Well, like the title says,I was having again a Knight Rider fix and thought about the movie, if it ever comes to the silver screen. Seeing and reading some old proposals of how KITT should be looking by some members here, I really question, if they do a sense of the right feeling of how KITT should look like. It's not a Mustang Shelby, not a Camaro, not a Lambo, BMW, Honda Civic, Aston Martin (too associated with Bond), Jaguar, Mecedes CL, Cadillac, or any other abomination that has no related design lineage with the original KITT of '82. SORRY, WHAT ARE YOU SOMKING?!
See, the recent years concept cars are designed good, but lacks the dynamic, the "driving at 250 kph" while standing still kind of design - look at the Pontiac Banshee. But I have to say, some elements of the cars are very well done which could be incorperated into the new KITT, which must share as much similarity as possible. Even today when I watch the desert intro of KR, it still gets me. I couldn't nail it, why? Why is this intro so captivating? As a 10 year old munchkin, every Tuesday evening at 19:15 on the german RTL TV and Fridays, I guess at 19:00 on the dutch channel, I was glued to the screen, watching this black incredible car with the red scanner coming at high speed from the desert.
I guess I now know the answer, it was the design of KITT, Michael Scheffe did a more than wonderful job on turning a stock TA into the car of tomorrow. The pointy front bumper nose, that replaced the flat ones is one of the most genius approach ever made as well as the dashboard and upper console, which featured the first LED readout in a car ever in the world (AFAIK, KITT was really the first one!), it made it look more smooth and speeding. The bowling ball hubcaps also made it look very futuristic compared to the then used ones (5 star,3 star, 6 star spokes and the net like ones), the taillight covering.
These designs have to be carried over to the new KITT, which has to share the lineage - it doesn't matter, if the car is american or not, as long as it has a modern edge to the Scheffe design. Like the 2008 Acura Advanced Sportscar NSX concept, where the front nose screams Knight Rider!
But where are the great concept car designers? I only see Ford recently, who are having a futuristic approach, that goes to the direction where KITT is, design wise. If KITT should ever see the silver screen, I would say, it'll be better to completely go the concept car route, with lot's of stunt cars and beauty cars as well as remote cars, built with fiberglass like they did with Transformers' Bumblebee. You can create the "real" car of tomorrow without having the trouble seeking a real car to turn into it, since it's a fictious car.
The front nose only lacking the red scanner and the black paintjob:
If only cars are still designed like this *sigh*:
The sleeking and dynamic look of Scheffe's design:
Ford 2005 Iosis steering wheel like a modern version of KITT's gullwing:
Elements on cars of other cars (NOT THE CAR ITSELF) I like, which would look good on the new KITT, like the foglights:
Front intake/foglights of the Hyundai Genesis - like the season 1 KITT:
foglights/protruding foglight bumper Honda part:
headlights of the Honda Civic 2011:
or the indirect taillights of the BMW:
