3 componites, how did they recreate it with only Devons' info?

[Akaihiryuu]

I'm pretty sure that the whole no-one-person-knows-the-entire-formula thing was a safeguard in case someone outside the Foundation tried to get ahold of it. I'm sure that within the Foundation itself there was either already a supply of it or they had a way to make it.

[pewter 02ws6]

I mean they never talked abut it and the purpose of SPM was to replace it, then again Kitt would be useless without it

the purpose of SPM was not to replace the MBS it was to gain 40% more speed. they even mention that KITT was only 50% done when Michael takes him after being rebuilt. Bonnie even told Michael that she didn't have time to apply KITT's MBS yet.

[finalfadeout]

I think the fact that KITT was protected by a "shell" was added on later in the series as a convenient plot device by the producers....It is implied in the pilot that invulnerability is not a consequence of some external coating that can be removed, but rather that KITT is comprised entirely of the substance, and there's nothing to remove. It's a similar continuity gripe to the way Devon also says "It's not paint" in the pilot, yet we see KITT being painted in Junk Yard Dog.....

In fact, since Devon clearly says that KITT is not metal but a "new substance", unless RC3's street gang did some pretty intense chemistry on the side, they more than likely used ordinary chopped parts to rebuild KITT....So much for the "new substance"!

Well since that's the route they decided to go then for Knight of the Juggernaut, KITT was indeed vulnerable like an ordinary car without the shell, but SPM wasn't intended as a permanent replacement for it, only an added feature that could help make up for the loss of the shell for the time being so they could deal with their current situation.

[Skav]

It's a similar continuity gripe to the way Devon also says "It's not paint" in the pilot, yet we see KITT being painted in Junk Yard Dog.....

I think Devon meant that the MBS wasn't in the paint itself but a new substance as he explained straight after.

So in JYD, you see michael paint KITT but then it could be implied that they sprayed KITT with the MBS chemicals right after he was painted.

Same thing in Goliath when they made the truck, they were spraying the MBS over the body.

KOTJ's climax definetely suffered in terms of nitpicks because of this "no MBS" plot device ie KITT turbo boosting and landing without a scratch...the car's body would have collapsed under such an impact.

[Knight Rider Archive]

According to the script of "Junk Yard Dog", when Michael is spraying the black "paint" onto K.I.T.T., he is in fact applying the Molecular Bonded Shell. It's interesting that in all the scripts (and novels) the shell is a black substance (Goliath was also originally intended to be black). Since the later shows ("Junk Yard Dog" and "Knight of the Juggernaut") bend the rules a little, I'd interpret Devon's statements in the pilot that the "new substance" is created when the MBS is applied, thus creating the alloy. Remember, Devon didn't think highly of Michael at that point, so could have been deliberately confusing.

As far as "Knight of the Juggernaut" is concerned, K.I.T.T. either had the Shell by the happy ending in the park, or applied again very soon after. It wasn't a case of K.I.T.T. having no MBS during Season 4 -- there's no way they would have survived any of the episodes (in "Kittnap", Martin notes that "It's bulletproof!"; in "Many Happy Returns" and "Killer K.I.T.T." they survive impacts from missiles).

After Goliath, Devon and one other person know the formula (working for the forces of Good). Since the "other man" was "alive and well in Switzerland", we could assume that this was Dr. Von Voorman (introduced in "Junk Yard Dog"; Bonnie states that he is in Switzerland). However, I doubt that Elizabeth and Garthe could have manufactured the formula on their own (they had what seemed to be a team of scientists and mercenaries working on Goliath). So it's possible that some others acquired the formula too (perhaps even Adrianne in "Goliath Returns"), and it would have been interesting to see if those loose ends were picked up in later seasons had the show survived.

[kittknight1979]

Note that in Many Happy Returns, KITT takes a rocket shot and nothing happens to him. It think that it might be earlier because in Sky Knight, KITT goes through that mine field and nothing happens to him. Also note in Wrong Crowd that KITT drives over the grenade and nothing happens to him when it goes off. I guessing that KITT got his shell back in Sky Knight.

[Akaihiryuu]

KITT got his shell back "off camera" either during or right after Knight of the Juggernaut. Once they rescued Jennifer and Devon, they would've been able to restore the shell. They just didn't have the necessary materials or equipment for it in the semi or RC3's garage. It was either right before the "C" button demo, or right after it (since that was the end of the episode that'd mean that he got his shell back between episodes).

[MIKEMAC]

don't get me wrong, I don't think that SPM was to replace the shell, but Bonnie said that i gave kitt a 40% increase in speed cause he is to vulnerable without his shell, so for THAT episode, it was his replacment, after it, he had both, his shell back and SPM.

[Major Ursa]

So it is posible that KITT regained its indrestuctable ability.

[themarvelous3]

don't get me wrong, I don't think that SPM was to replace the shell, but Bonnie said that i gave kitt a 40% increase in speed cause he is to vulnerable without his shell, so for THAT episode, it was his replacment, after it, he had both, his shell back and SPM.

i'm not sure but i think that a grain of sand striking the car at SPM speeds would cause indescribable damage at that velocity without the shell. its much like the deflector dish on star trek...a piece of space dust could have pulverized the ship at impulse without it.