One could argue that movie and TV cars are a great advertising vehicle (pun totally intended) for automakers. If a car, or any vehicle, is shown doing something cool on television, it's pretty much always guaranteed to raise interest among potential buyers.
There have been a ton of cool movie and TV cars in the past that we've all seen. One of the absolute coolest ones was KITT. An abbreviation for Knight Industries Two Thousand, KITT was an artificially intelligent 1982 Pontiac Firebird driven by the character Michael Knight, portrayed by the legendary David Hasselhoff, in the 80s action TV show Knight Rider. Due to the nature of the car, it has a variety of really cool features.
9 The Microprocessor
The most notable feature of KITT is the microprocessor itself. The Knight Industries 2000 microprocessor, from which KITT gets its name, is referred to as a self-aware cybernetic logic module. It's what allows KITT to communicate and interact with the world.
The system is so advanced, it allows KITT to have his own thoughts and personality, which is portrayed as very dry and witty in the show. Knight Industries also predicted the arrival of voice-controlled car infotainment systems, for good and bad. KITT could provide the same functionality as those systems almost 40 years ago.
8 Molecular Bonded Shell
KITT may seem like a typical black 1982 Pontiac Transam, but he's actually covered in what's referred to as a molecular bonded shell. The official name of the item given by Knight Industries is Tri-Helical Plasteel 1000 MBS.
The armor allows KITT to withstand just about any type of hit from any type of ammunition or weapon, only really being affected by really heavy weaponry, such as rockets. However, KITT was vulnerable to electricity and some strong acids, despite this protective layer.
7 Power
In the TV series, the engine sound we hear from KITT is the typical V8 that you would find under the hood of this generation Transam. But, the powertrain is actually significantly more complex than that.
KITT is powered by what's known as the Knight Industries turbojet, feeding its power to the wheels through an electronically controlled 8-speed automatic transmission. You know, similar to the mid-engine corvette's 8-speed dual-clutch patent. This allowed KITT to have some truly bonkers numbers; 2 seconds to 60, 4.28 second quarter mile, and a stopping distance of just 14 ft.
6 Anharmonic Synthesizer
The Anharmonic Synthesizer is what allows KITT's logic module to communicate with others. It's basically what gives KITT his voice, but it has many other functionalities besides giving KITT a voice.
Although his primary language is English, KITT can access a language module and speak fluently in whatever language the driver, or rather, Michael, chooses. There's also an option for him to speak in various different accents, an example being when he spoke with a New York City accent.
5 Turbo Boost
One of KITT's most well-known features, Turbo Boost isn't actually what the name might suggest. It's common to expect that activating this function will give KITT an extreme speed boost, but that's not what happens.
Instead, Turbo Boost makes KITT airborne for a few seconds, allowing him to clear obstacles that cannot be avoided otherwise. This feature was used quite often in both the original series and the unfortunate 2008 reboot, and it sounds like something we'd love to have in our cars in real life.
4 Cruise Modes
Needless to say, as KITT is AI, he can drive on his own. While most of the time, Michael is in control, KITT does have the ability to take over and do the driving himself. When he is in control, he has four different so-called Cruise Modes.
It starts with the basic Normal Cruise, where the driver is in control and KITT takes over only if necessary, Auto Cruise is the mode that allows solely KITT to drive, Pursuit mode is similar to Normal Cruise except it's used in high-speed driving and sticky situations where the driver can't react fast enough. Finally, Super Pursuit increases the speed and aerodynamics of the car, as well as bringing out a new selection of exposed weapons.
3 Silent Mode
Like a lot of the other features, this one was way ahead of its time, in the sense that a lot of modern cars nowadays have quiet running modes. Cars like the Shelby GT350, the Aston Martin DB11, and the new Acura NSX.
Despite being powered by a "turbojet" with enhanced afterburners, KITT can run completely silently, allowing for a much more stealthy arrival or decreased ability for any potential threats to notice the car or the driver. When you're dealing with the tasks KITT and Michael have to deal with, this is a useful feature.
2 Microwave Jammer
No, this feature doesn't have anything to do with cooking. KITT may be extremely intelligent, but he can't prepare a meal for you. What this item actually does is allow KITT to take over electronic devices.
This has a variety of uses, such as cheating slot machines and withdrawing money from ATMs. Those are the more, shall we say, fun (and illegal) uses of the jammer, but it can also block security cameras, allowing for KITT to enter a controlled environment more easily.
1 Anamorphic Equalizer
Finally, we come to KITT's most distinctive feature; the Anamorphic Equalizer. In Layman's terms, this is the light bar (hear that, modern cars?) that's mounted on the front, between the pop-up headlights.
Most of the time, it shuffles from left to right, but it can also sometimes blink faster and with more irregular patterns. The Equalizer allows KITT to see any wavelengths visible to the eye, and also infrared and X-rays. Sadly, it's also the most sensitive part of KITT, and the only one not protected by his heavy armor.
KITT remains one of the most legendary cars in movie and TV history. The legacy of the TV series and the star car has led to many frighteningly screen-accurate replicas, and the cult following it has is almost unmatched. It's a movie car we'd love to take a spin in, and we're still waiting for the day when automakers offer some of these cool features on their production models.