KITT: Should have been a Z06

[maverik]

I think the Z06 would have been a much better choice as shown here

I would have made the scanner longer
http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2007/10/ja ... posal.html

That just screams kitt 2008.

I can dream

[Reissuleipa]

You're right. Too bad that NBC didn't think so....it's not a Ford.

[Lost Knight]

Needs an entirely new front nose. The scanner is way too small as with other Photoshops of the Corvette I've seen. But I've also seen some with longer scanners and it looks like the scanner is just floating in the middle somewhere. I wonder if someone can make a Photoshop with a different nose?

[Solid Snake]

For the record, as far as I know GM was in the running for the part... but did not get it for various reasons, atleast that`s what I heard.

[d_osborn]

For the record, as far as I know GM was in the running for the part... but did not get it for various reasons, atleast that`s what I heard.

For the record? It was in the Ford press releaase... that's official enough for me. GM and Chrysler were trying to get their cars in the movie, but I guess Ford offered the most money. This thing is a two-hour Ford promo... nothing more.

[young-nyc]

yeah i posted something like this on the other thread




go corvette!!

[Solid Snake]

For the record, as far as I know GM was in the running for the part... but did not get it for various reasons, atleast that`s what I heard.

For the record? It was in the Ford press releaase... that's official enough for me. GM and Chrysler were trying to get their cars in the movie, but I guess Ford offered the most money. This thing is a two-hour Ford promo... nothing more.

Like it wouldn´t have been if GM had gotten the deal... and with what car? The Corvette... to expensive for TV.... Camaro... not really. That´s show biz these days, Transformers was the worlds most expensive Car commercial ever... Even in the 80´s the shows were nicely plotted commercials (maybe not so obvious as most modern shows and movies) so trust me... its not just Ford... heck it would have been the same if Yugo would have gotten the deal... all Yugo cars for the heroes... and the foes in Lada´s.

[Lost Knight]

The Corvette... to expensive for TV....

I'm not too sure about that. They're using the Shelby GT500KR, which is one of the most expensive models of the car. Its base price is going to be $55,000, I believe, but is going to end up costing a lot more because only 1,000 of them will be produced. The Corvette costs approximately what? $50-70,000? There's just as many of them to go around as the Mustang, and if the producers decided to go with it, they'd only be paying for 3 'Vettes, anyway.

[89IROCNDoug]

I'm not too sure about that. They're using the Shelby GT500KR, which is one of the most expensive models of the car. Its base price is going to be $55,000, I believe, but is going to end up costing a lot more because only 1,000 of them will be produced. The Corvette costs approximately what? $50-70,000? There's just as many of them to go around as the Mustang, and if the producers decided to go with it, they'd only be paying for 3 'Vettes, anyway.

I was thinking that at first too, but they are actually using Mustang GTs dressed up to look like the GT500KRs, so Solid Snake probably has a point there. The GTs run around $30,000 and the Corvettes are about $55,000. Granted you need to do a bigger performance upgrade to the Mustang for the stunt cars, but a fleet of Mustang KITTs would still be cheaper.

Also, the Corvette don't have a back seat, so that limits some creativity in the storylines.

[Knight452]

I know that many people are not to happy about kitt as a Shelby but let's be grateful that the show is back.I'll see what goes down in the premiere.here is something i came up with for the new kitt.i did not color it yet.

[Solid Snake]

Actually Mustang GT`s are really cheap in price, they are around 25K and its true what was said about the dressup. The cars used in stunts look like GT500 KR`s but they are not (atleast I think they aren´t, I know I would not use actual Shelby´s). Much like back in the 80`s the stunt cars were dressed Firebirds instead of actual Trans Ams. As for the Corvette, I think it would be very unsuitable for high end stunts, though it remains to be seen if the new Stang will Turbo Boost in the new pilot. I personally would have loved to see a Ford GT as a KITT, like the one I made some years ago for a poster... but that is also unrealistic because of the money and impossibleness to use it for stunts. Unless ofcourse they would use mock ups and replica`s like they did for the movie Wraith with the black Dodge Turbo Interceptor of which they made mock ups using body shells and VW Beetle chassis.

