KEY POINTS:
In the 1980s, Saturday evenings in front of the TV were never complete without a few words of wisdom from a talking car and its unlikely perm-haired driver.
"Michael," the car might say, "I cannot allow you to jeopardise your life. I am assuming control."
The human, of
course, was Michael Knight, who - as the narrator had it - was, "a young loner on a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent, the powerless, the helpless in a world of criminals who operate above the law".
His amazing, magical car that could do 0-60 in 0.2 seconds and just about sing and dance as well was the Knight Industries Two Thousand, better known simply as Kitt.
But that was then, this is now. David Hasselhoff, 54, the actor who played Michael Knight, went on to perform fabulous feats of life-saving heroism as a lifeguard in another TV series, Baywatch, and launched a singing career, curiously successful in Germany. There has even been a musical written based on his life. But whatever happened to his remarkable ride?
Kitt is alive and well and for sale in sunny California. The black, modified 1982 Pontiac Trans Am has been restored to mint condition and is on sale for US$149,995 ($201,033).
Kitt, Hasselhoff and the rest of the cast of Knight Rider had a huge hit with their series, which ran to 90 episodes, portraying the actions of a young do-gooder as he took on various criminals across the United States, with the help of his car and a mysterious organisation called the Knight Foundation.
Kitt's voice was provided by the actor William Daniels, who asked that he not be credited.
The car being sold by Johnny Verhoek of Kassabian Motors, Dublin, California, is one of four documented vehicles or "camera cars" that were used for close-up shots and scenes where Hasselhoff was at the wheel. It is currently owned by Tim Russo, who bought the vehicle at an auction in San Diego 10 years ago and has spent the time since finding parts to restore it.
He believes now is a good time to try to sell Kitt with the 25th anniversary of the show's debut fast approaching.
Neither Russo nor anyone else is claiming that the Trans Am for sale can reach more than 300mph, as Kitt could do so effortlessly.
Nor can it leap through the air with the spring of a gazelle, or talk or drive itself - crucial attributes of the vehicle that were featured in many of the episodes.
Indeed, Verhoek admits that in its current state, the car cannot even be driven on a street as it has not been fitted with smog equipment and other legal modifications required in California.
However, very importantly for aficionados of the show, the red scanning light on the front of the vehicle still glows and makes a humming noise. It also comes complete with the original interior fabric and operational television screens.
None of the cars used in the show has previously been offered for sale to the public. One is on a museum in Indiana, and another is at the Cars of the Stars Motor Museum in Cumbria.
- INDEPENDENT