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Specs For the New KITT 195

Posted by Zonk from the a-shadowy-flight-into-the-dangerous-world dept.
An anonymous reader writes "The upcoming made-for-TV Knight Rider movie features an all-new version of the Knight Industries Two Thousand (KITT). Popular Mechanics has the 'specs' for the original Hasslehoff-mobile, as well as for the digital-effects enhanced version in the 2008 production. 'Designer Harald Belker, who has created the Batmobile for Batman and Robin and a next-gen space shuttle for Armageddon, came onboard to give the new KITT. a unique look. "The goal was to make it look more aggressive without being hokey or garish," Belker says.'"
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Specs For the New KITT More

Specs For the New KITT

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  • I'm a little confused. Do those fall under "news for nerds," or "stuff that matters?"

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Rei ( 128717 )
      I agree. Especially given that we just had a slashdot article on a car that actually matters (the Aptera [popularmechanics.com]). Who cares about Knight Rider?

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by darkhitman ( 939662 )
      Actually, it falls under ",".
    • Neither. But one thing did strike me. As a run of the mill and fairly low budget (by American standards) series Knight rider had an interesting component that is often overlooked. The interface with KITT was exclusively voice and nobody thought twice about it being 'realistic'. And here we are more than two decades later and we still don't have voice recognition or natural language processing that even comes close to what is displayed so off-handedly in the series. I often wonder what kind of peaceful resul

      • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

        by Hognoxious ( 631665 )

        The interface with KITT was exclusively voice and nobody thought twice about it being 'realistic'.

        So? They had talking computers in Star Trek before that.

        And here we are more than two decades later and we still don't have voice recognition or natural language processing that even comes close to what is displayed so off-handedly in the series.

        Possibly because it's not the universal man/machine interface panacea that the uneducated think it is.

        • "So? They had talking computers in Star Trek before that."

          Not the same. Do you remember Short Circuit? Here's a little quote:

          "You have to talk computer to him."
          *hand raised in the air* "How robot. Me- friend."
          "I said speak computer, not Apache." (Note: She means the Indian language, NOT the webserver!)

          People still had to know how to speak to the computer. KITT, on the other hand, interacted as if he were human. He was aware of the situation and all of the context surrounding it and inteacted according
    • "I'm a little confused. Do those fall under "news for nerds," or "stuff that matters?""

      It's specs for a fictional super-car! How is that not news for nerds?

      Uninteresting? Perhaps. Non-nerd-news? Uh, no. This has a chick repellent factor of 9.

  • I'm confused? (Score:4, Funny)

    by edwardpickman ( 965122 ) on Saturday December 22, 2007 @02:30AM (#21788816)
    What's hokey about a male model and a talking car that fight crime?

  • Science Fiction vs outright fantasy (Score:5, Insightful)

    by stox ( 131684 ) on Saturday December 22, 2007 @02:33AM (#21788834) Homepage
    300MPH to 0 in 12 feet? Sure, let's calculate the G's from that. Somehow I missed the specs for the inertial dampeners. What really peeves me is that this is Science Fiction that is too lazy to try to conform to the realm of possibility rather than exceed those limits to make a really good story.

    • Assuming constant acceleration (Score:5, Informative)

      by aepervius ( 535155 ) on Saturday December 22, 2007 @03:06AM (#21788994)
      Assuming constant acceleration A, speed increasing linearly A.t (speed=0 at t=0), meaning it reaches a distance X=A.t^2 (t=0 then x=0) transforming mile into furlong (sorry I meant meter) means at 12 foot it has roughly 4 meters, and a speed of roughly 300*1.6=480 km-1. Now I don't want to make complex calculation, so I will assume it will have over the 12 foot an average speed of (480+0)/2=240 km.h-1. Which is 130 meter.second -1 (we go for rough estimate). It will so take it roughly 0.03 second to make that distance of 4m with an average speed of 130 m.s-1. Since we know that X=4meter=A.T^2 and t=0.03 we get A=x/t^2=4225 meter.s-2. For reference g=9 m.s-2 so he will feel a force of 470 g roughly. Naturally I bet there are some errors in the above particularly how I calculate the time it takes.