[Lost Knight]

Where was it revealed that dressed up GTs are being used instead of the Shelbys? I'm not a Mustang enthusiast as much as I am a Trans Am one, so I don't know what gives it away. Two other points I want to bring up: We shouldn't underesitmate NBC Universal's willingness to pay for cars and computer effects. They've spent $250,000 on the original Super Pursuit Mode car, for example. And if nbcviper is correct, they also spent $1.5 million an episode on Viper. Secondly, for practicality purposes, as you pointed out, Solid Snake, simple shells could always be used for the 'Vettes if they did indeed become too expensive.

As for them not being quite as suited for stunts, I'm highly doubting there will be any turbo boosts in this show, anyway. But if there are, the 'Vette seems to me to be approximately the same shape and length of the Trans Am, and the stunts worked for those cars, so why not the 'Vettes? You do have a point about the 2-seater issue, though, but that's nothing that the writers couldn't really work around. How often in the series were there people actually using K.I.T.T.'s back seat? I would say only about a handful of episodes.

[89IROCNDoug]

It was revealed from a Ford press release from the Ford Shelby GT500KR post on this forum about the cars actually being modified Mustang GTs:

For designers, the first challenge of creating a screen version of the "King of the Road" 2008 Shelby GT500KR, was that the car isn't even on the road yet. The solution was to go to Galpin Auto Sports (GAS) who is well-known for creating one-of-a-kind vehicles in the California market.

GAS had one week to create the new KITT, and they pulled out all the stops. Six people worked full time to create the Mustang that would be sent over to Picture Car Warehouse as the father of all the KITT derivatives and stunt cars.

Not only does KITT make its appearance as a GT500KR but Knight Rider fans get to see KITT in three modes – HERO, ATTACK and camouflage versions.

The HERO is a standard 540-horsepower Shelby GT500KR and the ATTACK is a further modified high-speed version.

The GT500KR is built up from a Mustang GT with an automatic transmission to facilitate the driving scenes, stunts, and camera work necessary to produce the great action scenes in the movie. Stunt versions were also built for doing all of the aggressive driving maneuvers.

Even if the Corvette would be much more expensive to use and even if the back seat was a concern, the Corvette would of been much better as KITT than the Mustang!

I know many Ford fans would disagree, but the vast majority of people would agree that the Corvette is much sleeker, sportier and smoother-looking than the Mustang. I also don't understand why the KI3000 should go backwards in terms of aerodynamics! If you put the same horsepower in both the Corvette and the Mustang, on a real long straight the Corvette is going to get from point A to point B quicker so FLAG should want KITT to be as fast as possible as well as blend in with other cars!

As far as stunt cars go, I totally agree with Lost Knight. The Corvette would work as good or better (I would think better) than the Mustang.

[Solid Snake]

Correct me if I am wrong here... but the Corvette is still fibreglass made yes? That could be a factor in turbo boosting... the cars shell would just fall apart. A solid steel plate car (like the TA and Mustang) would be much more suited for those stunts. But again I could be wrong about the Corvette still being fibreglass. Also the Mustang has its wheels right at the corners of the car, making it very stunt worthy compared to a car which does not have its wheels right at the very corners of the vehicle.

[Lost Knight]

Thanks for the info. I definitely missed that article. So the same mechanics that customize kids' cars on Pimp My Ride are the ones who designed the new Knight 3000. I'm not saying those guys don't do amazing work, but one aspect I always respected about the original K.I.T.T. was that he was not "pimped out" in the traditional sense and had his own unique look. I'm very disappointed that they didn't come up with anything new for the design that we haven't seen before. The Knight 3000 should not be: A) a car that will be available for purchase by the general public (if everyone was able to buy the original K.I.T.T., wouldn't that have taken the element of mystique away from the car?); and B) a car that follows trends of existing cars! The Knight 3000 should be a trend setter, not a follower. It's disheartening to realize that this basic line of reasoning was overlooked.