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Ideal modern KITT

Posted: Wed Nov 17, 2010 9:04 pm
by roDa
First of all, let me introduce myself. I'm a fan of KR, and although I haven't finished watching the third season (I'm on my way of finishing it all), I love the series. I started watching it on Turner Classic Movies and loved it since I watched it for first time. I'm a guy from Uruguay (here's Montevideo, the city where the engineer from "Knightlines" was supposed to come after destroying the building :P )
Regarding to the topic, I believe that KI3T doesn't hold up to the original KITT, based on looks. I mean, how can a MUSTANG replace KITT? It's far too boxy. I understand what people says about it being an american car, but I also think that what really matters when choosing a car is its appropriateness. The GT500 is sooo unsuitable for being KITT!
I was thinking that a Mercedes SLS could do the job. I mean, it's awesome, and it's similar to a T-top with those gullwing doors. The only downsides I see are it's price and it being a two-seater. Aside from that, it's next to perfect. A Maybach could also be really good, but it just costs far too much (the Exelero costs about 8 million).
For americans, I'd go with a prototype such as the Ford Shelby GR1, but here we are, facing the seat number problem again. A prototype would be best since KITT must be the "car of the future".
Cheers :-D
EDIT: Just saw the Chevy Corvette Stingray Concept, now that's a hell of a sleek american car! Much better than the 'stang. And waaay cooler, of course.

Re: Ideal modern KITT

Posted: Thu Nov 18, 2010 10:40 am
by roDa
I suppose no one has a clue about a suitable car :?

Re: Ideal modern KITT

Posted: Thu Nov 18, 2010 5:07 pm
by Knight94
The Camaro would be great, if GM will go for it. They kiboshed the idea for the KR08 pilot & series.
Maybe they'll be more receptive for the movie, should that happen. The Mustang from the 08 series
is a good possibility, too. These are the best two for the movie, despite the suggestion by some that
a foreign car be used. I stand by the Mustang or Camaro, because they're domestic brands, and I want
to see a domestic as KITT.

Re: Ideal modern KITT

Posted: Thu Nov 18, 2010 7:39 pm
by roDa
The problem I find with both the Mustang and the Camaro is that both of them are boxy. KITT shouldn't be boxy.
I was thinking... What about the Mustang Giugiaro Concept? It's much sleeker than any other new Mustang :P A Ford GT would be fine, too. Somebody suggested (in this forums) that a Factory Five could be used. I see it as a cool possibility too. What I couldn't bear to see would be a ricer. God save me from that. Can you imagine some random Toyota being KITT? That would be disastrous. I think that the keyword for the suitable car is "sleek"...
Cheers :D

Re: Ideal modern KITT

Posted: Thu Nov 18, 2010 10:02 pm
by WIBoomer1
Imagine this in matte black with the scanner up front...i think these photos say it all...

http://jalopnik.com/5692474/if-pontiac- ... s/gallery/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Ideal modern KITT

Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 3:47 am
by Victor Kros
Knight94 wrote:The Camaro would be great, if GM will go for it. They kiboshed the idea for the KR08 pilot & series.
Maybe they'll be more receptive for the movie, should that happen. The Mustang from the 08 series
is a good possibility, too. These are the best two for the movie, despite the suggestion by some that
a foreign car be used. I stand by the Mustang or Camaro, because they're domestic brands, and I want
to see a domestic as KITT.
- Actually, GM did not turn down NBCU for the new series or 2 hour backdoor pilot, NBCU turned them down in favor of Ford's offer. I believe GM has been more than receptive to lending their cars to television and motion pictures from Transformers to (the now defunct) My Own Worst Enemy, and the forthcoming movie Jinn.

=VK=
:dash:

Re: Ideal modern KITT

Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 7:57 am
by roDa
WIBoomer1 wrote:Imagine this in matte black with the scanner up front...i think these photos say it all...

http://jalopnik.com/5692474/if-pontiac- ... s/gallery/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I think it could be great. It has a huge "wow factor" :D

Re: Ideal modern KITT

Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 1:32 pm
by Pierre
kitt is design to be a futurustic car ok .Larson choose the trans am because back in 82 it was really sleek .For a movie the budget is not the same I think an already advanced car like the audi R8 high stress body resistant with a body made of aluminium magnesium alloy ,AWD ,R tronic tranny (7 gear)Double clutch that mean better fuel economy and better exploited power when needed than a manual tranny . Laser body panel welded and adjusted ,simply the way a high tech car like should be made in my opinion.