      • Re:Assuming constant acceleration (Score:5, Informative)

        by Fuji Kitakyusho ( 847520 ) on Saturday December 22, 2007 @03:23AM (#21789054)
        300 miles / hour x 5280 ft / mile x hour / 3600 s = 440 ft / s a=(Vf^2-Vi^2)/2d a=(0^2-440^2)/(2*12) a=8066.67 ft/s^2 standard gravity = 32.174 ft/s^2 therefore, 8066.67 / 32.174 =~ 250 g. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the highest g-force endured was 82.6g for 0.04 seconds on a water-braked rocket sled by Eli L. Beeding, Jr., at Holloman Air Force Base on May 16, 1958. He was hospitalized for three days. Using that number, this still means that the new KITT is capable of stopping three times faster than the maximum rate within survivability limits supported by evidence.

        • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

          by martin-boundary ( 547041 )
          The key is that KITT uses a self-directed tachyon beam which is powerful enough to induce locally a Lie dragging of the metric. In layman's terms, the car takes really thirty seconds to slow down, but the light from the red cylon eye thingy makes it so that time flows backwards to four seconds afterwards, while the car's incessant talk distracts the driver when it happens.
      • That make it a factor 4 error on the accelration A calculation. (I had taken 480 kmh as average speed instead of 240). Don't really matter. Red-meat-mash ex-driver is still dead as dead can be. even at 125g. This is why I hate tv-sf.

        • Re:OOps forogt a factor 2 (Score:4, Informative)

          by MichaelSmith ( 789609 ) on Saturday December 22, 2007 @03:47AM (#21789116) Homepage Journal

          Red-meat-mash ex-driver is still dead as dead can be. even at 125g

          I was going to debunk you by quoting John Stapp [wikipedia.org] but found what I wanted at David Purley [wikipedia.org]

          He survived 179 gravities.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by Nimey ( 114278 )
            Assuming that's even true (the Wiki article didn't have a link to the Guinness World Record people) the article stated he had many broken bones and apparently was never 100% again.
        • At least with shows like StreetHawk and Automan the driver/occupant got banged up a little bit in those hi-g moves.

          Then again, in Automan, I always just expected somewhere deep in my twisted childhood psyche to see the door open on some soup pour out on the group.

          "Otto! What did you do?!"

      • Re:Assuming constant acceleration (Score:4, Insightful)

        by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 22, 2007 @03:57AM (#21789136)
        Why you gotta make everything so complicated?

        Assuming constant deceleration, you'd average 150 mph over the 12 feet. Do the calculation [google.com]: 250 g.

        Another way to think about it: if you were to run that car into a solid wall at 300mph, the front might crumple 6 feet. Going from 300mph to 0 in 12 feet is about half as severe as just driving into a wall.

        Or a little worse than driving straight into a wall at 200mph. Whee.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by teslar ( 706653 )

          Going from 300mph to 0 in 12 feet is about half as severe as just driving into a wall.
          At least there's no car crumbling all around you in this case, for whatever that's worth ;)
      • For the upcoming show, the wanna-be actors have to act out a scene that's invented on the spot by the producer. When they pass this test, they undergo the second test: a nice slap in the face with a sledgehammer. To emulate KITTs acceleration.
      • You don't need to work out the time. You just need the right SAVTU equation. What's SAVTU, you ask? Well, read on.

        For any constant acceleration problem, one can calculate all of the following values if three of them are known:
        S=distance (or displacement)
        A=acceleration
        V=final velocity
        T=time
        U=initial velocity

        S: V=U+(A*T)/2
        A: S=((U+V)/2)*T
        V: S=U*T+(A*T^2)/2
        T: V^2=U^2+2*A*S
        U: S=V*T-(A*T^2)/2

        Each equation is listed by which variable it does not use. So, for the KITT problem, we know V. We kno
    • Nothing in the specs states anything about driver protection, so I guess it'll simply involve an endless string of cloned Knightriders :-)

      I was hoping anyone with better physics knowledge than I would be able to calculate the impact energy. To take almost 2 tonnes of steel down from 300 mph to 0 in about 12 feet (apparently calculated as a deceleration of about 250g) means you have to get rid of a godawful amount of kinetic energy in a very short time. Hell, that's not even going to look good on FILM.. W
    • "Power output can't be measured in Attack mode."

