KITT or K.I.T.T. is the short name of two fictional characters from the adventure franchise ''

Knight Rider ''Knight Rider'' is an American entertainment franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The core of ''Knight Rider'' is its three television series: the original ''Knight Rider'' (1982–1986) and sequel series '' Team Knight Rider'' (1997–1998) ...

''. While having the same acronym, the KITTs are two different entities: one known as the Knight Industries Two Thousand, which appeared in the original TV series ''Knight Rider'', and the other as the Knight Industries Three Thousand, which appeared first in the two-hour 2008 pilot film for a new ''Knight Rider'' TV series and then the new series itself. In both instances, KITT is an artificially intelligent electronic computer module in the body of a highly advanced, very mobile, robotic automobile: the original KITT as a 1982

Pontiac Firebird Trans Am The Pontiac Firebird is an American automobile that was built and produced by Pontiac from the 1967 to 2002 model years. Designed as a pony car to compete with the Ford Mustang, it was introduced on February 23, 1967, five months after GM's Ch ...

, and the second KITT as a 2008–2009 Ford Shelby GT500KR. During filming, KITT was voiced by a script assistant, with voice actors recording KITT's dialog later.

David Hasselhoff David Michael Hasselhoff (born July 17, 1952), nicknamed "The Hoff", is an American actor, singer, and television personality. He has set a Guinness World Record as the most watched man on TV. Hasselhoff first gained recognition on ''The You ...

and original series voice actor

William Daniels William David Daniels (born March 31, 1927) is an American actor, who is best known for his television roles, notably as Mark Craig in the drama series '' St. Elsewhere'', for which he won two Primetime Emmy Awards; the voice of KITT in the t ...

first met each other six months after the series began filming. KITT's evil twin is KARR, whose name is an acronym of Knight Automated Roving Robot. KARR was voiced first by

Peter Cullen Peter Claver Cullen (born July 28, 1941) is a Canadian voice actor. He is best known as the voice of Optimus Prime in the original 1980s ''Transformers'' animated series, reprising the role many times since 2007. He has also voiced many other ...

and later by

Paul Frees Solomon Hersh "Paul" Frees (June 22, 1920November 2, 1986) was an American actor, comedian, impressionist, and vaudevillian. He is known for his work on Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Walter Lantz, Rankin/Bass, and Walt Disney theatrical cartoons during ...

in seasons one and three, respectively, of the NBC original TV series ''Knight Rider''. A 1991 sequel film, '' Knight Rider 2000'', is centered on KITT's original microprocessor unit transferred into the body of the vehicle intended to be his successor, the Knight Industries Four Thousand (Knight 4000), voiced by

Carmen Argenziano Carmen Antimo Argenziano (October 27, 1943February 10, 2019) was an American actor who appeared in over 73 movies and around 100 television movies or episodes. He was best known for playing Jacob Carter on ''Stargate SG-1''. He had recurring role ...

and William Daniels.

Val Kilmer Val Edward Kilmer (born December 31, 1959) is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer found fame after appearances in comedy films, starting with ''Top Secret!'' (1984) and ''Real Genius'' (1985), as well as the military action film ...

voiced KITT in the 2008–2009 ''Knight Rider'' series.

Knight Industries Two Thousand (KITT)

In the original ''

'' series, the character of KITT (Knight Industries Two Thousand) was physically embodied as a modified 1982 Pontiac Trans Am. KITT was designed by customizer Michael Scheffe. The convertible and super-pursuit KITTs were designed and built by George Barris.

Development

In the history of the television show, the first KITT, voiced by William Daniels, was said to have been designed by the late Wilton Knight, a brilliant but eccentric billionaire, who established the Foundation for Law And Government (FLAG) and its parent Knight Industries. The 2008 pilot film implied that Charles Graiman, creator of the Knight Industries Three Thousand, also had a hand in designing the first KITT. An unknown number of KITT's systems were designed at Stanford University. KITT's total initial production cost was estimated at $11,400,000 in 1982 (Episode 5, "Just My Bill"). The 1991 movie '' Knight Rider 2000'' saw the first KITT (Knight Industries Two Thousand) in pieces, and Michael Knight himself reviving the Knight 2000 microprocessor unit, which is eventually transferred into the body of the vehicle intended to be the original KITT's direct successor, the Knight 4000. The new vehicle was a modified 1991 Dodge Stealth, appearing similar to the

Pontiac Banshee The Pontiac Banshee is a line of concept cars designed by Pontiac, assuming the role previously established by General Motors' Firebirds of the 1950s. Four Banshee "dream cars" were fabricated through 1988 as design exercises intended to estab ...

prototype. In the 1997–1998 spin-off series ''

Team Knight Rider ''Team Knight Rider'' (''TKR'') is an American action crime drama television series that was adapted from the ''Knight Rider'' franchise and ran in syndication between 1997 and 1998. ''TKR'' was created by writer/producers Rick Copp and David ...

