Nostalgia: did you know these things about Knight Rider?

TV audiences in the 80s and 90s enjoyed one of the most legendary TV series, 'Knight Rider'. It followed the adventures of an investigator and his car: an intelligent vehicle with its own personality and capable of speaking and reacting like a human.

That detective was Michael Knight, played by actor David Hasselhoff, and his car was called KITT. They were on a specific mission entrusted by the Law and Order Foundation: to fight crime together.

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The NBC series ran for four seasons and 90 episodes, between 1982 and 1986, although it's been watched by younger generations thanks to the continuous reruns. It starred Hasselhoff alongside other actors like Edward Mulhare, Richard Basehart, Patricia McPherson, and Rebecca Holden.

There are many stories hidden behind the scenes of 'Knight Rider'. Let's take a look at some of the more interesting stories from the series.

Of course, we should take a closer look at KITT. Do you know what model of car it was? It was none other than a Pontiac Firebird Trans Am v8 (suitably modified): a two-seater coupe with front engine and rear-wheel drive, according to Popular Mechanics magazine.

Due to the high demand for these cars at the time, only four vehicles were available at the start of filming for the series: one for the scenes with David Hasselhoff, two for stunts, and the last one for the driverless scenes, with a system to control it from the back seat.

In the spring of 1983, the fleet of KITTs increased considerably due to the accident of a trainload of Trans Am Pontiacs. None were seriously damaged in the accident, but they could not be released to the market because of the possibility of mechanical failure due to the collision. That's why they were purchased for the series at the symbolic price of one dollar each.

From that accident, 'Knight Rider' producers got ten to twelve cars with the sole condition of destroying them after filming, as they were not fit to go out on the road. They would be joined by six more before the series ended in 1986.

An impressive moment was when we saw KITT in auto mode, that is, without Michael at the wheel. Two techniques were used: in the first one, for brief shots, the vehicle was on a truck or a moving platform.

However, for the long shots, where the whole car was in the scene, producers devised a system whereby a driver was hidden and controlled the vehicle through a special apparatus hidden in the rear of the car.

Although the car was never exactly the same and some details were changed throughout the series, a major change after the first episode was KITT's bumper. In the pilot episode it looked completely different the rest of the series.

In seasons 3 and 4, producers ended up using models made of fiberglass created by Jack Sessums (special effects) for the most destructive scenes. That way they could avoid destroying their entire fleet. They even used similar models such as the Pontiac Firebird.

In the scenes where they were shooting at KITT, firecrackers were routinely used. Typical special effects from the era!

And what about the name KITT? It was an acronym whose initials stood for 'Knight Industries Two Thousand'. The industry was related to the mysterious organization 'Law and Order Foundation', with Devon Miles (Edward Mulhare) at the head of it.

As for David Hasselhoff, he was chosen for the character of Michael Knight after his (brief) stint in several series such as 'Police Story' (1973), 'The Love Boat' (1980-1981), 'Arnold' (1984) and 'Santa Barbara' (1984).

NBC's director of programming, Brandon Tarkitoff, said the inspiration for the series came from the fact that it was difficult to find men who were both good-looking and good actors.

Tarkitoff further said that for the series they were looking for what he called 'The Six Word Man', meaning he could say "Ok", "Thank you", "You are welcome" and "Stop" - depending on the situation his character was in.

The character of Michael Knight was (within the story of the series) the new Michael Long (played by Larry Anderson), a cop who was thought to be dead and subsequently paid by a charitable soul with a lot of money for a facial operation to become a person with a completely new identity.

At the end of the series, Hasselhoff went through an important professional slump when he couldn't find important projects to work on, so he decided to dedicate himself to music for a while. He famously sang 'I've Been Looking for Freedom,' a song later dedicated to the fallen Wall of Berlin. But then, in 1989, 'Baywatch' came to the screen.

While filming one of the scenes of 'Knight Rider', David Hasselhoff was traveling as co-pilot with a stuntman and the brakes failed. They went straight into a tree, which prevented them from falling into the water.

Another important actor in the series is William Daniels - Mr. Feeny in 'Boy Meets World' - who was in charge of voicing KITT in the original version and whose name never appeared in the credits.

It is also interesting that William Daniels had never met David Hasselhoff in person until six months after filming began on the series. It happened at a Christmas party where the entire crew was present.

The main theme of the series was composed by Stu Phillips and Glen A. Larson, but it acquired its characteristic electronic sound from Don Peake, who replaced them after the first 12 episodes.

The series was so successful that everyone wanted a Pontiac that looked just like KITT. Therefore, the brand developed a replica, the Firebird Trans Am. Eventually, though, they did not go on sale to the general public.

After the end of the series, producers made two failed attempts to relaunch 'Knight Rider' with TV movies: 'Knight Rider 2000' (1991) and - with a different cast - 'Knight Rider 2010' (1994). Finally, in 2008, a remake appeared with the same name. It even starred David Hasselhoff in one episode. The result? Total failure.

Be that as it may, what we do know for sure is that KITT and Michael Knight are an important part of the history of television and of the generation of those who loved TV in the 80s and 90s.

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