      Sigh.
    • Plus, all wheel drive is for girls! Why would anyone have anything but a rear-wheel drive mustang...makes no sense.
    • Dude. It's KITT! Why do you think that there has to be someone in the car? As long as the car won't fly apart at these G rates perhaps it makes sense!

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by hab136 ( 30884 )

      300MPH to 0 in 12 feet? Sure, let's calculate the G's from that. Somehow I missed the specs for the inertial dampeners. What really peeves me is that this is Science Fiction that is too lazy to try to conform to the realm of possibility rather than exceed those limits to make a really good story.

      The car can drive itself; if there are no passengers and the car can withstand 470g, then what's the problem with braking that fast? No doubt the car brakes slower with passengers so as not to kill them.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by ubrgeek ( 679399 )
      Really? What really peeves me is Hasselhoff's popularity is too lazy to try to conform to the realm of possibility ;)
    • You're forgetting that the car can drive itself. I'm sure the shows creators have considered the g forces involved with the braking and plan to only use it when there is no driver present.

      Yeah who am I kidding... They are gonna ignore it... It would be an interesting theft counter measure though. Bad guy stills KITT. Gets it up to 300mph. Kitt jams on the breaks. Mushy bad guy.

      MG
    • " Somehow I missed the specs for the inertial dampeners."

      Actually... The original KITT had something called the Passive Laser Restraint System. That phrase would appear on the monitor whenever KITT went into Super Pursuit Mode. It was supposed to imply something like an intertial dampner. If you get bored, type Passive Laser Restraint into Wikipedia. (Although it won't tell you much more than I just said.)

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by exley ( 221867 )
      Dude, this is The Hoff we're talking about here. If the man can have any kind of career despite being David Hasslehoff, he can survive anything!
  • Clearly a fantasy story because anyone really wanting to design a powerful fast car and put a supercomputer with AI in wouldn't be using a Mustang. Heck, I would go with something like the Mazda RX8. It at least looks sporty and in some ways quite similar to the original KITT. Of course, it isn't American so I'll no doubt get modded down by y'all.....
    • Clearly a fantasy story because anyone really wanting to design a powerful fast car and put a supercomputer with AI in wouldn't be using a Mustang. Heck, I would go with something like the Mazda RX8. It at least looks sporty and in some ways quite similar to the original KITT. Of course, it isn't American so I'll no doubt get modded down by y'all.....

      You also need to ask yourself whether those extra air-foils at the back are really necessary and not simply extra drag. I don't know, but the new KITT makes me

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by emc ( 19333 )
      Of course, it isn't American so I'll no doubt get modded down by y'all.....

      Surely, you're kidding.
      Mazda [mazdausa.com] is owned by Ford [ford.com].

      Then again, so is Jaguar, Land Rover, and Volvo.
    • i was kinda hoping they'd use the new Camaro
      http://homepage.mac.com/atomicshark/08-CAMARO-FR-ATOMICSHARK.jpg [mac.com]
      http://homepage.mac.com/atomicshark/08-CAMARO-BK-ATOMICSHARK.jpg [mac.com]
      btw Mazda is American. and even if not would you expect Germany to not use a Porsche/Beemer?

  • That Car... (Score:2, Insightful)

    by MorderVonAllem ( 931645 )
    ...doesn't fit. When I see that I don't see KITT and that should be what I see immediately. Looks pretty ugly...

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Fizzl ( 209397 )
      Yeah. Definitely Hokey.
      It looks like a butcher job pimp-my-ride ricer toyota.

    • Lack of elegance (Score:3, Insightful)

      by CarpetShark ( 865376 )
      They seem to misunderstand what KITT was. KITT was sleek, and elegant. It had class. And it was something we all imagined we might have some day. Until the producers get what the old show had, they should stop trying to reproduce it with horrible bulky cars.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Belial6 ( 794905 )
      No kidding! That car isn't even close to being a KITT. Right off the bat, since it is a mustang, it is specifically designed to look like a 1960's car . Then, there doesn't seem to be a red light on the front. The red light on the front was how you knew that KITT was a sentient super car. And the Specs are just stupid. Instead of being a super car, it is now a magic car.
    • I wonder if they're going to make a sequel where KITT is a van. The sequel-sequel could have KITT as a dump truck or maybe a tractor. After that... I don't know, maybe a hovercraft or a motor-sled.