'', KITT is employed as a shadow advisor. It is later revealed that "The Shadow" is actually a hologram run by KITT. In "Knight of the Living Dead", Graiman states a third KITT exists as a backup. When KITT is about to die, his memories are downloaded so the third KITT can use them. However, the third AI is not used in the end. While the 2008 pilot movie, and then the new series, appears to be a revamp of the original series, it offers some continuity from the original one. The "new" or "second" KITT (Knight Industries Three Thousand) is a different vehicle and microprocessor unit. In ''Knight Rider 2000'', it is stated that most of the Knight 2000 parts had been sold off. However, Graiman's garage in the 2008 pilot shows a more complete collection of parts than in the boxes recovered by Michael Knight in ''Knight Rider 2000''. The original Knight Industries Two Thousand is also shown in the pilot movie (although in pieces) in the scene where the garage of Charles Graiman (creator of the Knight Industries Three Thousand and implied co-designer of the original KITT) is searched by antagonists. A Trans-Am body (without its hood) is partially covered by a tarp, on which rests the rear spoiler. The famous KITT steering wheel (labelled "Knight Two Thousand") and "KNIGHT" license plate are also shown, along with numerous black muscle car body parts. When the camera shows a full scene of the garage, there are four other Knight two thousand cars being stored there. One has been taken apart, and 3 other complete cars. If you pause at the right moment all 4 cars are visible.

AI personality and communication

According to the series, the original KITT's main cybernetic processor was first installed in a mainframe computer used by the US government in

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However, Wilton saw better use for "him" in the Foundation's crime-fighting crusade and eventually this AI system was installed in the vehicle. KITT is an advanced supercomputer on wheels. The "brain" of KITT is the Knight 2000

microprocessor A microprocessor is a computer processor where the data processing logic and control is included on a single integrated circuit, or a small number of integrated circuits. The microprocessor contains the arithmetic, logic, and control circ ...

, which is the centre of a "

self-aware In philosophy of self, self-awareness is the experience of one's own personality or individuality. It is not to be confused with consciousness in the sense of qualia. While consciousness is being aware of one's environment and body and lifest ...

cybernetic Cybernetics is a wide-ranging field concerned with circular causality, such as feedback, in regulatory and purposive systems. Cybernetics is named after an example of circular causal feedback, that of steering a ship, where the helmsperson ma ...

logic module. This allows KITT to think, learn, communicate and interact with humans. He is also capable of independent thought and action. He has an ego that is easy to bruise and displays a very sensitive, but kind and dryly humorous personality. According to Episode 55, "Dead of Knight", KITT has 1,000

megabit The megabit is a multiple of the unit bit for digital information. The prefix mega (symbol M) is defined in the International System of Units (SI) as a multiplier of 106 (1 million), and therefore :1 megabit = = = 1000 kilobits. The megabit ...

s of memory with one

nanosecond A nanosecond (ns) is a unit of time in the International System of Units (SI) equal to one billionth of a second, that is, of a second, or 10 seconds. The term combines the SI prefix ''nano-'' indicating a 1 billionth submultiple of an SI unit ( ...

access time Access time is the time delay or latency between a request to an electronic system, and the access being completed or the requested data returned * In a computer, it is the time interval between the instant at which an instruction control uni ...

. According to Episode 65, "Ten Wheel Trouble", KITT's future capacity is unlimited. KITT's serial number is AD227529, as mentioned in Episode 31, "Soul Survivor". Modulador_de_voz_kitt_11-4-2020

KITT's Voice (Anharmonic) Synthesizer (for speech) and Etymotic Equalizer (audio input) allow his logic module to speak and communicate. With it, KITT can also simulate other sounds. KITT's primary spoken language was English; however, by accessing his language module, he can speak fluently in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

, French and much more. The module can be adjusted, giving KITT different accents such as in Episode 82, "Out of the Woods", where KITT uses a "New York City" accent and called Michael "Micky". During the first season, KITT's "mouth" in the interior of the vehicle was indicated by a flashing red square. In episode 14 "Heart of Stone", this was changed to three sectioned vertical bars, as this design proved popular with fans as part of KARR. KITT can also project his voice as a

loudspeaker A loudspeaker (commonly referred to as a speaker or speaker driver) is an electroacoustic transducer that converts an electrical audio signal into a corresponding sound. A ''speaker system'', also often simply referred to as a "speaker" or ...

or as a form of

ventriloquism Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is a performance act of stagecraft in which a person (a ventriloquist) creates the illusion that their voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered prop known as a "dummy". The act of ventriloquism is ve ...

(First used in Episode 48, "Knight of the Drones, Pt. 2"). KITT is in constant contact with Michael via a

comlink {{Short pages monitor *

External links

Bringing KITT Back!
as detailed in Project: K.I.T.T. {{Knight Rider Fictional cars Knight Rider characters Fictional artificial intelligences Fictional computers Television characters introduced in 1982 One-off cars Pontiac Fictional characters who can move at superhuman speeds de:Knight Rider#K.I.T.T.