Most bizarre KITT auction to date

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Most bizarre KITT auction to date

Post by Michael Pajaro » Thu Dec 20, 2007 1:15 pm

Remember when George Barris had his big car auction in 2005 and sold the replica from Benchwarmers? We now know it was purchased by real estate developer Andrew Kissell who was murdered last year (case is still unsolved). His KITT is being auctioned off by the estate on eBay.

http://wcbstv.com/consumer/knight.rider ... 15014.html

What makes the story bizarre is the final sentence: "His brother, Robert Kissel, died three years ago in Hong Kong when his wife fed him a strawberry milkshake laced with poison and bludgeoned him to death with a statue."
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Re: Most bizarre KITT auction to date

Post by The Shadow » Thu Dec 20, 2007 1:31 pm

So the KITT that's up for auction is a replica used in the movie The Benchwarmers instead of an 'original' like the article states?

Definitely a weird auction though...
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Re: Most bizarre KITT auction to date

Post by Michael Pajaro » Thu Dec 20, 2007 1:40 pm

I was at the auction in 2005. I spoke with George Barris and with one of the organizers of the auction about KITT. They took some liberties with the way they promoted the car.

By putting pieces of the puzzle together (and making a few wild speculations), my theory is that the body of the car was one of the vehicles used during the series. Not as a "Hero car" for close up shots, but for long-distance driving shots or things like that. Barris took that car many years later and modified it to make it resemble the Super Pursuit Mode KITT. (It was not a good replica, with virtually no dash modifications) The car appeared on "The Nick & Jessica Variety Hour". The car was then given a brand new KITT dash built by Sony and appeared in the film Benchwarmers.

So although the frame of the car MAY have had some early connections with the original series, I believe it was (and is) misleading to promote it as an "original KITT."
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Re: Most bizarre KITT auction to date

Post by neps » Thu Dec 20, 2007 3:18 pm

i saw that article this morning - and all I could think was how you could not pay me to take that car. The idea of the bad mojo probably associated with it gives me the heeby jeebies.

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Re: Most bizarre KITT auction to date

Post by Joe Huth » Thu Dec 20, 2007 3:36 pm

Am I the only one who can't find it on Ebay?

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Re: Most bizarre KITT auction to date

Post by knight rider uk » Thu Dec 20, 2007 3:45 pm

Joe Huth wrote:Am I the only one who can't find it on Ebay?

Joe
your not alone i cant find it as well :kitt2: -kitt where are you :kitt:
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Re: Most bizarre KITT auction to date

Post by KITTfan » Thu Dec 20, 2007 3:48 pm

Maybe it was used as a KARR :shock: :karr:

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Re: Most bizarre KITT auction to date

Post by Michael Pajaro » Thu Dec 20, 2007 5:17 pm

Vampire Knight posted the auction link on Knight Registries:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... 0198485742

It is a very poor auction: Bad typing, no photos, and they call it a "Grand Am".



http://knightregistries.com/forums/inde ... pic=5750.0
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Re: Most bizarre KITT auction to date

Post by KRAvengerII » Fri Dec 21, 2007 10:55 am

i just saw it mentioned today on MSN, along with a pic I've never seen before.
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Re: Most bizarre KITT auction to date

Post by HungarianKnight » Fri Dec 21, 2007 12:24 pm

I guess this Kitt joins the list of the cursed cars: James Dean's, Hitler's and Franz Ferdinand's four-whelers...

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Re: Most bizarre KITT auction to date

Post by scottab21 » Fri Dec 21, 2007 3:59 pm

Very interesting, yet kinda creepy... :?

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Re: Most bizarre KITT auction to date

Post by Nelson B » Sat Dec 22, 2007 2:42 pm

:kittconv: I see the auction has ended. A high bid of forty thousand dollars. Reserve not met. They should of taken the money and RUN!!!! The seller has ended the auction early because the item is no longer available???? Looks like sombody has been had.

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Re: Most bizarre KITT auction to date

Post by Joe Huth » Sat Dec 22, 2007 5:54 pm

The auction appears to have been suspended:

http://www.nbc30.com/entertainment/14912475/detail.html

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Re: Most bizarre KITT auction to date

Post by Lost Knight » Sat Dec 22, 2007 6:45 pm

Michael Pajaro wrote:It is a very poor auction: Bad typing, no photos, and they call it a "Grand Am".
It's sort of an unwritten rule on eBay that poorly written auctions will not be as successful as they should be. If the car isn't accurately described, or doesn't even have a picture (not to mention having the wrong car name!), it looks unprofessional and shady, especially if it's supposed to be a television prop.
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Re: Most bizarre KITT auction to date

Post by Nelson B » Sat Dec 22, 2007 8:43 pm

It also says the car was never picked up? So I wonder if it was ever paid for? And will the new owner have to pay a whopping storage bill since it appears the car has been parked at the auction house for over 2 years????

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