  • Impossible Tech (Score:5, Insightful)

    by AKAImBatman ( 238306 ) <`akaimbatman' `at' `gmail.com'> on Saturday December 22, 2007 @02:37AM (#21788860) Homepage Journal

    this virtual Stang comes tricked out with a supercomputer that can hack almost any system; a very capable weapons system; and a body--thanks to nanotechnology--that's able to shape-shift and change color at will.

    For the love of all things Holy, can we please stop making shows with impossible (or at least highly improbable) technology? KITT was really fun in the 80's, primarily because of a misconception about AI. It was felt at the time by the public (and to a lesser degree by actual AI researchers) that the only thing holding a computer back from sentience was enough computing power. 20+ years of research has since disavowed us of that notion.

    Otherwise the original show was reasonably good about keeping the tech on the level. KITT was powered by Gas Turbines (good!), had laser weaponry (okay), was capable of computer graphics (actually, that's almost amusingly primitive at this point), and had an ultra-strong "Molecular Bonded Shell". (Unlikely, but at least within the realm of possibility.)

    The show tried doing the "ridiculous tech-thing of the week" when they brought on the April character, but that didn't go over all that well. Eventually they dropped it and got back to showing solutions that didn't involve Deus-Ex Machina plot devices.

    While I understand the need for suspending disbelieve, I just can't help but think that it would make a more enjoyable show if they simply tried to ground and enhance what was already presented in the original show. Updated with modern communications technology, satellite data, reconnaissance methods (could you see KITT launching UAVs? :P), eves dropping tech, weapons technology, and computer control, KITT could be pretty damn cool without crossing the line into unbelievable territory. Which would, of course, force the writers to write rather than relying on the gadget of the moment. ;-)
    • You know that a "molecular bonded shell" IS nanotech, right?

    • For the love of all things Holy, can we please stop making shows with impossible

      Since most computers these days are eminently hackable internet connected windows boxes, I reckon the can hack almost any system bit is feasible.

      Certainly more so than it was 20 years ago.

    • While I understand the need for suspending disbelieve, I just can't help but think that it would make a more enjoyable show if they simply tried to ground and enhance what was already presented in the original show. Updated with modern communications technology, satellite data, reconnaissance methods (could you see KITT launching UAVs? :P), eves dropping tech, weapons technology, and computer control, KITT could be pretty damn cool without crossing the line into unbelievable territory. Which would, of course, force the writers to write rather than relying on the gadget of the moment. ;-)

      I think they tried that... Team Knight Rider [wikipedia.org] perhaps. I only watched a couple of episodes but I seem to remember automobiles that could morph into cycles or some nonsense. It only lasted a season.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by brunes69 ( 86786 )

      Otherwise the original show was reasonably good about keeping the tech on the level. KITT was powered by Gas Turbines (good!), had laser weaponry (okay), was capable of computer graphics (actually, that's almost amusingly primitive at this point), and had an ultra-strong "Molecular Bonded Shell". (Unlikely, but at least within the realm of possibility.)

      Yeah - it was especially believable how KITT could control other cars and electronics by sending commands to them through the ether.

    • (could you see KITT launching UAVs? :P),

      The TV show Viper did it 10 years ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtJLlQYs1rY [youtube.com]. In some ways it was better than Knight Rider, but not without it's own rediculous technologies. Transformer style "morphing", EMP guns, harpoon cables fired from little gun pods on the sides able to suspend a musclecar without breaking etc. But no 0-60 in 0.2 seconds, and no talking car. Which is a bit of a shame, KITT was always the best part of Knight Rider IMO.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Nimey ( 114278 )

