Autoblog

Click above to view live pics at ShadowyFlight.com

NBC is unveiling the new Attack Mode for KITT today at the very large Comic Con convention in San Diego. ShadowyFlight.com is covering the reveal of the car live in its forums, but this image has already made its way on the web and confirms that KITT has had his wings sheared. Gone are the various spoilers that cluttered the first version and what remains is a cleaner car with dual side exhausts, a deep chin spoiler that looks pretty heavy duty, an equally strong looking mesh grille, what appears to be rocket launchers where a shaker scoop would go, a still-very-big rear wing, rear air diffuser and new spokeless wheels that were stolen right off of a Bonneville Salt Flats racer. The rear tires are extremely oversized and still manage to poke out from the newly flared fenders. Is it better than the first Attack Mode version of KITT? Yes. That doesn't mean we necessarily like it, though. The Knight Rider fan community seems split as well. Make up your mind in the comments after visiting ShadowyFlight.com for over 20 more additional high-res pics of the new Attack Mode KITT.

UPDATE: New live shots on KRO reveal Attack Mode KITT has lambo doors.
UPDATE 2: ShadowyFlight.com returned with a big gallery of live images.


[Source: ShadowyFlight.com, via Knight Rider Online]

We were encouraged by the last bit of news on the upcoming return of Knight Rider as a series this fall from an interview with the show's producer Gary Scott Thompson. In it Thompson revealed that Turbo Boost would be back and KITT's Attack Mode de-winged. Unfortunately, the news is not so good out of San Diego today where the cast of the Knight Rider series held court at a Comic Con panel. According to io9, they were late because they were stuck in traffic (oh, the delicious irony) and what they had to show were boob-driven clips of impossibly attractive people acting badly. And Val Kilmer, the voice of KITT, has apparently develop a lisp. Sigh. A new side of KITT was gleaned from clips seen at the panel discussion where the autonomous talking car actually transforms into a pickup! We can tell you exactly why this has happened. Ford wants to promote pickups because nobody is buying them right now, so what better way to do so than have KITT grow a bed. We also learn that KITT will have a nemesis in another evil car of some sort, possibly another version of KITT himself or a 1987 Camaro IROC-Z (we kid). Any way you parse it, the news coming out of Comic Con for the return of Knight Rider is not encouraging, though we still plan on tying Alex to a couch and forcing him to liveblog every episode. Thanks for the tip, Brett!


[Source: io9.com]

Click above to view the video posted after the jump.

Okay, Mio's Knight Rider GPS unit is now officially "hella" cool. Engadget snagged some video of the startup sequence, and we're overcome by nostalgia for 1984. We're not excited to the point where we've gone digging for vintage Le Tigre polos or pulled that zombie leather jacket (the Thriller replica, natch) out of deep closet storage, but seeing that sweeping light bar and watching the flanking LEDs twinkle to the dulcet tones of William Daniels brings back sunny memories for those of us that lived it the first time around. Even cooler is that there's a bank of 300 names to choose from, so odds are good that KITT will greet you personally – that closes the sale right there, we officially want one.

[Source: Engadget]

Click above to view more shots of the Mio Knight Rider GPS

"Michael, you're going the wrong way, you ninny." For all you Knight Rider fans no longer moved by finding a perfect 45 rpm single of "A Knight Rider Christmas," Mio has a brand new toy that's capable of Knight Industries Two Thousand level antics. The Knight Rider-themed GPS unit has voice prompts recorded by the one-and-only William Daniels (thankfully not Val Kilmer), the original voice of KITT, and asks cordially "Hello Michael, where do you want to go today?" when powered up. The LCD display is also flanked by a series of red LEDs reminiscent of KITT's nose-mounted lights. Once the unit is available for sale, about $270 is all it'll take to get KITT in your KARR. Thanks for the tip, Dan!


[Source: Next Autos]

Click above for gallery of KITT from his eBay listing

If news of Knight Rider's return has you feeling giddy as a schoolgirl (along with dozens of other viewers), maybe you're upset that they swapped the original Pontiac Trans Ams for a Shelby GT500KR in the new series. Whatever your stand, we have something that might interest you. While perusing eBay's listings, a reader stumbled upon one of the original Trans Ams used in the 1980's chapter of the Knight Rider saga. Up for auction is one 1984 Pontiac Trans Am, black and tan, with a distinctive red light bar in the nose. Yep, one genuine KITT.

Not only was this one of the featured cars in seasons three and four, but it is one of the rare 300-mph "Super Pursuit Mode" T/As with additional aero devices designed to, well, make the car look like it could go faster. Actually, the eBay description tells us the Super Pursuit Mode KITT was designed "to give KITT a 40% increase in speed through the assistance of retractable airfoils and jet boosters." Considering that this Trans Am still features a 5.0L V8 and automatic transmission, we would guess that half of that top speed is actually a stretch for this old Pontiac.

Still, with a starting price of just $26,000, the winning bidder can own a true piece of small-screen history. Kustomized by legendary Kar stylist George Barris, this particular car was also used in the 2006 flick, The Benchwarmers. In one notable scene, John Lovitz confesses that he has yet to master the peel out as he drove it across a curb outside the Pizza Hut. Ouch. Hopefully that buffed right out. Check out eBay for the complete description and place your bid. Thanks for the tip, Vivan!