Re: Ideal modern KITT

Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 1:50 pm
by Matthew
roDa wrote:I think it could be great. It has a huge "wow factor" :D
It has a huge something alright, but "wow factor" isn't the description I'd use. :lol: ;)

Matt

Re: Ideal modern KITT

Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 2:12 pm
by roDa
Matthew wrote:
roDa wrote:I think it could be great. It has a huge "wow factor" :D
It has a huge something alright, but "wow factor" isn't the description I'd use. :lol: ;)

Matt
LOL :lol: I find it "wow" because it's really strange and futuristic with that nose, and in general :P
Pierre wrote:kitt is design to be a futurustic car ok .Larson choose the trans am because back in 82 it was really sleek .For a movie the budget is not the same I think an already advanced car like the audi R8 high stress body resistant with a body made of aluminium magnesium alloy ,AWD ,R tronic tranny (7 gear)Double clutch that mean better fuel economy and better exploited power when needed than a manual tranny . Laser body panel welded and adjusted ,simply the way a high tech car like should be made in my opinion.
But an AWD car could make certain things impossible, such as the truck ramp stunt... You need two "free wheels", it doesn't matter if front or rear (Minis with FWD made it back in 1969, in "The Italian Job"). An AWD car would make the stunt impossible because the spinning speed of the wheels is different between the ones on the truck and the ones on the road. Although AWD allows for different spinning speeds, the speed difference would be too much for it to handle. KITT would either have to enter the truck when it's stopped or when it's moving slower than itself, in neutral.

Re: Ideal modern KITT

Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 5:09 pm
by Pierre
I'm not sur but the quattro system used on Audi's is a bit more complicated ans sophisticated than a simple AWD I'll make some search ^^ In a movie theay also can modify the car by removing the tranny shaft to avoid the front wheels to rotatate

Re: Ideal modern KITT

Posted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 7:59 am
by roDa
It's AWD, as simple as that (AWD is integral wheel drive, or "permanent" 4WD). It's, as you said, more sophisticated than regular 4WD, but it cannot handle speed differences such as the ones experienced when climbing a moving ramp. As you can see in Mythbuster's reproduction (search for "Mythbusters Big Rig" in youtube and you'll find it), the front wheels move at about 5mph while the others move at 55mph. That's too much for any AWD system to handle. Of course CGI could be used, but real effects are always waaay cooler. (As you can see comparing KR2008 to KR1982)
Cheers :D

Re: Ideal modern KITT

Posted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 4:22 pm
by kitt34
roDa wrote:The problem I find with both the Mustang and the Camaro is that both of them are boxy. KITT shouldn't be boxy.
I was thinking... What about the Mustang Giugiaro Concept? It's much sleeker than any other new Mustang :P A Ford GT would be fine, too. Somebody suggested (in this forums) that a Factory Five could be used. I see it as a cool possibility too. What I couldn't bear to see would be a ricer. God save me from that. Can you imagine some random Toyota being KITT? That would be disastrous. I think that the keyword for the suitable car is "sleek"...
Cheers :D
Except that the camaro looked a much better fit for KITT than the mustang, don't give me wrong, I Love mustangs, but this was also the reason KR 08 failed.

Re: Ideal modern KITT

Posted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 4:35 pm
by roDa
I must agree with you that the Camaro was a much better fit, however, I believe it wasn't good enough (for being boxy, as I said before). It's important to remember that 3rd gen Camaros and Firebirds weren't pony cars, but sports cars instead (despite being underpowered).

Re: Ideal modern KITT

Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2010 9:39 pm
by kitt34
roDa wrote:I must agree with you that the Camaro was a much better fit, however, I believe it wasn't good enough (for being boxy, as I said before). It's important to remember that 3rd gen Camaros and Firebirds weren't pony cars, but sports cars instead (despite being underpowered).

Let's hope the camaro would be kitt for the big screen version of knight rider.

Re: Ideal modern KITT

Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2010 10:28 pm
by james olden
to my opinion if pontiac was still around and if they still was making trans ams then maybee the 2 hour pilot an series wouldve had pontiac trans am for the 2008 movie and series.