      Which would, of course, force the writers to write rather than relying on the gadget of the moment. ;-)
      What've you got against Star Trek: Voyager?
    • I hear those atats are only preliminary. The final New KITT will have deflector shields, multiple phaser banks and an engine that goes from 0 to Warp 11 in 0.002 seconds. It will also be organic and self-healing, have time-jumping capabilities and be able to destroy planets with a single attack (howevr, since New KITT needs to be on the planet during the attack, this capability will virtually never be used - only about every fifth episode). It also will derive its energy from hydrogen fission.
  • Let's see Transformers comes out on the theaters, and they pick a Mustang... http://images.google.com/images?q=barricade+mustang+transformers+movie&btnG=Search+Images [google.com]

    Now we get a remake of Knight Rider, and they pick the same car.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by jmauro ( 32523 )
      It was actually a Saleen S281E [wikipedia.org]. The rights to the cars we're bought by GM so all the cars had to be GM, no Fords or Volkswagons allowed. Why else would Bumblebee be a Camero instead a Beattle. The only exception was Optimus Prime, which was a Peterbuilt, because GM doesn't make Semi-Tractors.

      My guess is that the rights for the new Knight Rider were bought by Ford so it had to be a current production model car. It's sad, I really like the old Pontiac Trans-Am. It lent a air of 80's cool, like the
      • Actually Volkswagen won't let the Beetle be used for any "violent" toy. So that explains the Camaro situation and also why no Transformer Bumblebees will ever be Beetles.
    • Well even if a boatload of cash from Ford wasn't involved, you have to consider that there are two major iconic American sports cars...the Corvette and the Mustang (there are many others that are well known, like the Viper, but none nearly as popular as those two). It probably fits the general audience better by choosing one of them.

      • Must be boatload... (Score:3, Informative)

        by Junta ( 36770 )
        Well, the Viper already had it's supercar TV commercial... er... show in the 90s, but either way, it's not nearly as ubiquitous as the Mustang design or the Corvette design.

        Anyway, in the 90s, also, Ford essentially bought out Knight Rider anyway (after my consultation with Wikipedia). In 1997, a show called Team Knight Rider made a brief appearance with a whole set of Ford vehicles.

        After the 1991 flop (which GM was still involved with), the 1997 flop, you'd think Ford/NBC would be able to guess that 10 ye

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by CmSpuD ( 995334 )
      And a Mustang GT500 in I Am Legend too. [zercustoms.com]

      Maybe I'm just a little bitter 'cause I'm not a fan of the new Mustang, but it's appearance didn't seem necessary in the film at all.

  • How long will it take... (Score:3, Funny)

    by cvd6262 ( 180823 ) on Saturday December 22, 2007 @02:42AM (#21788894)
    I give it 5 minutes before a physics nerd RTFA and then calculates the force of the 0-60MPH and brake times and concludes it would rip out a human aorta.
  • Unfortunately, I can't find the original PVP Online [pvponline.com] strip, so you'll have to settle for this forum-bastardized version [galacticabbs.com].

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by Antity-H ( 535635 )
      here is the original

      http://www.pvponline.com/2007/01/24/turbo-boost/ [pvponline.com]

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Alsee ( 515537 )
      [galacticabbs.com]

      Ok, my bad, I clicked the link but I was extremely puzzled for a few minutes trying to figure out why someone named the site Galactic Abbs dot com... the page was clearly dedicated to Battlestar Galactica and I was imagining some fan with a fixation on sexy (male?) abdominal muscles of actors on the show.

      It was a creepy minute or two, half afraid of what answers I might find on the front page of the site.

      And on that note, here are a couple (current and former) genuine website addresses:
      Who [whorepresents.com]
  • WTF? A 2008 Mustang looks nothing like an 80's Trans Am!

    A modern Corvette [chevrolet.com] would make so much more sense. Of course there are cooler, more exotic choices, but I think to be most consistent with the original series, it should be a GM car that's relatively common. And the Corvette has a similar body style to the 80's Trans Am.
    • Is whoever pays the most to be the supercar. Remember that commercial^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hshow that featured the Dodge Viper when it was new?

      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        by Dracos ( 107777 )

        Well then, it this case it was Ford.