[Source: eBay]

We all know what a disaster the 2-hour Knight Rider movie was (click here for a refresher). Regardless, the return of the series has been green lit for the Fall and Shadowy Flight recently sat down for an interview with Gary Scott Thompson, Executive Producer and Showrunner of the series. Thompson's credentials include creating the show Las Vegas and the original Fast and the Furious movie, and he also points out that he had nothing to do with the 2-hour Knight Rider movie that aired in February. The show's new EP revealed that he and his writers are leaving the 2-hour movie in the past. His new writing staff, which includes writers from Lost, Prison Break and Smallville, but also Walker, Texas Ranger and Charmed, is dealing with some of those plot points introduced in the movie that now can't be ignored, but are basically going to start all over again with the first episode.

You can check out the two-part interview by hitting the source link below, but the major bit of news revealed is that Turbo Boost will again be part of KITT's arsenal, though the technology will be reinvented for this era where fast cars that jump aren't all that mind blowing. Thompson also told Shadowy Flight that the overly winged Attack Mode KITT is being redone and will be different than the one seen in the movie. Finally, Thompson compares his Knight Rider series that's still in gestation to one of our favorite shows on TV, Battlestar Galactica. Both are reinventions of older TV shows, but BG is currently the shining light of modern television, while Knight Rider has gotten off to an extremely rough start. We hope it compares to the weekly trials of Admiral Adama and the crew of Galactica, but we're not holding our breath. Thanks for the tip, Neil!


[Source: Shadowy Flight]

Well, this morning, NBC made it official: Wednesday nights this Fall we'll all be able to say "Hello, Mike", as Knight Rider returns to the weekly schedule. The Peacock network unveiled its Fall lineup today and, despite rumors that it would appear on Friday nights, the new Knight Rider is relegated to the Hump night at 8-9PM EST. Encore showings will also run each week on Saturday night from 9-10PM EST. We're a bit surprised, or perhaps disappointed, that the show will be kicking the night off at 8 o'clock, as it suggests adult themes will not be present. Not that we're looking for lesbian overtures in every episode as was brazenly and inexplicably included in the pilot two-hour movie, but knowing that the new KR is sanitized for my nephew's protection is just one more nail in this show's coffin.

Nevertheless, your friendly neighborhood Autoblog plans to watch every episode until the show gets cancelled. Alex Nunez will liveblog each episode every Wednesday night, just like he did the two-hour movie. You're all invited to follow along as Alex poignantly picks apart each episode. Bring a box of tissues, though. You'll need them to dab the blood away from your eyes.

[Source: Variety]

Following quickly on the heels of our last late-arriving podcast, we're back for episode #91 of the Autoblog Podcast. Alex and John take time to discuss Knight Rider, Top Gear and TV in general, turning this 'cast into the AutoTVblogSquad show. We also cover the uncovering of Max Mosley and his strange predilections, our institution of a CarSumer Advocacy category, and answer the three legitimate emails out of our new podcast at autoblog dot com address. Thanks for your 44 minutes this week.

If you have a question, comment, bit of praise or heap of criticism for us, email us at podcast at autoblog dot com and we may read your email on the show.

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You'll see more of him this Fall. Click above for a gallery of the new KITT.

The Knight Rider TV movie was not good. The updated, Shelby Mustang-based KITT looked undeniably cool (when not in Ugly... er... Attack Mode, at least), but the acting was wooden and the writing was a horror show. Still, the ending completely set up a potential ongoing story. Today comes word that the ratings were apparently good enough for the suits to give a thumbs-up for a new weekly series starting this Fall. Early reports suggest a Friday night timeslot is in the works, but that's subject to change; all will be known on Wednesday when NBC presents its early upfronts.

We'll assume that at the very least, stars Justin Breuning (Mike Traceur) and Deanna Russo (Mike Traceur's Girlfriend) will return to fill our flatscreens with emotionless line reading. And since voicing KITT should be a relatively easy payday for Val Kilmer, we'd expect him to reprise his role, as well. As for the Hoff, who walked on for a brief cameo at the end of the pilot, who knows? The big winner here is Ford, which now gets an hour-long weekly showcase for the Shelby GT500KR KITT. Based on the stupendously lousy pilot, however, we're going to put on our prognostication hats and set the over/under for this Knight Rider reboot at 10 episodes. Unless NBC ups the quality in a big, big way, the under is a lock.

I am ordering Alex to live blog every single episode like he did the pilot, which probably won't be a long-term commitment considering. - John


[Sources: AICN via FARK, Variety, IGN, Screen Rant]

While we wouldn't give high ratings to the Knight Rider pilot movie on NBC, we are still fans of the star of the show, KITT. When Ford and Barrett-Jackson announced that a pair of KITTs would be sold in Palm Beach this year, we immediately went to check the balance in our savings account.

The two cars auctioned were not actually KR models, but regular GT models made to look like the KR for the movie. The "hero" KITT still has quite a few upgrades, including a Whipple supercharger system, Brembo brakes, upgraded suspension and exhaust, and an interior with props for the movie, while the "attack" mode KITT has the stock motor with an automatic transmission and a KR body kit with two-tiered spoiler.

The auction, which will donate all proceeds to the Salute to Education charity, started slowly but climbed steadily to $160,000. At that point, Mark Fields of Ford got on the microphone and announced the winning bidder would also get the rights to a single allocation of the 1576 GT500 KRs. That doesn't mean they would get the car for free but at msrp - a significant savings. With that announcement, the bidders had renewed interest and the highest bid climbed up to $240,000. However, Ford and Shelby had one more twist. The single GT500 KR allocation was not just a random KR. It would be the LAST KR produced in 2009 - #1576. At that point, the bidding turned into a fight for the last KR and the two KITT movie cars were forgotten. The final bid ended at an even $300,000, with the winner writing a check directly to charity.