Re: Ideal modern KITT

Posted: Mon Nov 22, 2010 2:58 am
by Pierre
I hope for either a corvette ZR1 or something slick :mrgreen: and to me the body of the mustang I mean from the windshield to the trunk area look more futuristique on the mustang than on the camaro in mine opinion .I'm pretty sur Larson choice will be something nobody expect ^^

Re: Ideal modern KITT

Posted: Mon Nov 22, 2010 9:21 am
by roDa
A Corvette could be really good :D
Too bad KITT must be a 4 seater (I'm not sure why, it could be just fine being a coupé in my opinion)

Re: Ideal modern KITT

Posted: Mon Nov 22, 2010 10:51 am
by Knight-Armen
First of all, let me introduce myself. I'm a fan of KR, and although I haven't finished watching the third season (I'm on my way of finishing it all), I love the series. I started watching it on Turner Classic Movies and loved it since I watched it for first time. I'm a guy from Uruguay (here's Montevideo, the city where the engineer from "Knightlines" was supposed to come after destroying the building :P )
Regarding to the topic, I believe that KI3T doesn't hold up to the original KITT, based on looks. I mean, how can a MUSTANG replace KITT? It's far too boxy. I understand what people says about it being an american car, but I also think that what really matters when choosing a car is its appropriateness. The GT500 is sooo unsuitable for being KITT!
I was thinking that a Mercedes SLS could do the job. I mean, it's awesome, and it's similar to a T-top with those gullwing doors. The only downsides I see are it's price and it being a two-seater. Aside from that, it's next to perfect. A Maybach could also be really good, but it just costs far too much (the Exelero costs about 8 million).
For americans, I'd go with a prototype such as the Ford Shelby GR1, but here we are, facing the seat number problem again. A prototype would be best since KITT must be the "car of the future".
Cheers :-D
EDIT: Just saw the Chevy Corvette Stingray Concept, now that's a hell of a sleek american car! Much better than the 'stang. And waaay cooler, of course.
It's not about what kind of vehicle they should have used. It's about the writing, the characters, the budget, the ENTIRE production. As far as I'm concerned a Beetle would have done a better job if all other aspects of the show had been well thought out (I exaggerate for effect).

Everyone liked the Pontiac in the 80's TV show. Today; however, we are all over the place with ideas of what car they should have used. Point being, neither a Corvette nor any other car with a similar resemblance to Kitt would have made a better turnout for the series without a proper base to start from.

Re: Ideal modern KITT

Posted: Mon Nov 22, 2010 12:39 pm
by kittmicrojam
I feel that the car must be sleek, fresh & modern. Also it has to be cost effective. To make the movie right without to much CGI,You need several cars. I do agree It needs to be the car of the future in today's time.
The camaro/cadilac is not that car. Somethig Black - Dark - Pointed. Somthing KNIGHT.

Re: Ideal modern KITT

Posted: Mon Nov 22, 2010 12:47 pm
by kitt34
kittmicrojam wrote:I feel that the car must be sleek, fresh & modern. Also it has to be cost effective. To make the movie right without to much CGI,You need several cars. I do agree It needs to be the car of the future in today's time.
The camaro/cadilac is not that car. Somethig Black - Dark - Pointed. Somthing KNIGHT.

I Disagree with you about the camaro, sure it's boxy, but it's sleek and beautiful.

see this photo at

Image

Re: Ideal modern KITT

Posted: Mon Nov 22, 2010 1:27 pm
by Kal-el4
The camaro could be used as an viable KITT, but so can the Mustang. The two links I am about to post, are links from my site where I designed my own concept of an Mustang Knight 2000. http://flag2.weebly.com/my-ki2t-concepts-exterior.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and http://flag2.weebly.com/index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Let me just say that this took me a little over two years to get the design right, and that it was ironic for FORD to choose rims that mirrored the look of Pontiac's old turbocast rims for the Trans Ams from 1982-1991. The rims I am using though, are from FORD's 2011 GT California Special edition Mustangs.

Re: Ideal modern KITT

Posted: Mon Nov 22, 2010 2:13 pm
by Pierre
to me it need a low front end like the vett the audi R8 and other cars like that

Re: Ideal modern KITT

Posted: Mon Nov 22, 2010 2:46 pm
by Kal-el4
Pierre wrote:to me it need a low front end like the vett the audi R8 and other cars like that
Pierre, if you lowered the front end, the front bumper would scrape against the roads, ruining the front bumper.

Re: Ideal modern KITT

Posted: Mon Nov 22, 2010 4:57 pm
by Pierre
I don't mean a lowered car but a front facia like the original kitt not a brik like the camaro or the mustang