        Years ago I read that Ford has a majority stake in the 3rd largest marketing firm in the country (but I can never remember the name of it), which explains why Mustangs appear in everything. Is there any other explanation why a performance car based on a platform that debuted in 1978 could survive the next 26 years on its own merits? (Yes, I know the 1994 Mustang was "all new", which structurally amounted to a new roofline, increased length and width, and crossmembers a

    • No no no! No Corvette! No Mustang! Those are just all-american-lazy-fat-ass-comes-with-soda-cup-holder excuses for a car. No! Trans-Am was a real car! You need a real bad ass car for Knight Rider! And when you want bad ass car the only choice is black BMW M3, CLS preferably. And you know what... you need a real man to drive that car, you need David Hasselhoff to play the part of Michael Knight not some lame excuse for a man.

      Actually I'm little disappointed that they haven't recruited Hasselhoff to do the m

      • oooh... and KITT... he could pronounce his English with a German accent... that would be the comedical twist ;-)
        EOr make him somewhat cranky (computers have advanced and while transitioning between more or less increasingly powerful hardware platforms for the last 20 years, KITT has developed a more defined personality) and have him curse in German. A bit like Firefly had all curses in Mandarin.
    • Well, depending on what's considered canon...

      (This post is off to a bad start)

      * Domino from Team Knight rider was a Mustang

      and

      * The car in Knight Rider 2010 was a Mustang

      So it's not like there isn't a history of the franchise using Mustangs...
  • Two wings in the back, generally riced out looking... nope, not the least bit garish...

  • A Mustang? awwww... (Score:5, Funny)

    by xx01dk ( 191137 ) on Saturday December 22, 2007 @04:16AM (#21789186)
    I mean, I'm sure it will be totally awesome and all, but it's like if they brought back the A-Team and used a Honda Odyssey as the van.
  • I remember two things

    1. Before Knightrider came on the air they advertised a 800 number you could call to get the specs of the KITT compared to the Dukes of Hazzard General Lee. Even as a pre-teen I thought it was rather stupid to promote a fictional car as being superior to another semi-fictional car.

    2. This used 5 years down the road as a creative use for 800 numbers.

    But I regret not picking up copies of the this advert... it would have likely been e-bay able when Hasslehoff's popularity was tops in Ge
  • I believe the appropriate phrase is "you fail it".
  • No iPod connector. No backseat DVD player. No hybrid engine. Lame.

    The "Pimp my Ride" guys do better.

  • My KITT would be the Pontiac again, with some NFSU-like changes:
    • change the pop-out headlights for something that is more pedestrian-friendly
    • lower the suspension a bit
    • change the wheels and rims to something showing less rubber and more carbon
    • change the velvet interiors to black leather or whatever BMW uses
    • add some neon for Super Pursuit Mode
    • change the dashboard to something with a consistent colour scheme. Maybe the one they use for Start Trek NG. Or Apple iPhone.

    The rest was just fine, just have the

  • All aboard the failboat (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Atario ( 673917 ) on Saturday December 22, 2007 @06:54AM (#21789642) Homepage

    "The goal was to make it look more aggressive without being hokey or garish," Belker says.
    Then I think your even-more-ridiculous-than-usual double spoiler has induced massive goal-fail.

    • Re:All aboard the failboat (Score:4, Interesting)

      by Alsee ( 515537 ) on Saturday December 22, 2007 @09:53AM (#21790560) Homepage
      They need to drop the KITT name and call it BRICK. They lost the original concept of lean sleek smart stealthy and replaced it with a brick. They may as well replace Hasselhoff with a steroid injected pro-wrestler.

      My knee-jerk reaction is to say the designer should be fired, but according to the article it is admitted this was "because of the Ford connection" and apparently the designer was specifically ordered to use this model car and that "Maintaining as much of [this model] as possible was important". Whoever handed down the order to shoehorn this model car in as KITT needs to be fired. But no... he probably got a big cash bonus instead for bringing in big bucks from Ford Marketing to turn this onto a MOVIE-LENGTH-COMMERCIAL for the Next New Product. This goes beyond even the most grotesque level of product placement. This is one big two hour hypefomercial.

