The KITT model is typical MPC in that it has a large picture/drawing (hard to tell, I think it’s heavily retouched, whatever it is) on the front. However, what I found wasn’t exactly what I expected.

I was very excited to let my very own KITT out of the box. I know I should have left it that way, since it’s worth more, but there was no way I could leave it sealed up. I recently had the chance to get my hands on one of these old MPC KITTs, still sealed. Since building models was quite a kid’s hobby back in the ‘80s, this made perfect sense the same body could be used for both conventional T/A and KITT models, and thus MPC would ensure many more sales for minimal outlay.

Not to be left out, MPC took their Third Generation T/A kit and turned it into a replica of KITT, complete with custom nose, scanner and radically altered interior. There were Key Cars, die cast replicas, windup cars and all sorts of kid-friendly paraphernalia produced. Of course, it comes as no surprise given the popularity of Knight Rider that there was a lot of KITT merchandise. By combining the role of partner WITH the main character’s custom ride, the creators of Knight Rider hit on a winning formula, although one that’s not been used much since, surprisingly. Bulletproofed and equipped with a “turbo charge”, KITT was a force to be reckoned with. Better known as KITT (actually K.I.T.T., but that’s a pain to type), this customized Trans Am was a fully aware, AI-equipped, crime fighting vehicle. The same cannot be said, however, of one very, very special “supercar”: the Knight Industries Two Thousand. Their “personalities” consisted of nothing more than the throaty notes of their exhaust and the shrill peeling of their tires. While it’s true that in some cases the cars became just as important as their drivers (*cough* General Lee *cough*), they weren’t characters in their own right. They were flashy conveyances for the main characters in the show. However, in almost all cases, these vehicles were exactly that, just vehicles. From The Dukes of Hazzard to Hardcastle and McCormick, and from the little-known “Street Hawk” to the iconic van of The A-Team, the small screen was bursting with supervehicles. Fuelled by the big screen successes of movies like Smokey and the Bandit, TV creators let loose all kinds of customized and specialized vehicles.

The late 1970’s to mid-1980s were a golden age of “Car Chase Action TV”. “The MPC Knight Rider kit: a shadowy flight into a bizarre world of a kit that should not exist…” This paraphrasing of the Knight Rider TV show’s opening is oddly appropriate for this model, as you’ll see!

Pictures of kitt from knight rider