      P.S.
      According to Google I appear to have coined a new word.
      Hypefomercial: noun. Etymology: hype+infomercial.
      A television program that is an extended advertisement designed to manufacture "coolness" and social buzz for a product, in contrast to infomercials which are usually built around product discussion and demonstration.

      -
      • The original car looked very much like a production Trans Am and could blend in with regular cars, while this new thing looks like some ricer kid's car show fantasy.

      • P.S.
        According to Google I appear to have coined a new word.
        Hypefomercial: noun. Etymology: hype+infomercial.
        A television program that is an extended advertisement designed to manufacture "coolness" and social buzz for a product, in contrast to infomercials which are usually built around product discussion and demonstration.

        Huzzah! to your wordsmithery, sir. If I should happen to remember that word, I have a feeling I'll have enough use for it to become annoying. hypefomercial.

  • The original KITT had at least some style. The new one is just the chaviest car I can imagine. I suppose its going to have one of those noisy exhaust pipes and a subwoofer?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by teslar ( 706653 )
      Never mind that, just wait till you see the lights in the windscreen wipers and under the car ;) Also, the soundtrack of the movie will be made entirely by 50 cent.
  • Ugh. I know the first series was silly, but this just looks stupid.

    What's with those super-thin tires with the rims an inch and a half from the tarmac? --I strongly suspect those things were designed to fail above legal driving speeds. I saw one of those dumb O.J. type car chases caught on camera and the stolen vehicle had that same style of wheel. You know, 'fast and gangsta cool'. --At one point when the wily bandit rounded a corner at a slightly less than legal speed, the car leaned, the rubber comp

    • Unless this Knight Rider is going to be brought up to date with the expectations of a mature viewership (like they did with Battle Star Galactica)

      I think that the update of Galactica is parallel to the maturing of TV audiences across all ages. Television is a great medium for campy adventure shows, but as is has grown in popularity, the viewers have (generally) demanded more. Almost all shows from the 50's through the 80's were highly camp-filled love fests, and the darker, grittier shows such as those

  • Didn't they learn anything from Team Knight Rider?

    And secondly:

    "Designer Harald Belker, who has created the Batmobile for Batman and Robin and a next-gen space shuttle for Armageddon, came onboard to give the new KITT. a unique look."

    Say no more. It'll suck.
  • First, I was hoping for a late model Chevy remake of the Firebird(Best looking car ever made) Second, the wheels on the Ford suck... They should at least be aerodynamic and functional like KITT's. Not, sticking out 3 inches from the fender well and low profile. Seriously, what happened to all the aerodynamic wheel designs on the market??? I predict flop due to the crappy car... The only thing that could save it now is Will Smith becoming the new Knight Rider.
  • No Audio/Video In-Dash Functions Yes

    How many times did we watch Michael video conference with Devon?

    10 miles Range 20 miles

    I have no idea what they are talking about here. Do they mean in "super pursuit mode" or just ordinary driving? 10 mile range sounds kinda silly.

    No Keyless Entry and Ignition Yes

    How many times did Michael run up to kitt to meet him in a hurry, where kitt power slid to a stop and swung th door open? That's about as 'keyless entry' as it gets.

    No 360-Degree Video Su

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by v1 ( 525388 )
      I was just thinking I'd like to watch the original pilot again. I remember the promos of it where they had devon standing beside kitt with his scanner sweeping, talking about a much cooler car that "does more than just jump puddles", referring to their main car featuring competition of the time, Dukes of Hazard. As I recall, that episode mainly revolved around Michael freaking out as he found out 'the hard way' that his car was sentient. Is it available anywhere? Not that I'm geeking out enough to go bu

  • KITT is a Cylon (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Jim Hall ( 2985 ) on Saturday December 22, 2007 @11:24AM (#21791208) Homepage

    I read the article, but I didn't see any mention of KITT's Cylon "eye". There's a little gap there, but not sure if that's supposed to be the "eye". I am a child of the '80s, I did watch the show (sometimes), and this can't really be Knight Rider if KITT isn't a Cylon.

  • Instead of William Daniels nagging "Michaeeeel" all through the show like a little bitch, the new voice will be Fran Drescher.
  • "There's always a fjord."
    "Or an inlet."

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