A 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am that David Hasselhoff used as a KITT tour car in Europe goes up for auction on Saturday, November 7, in Zürich. The car was stolen in Italy in the 1990s and later recovered through Interpol, according to Broad Arrow Auctions. Broad Arrow will offer it as Lot 148 at the Dolder Grand hotel, in partnership with the Auto Zürich motor show, the auction house said in an October 21 release. The estimate is 250,000 to 500,000 Swiss francs. Robb Report put that at $300,000 to $600,000. This car never appeared on "Knight Rider." It was a promotional car. Hasselhoff's debut album, "Night Rocker," topped the Austrian charts in 1985, and the car went along to concerts, TV appearances, and public events, the listing said. It was originally owned by Profile Promotions in Vienna, the firm of Hasselhoff's then-manager, Herbert Fechter.
It was later sold to the Swiss record label Exclusa AG. During Exclusa's ownership in the 1990s, the car was stolen in Italy. It was recovered through Interpol and returned, but the original dashboard electronics were stolen along the way, the listing said. Broad Arrow did not give a year for the theft. The current owner bought the car from Exclusa in October 1999. That means it is not the KITT that Hasselhoff auctioned earlier this decade, Robb Report noted. That car, Hasselhoff's personal KITT, sold for $300,000 in 2021, Car and Driver reported.
The paper trail does the rest. A certificate from AMELI CAR AG, dated December 29, 1989, says Thomas J. Oberhaus of Hollywood Productions converted the car using original Universal Pictures plans. It appeared on Swiss television on November 26, 1990, when host Beni Thurnherr drove it into the studio. The car is in the Knight Rider Historians registry, and KITT historian AJ Palmgren inspected it in Switzerland in 2007, Broad Arrow said.
What makes it look like KITT
The TV car began as a napkin sketch. Pontiac designer John Schinella drew it in a meeting with Harker Wade, who became the show's supervising producer, Car and Driver reported. Schinella's studio had designed the 1982 Trans Am, and the sketch put a red light up front, inspired by the Cylons of "Battlestar Galactica." The show premiered on September 26, 1982.
Turning a production Trans Am into KITT cost General Motors $18,000, Hasselhoff wrote in the autobiography "Don't Hassel the Hoff," as quoted by TV Insider. The book says George Barris's company streamlined the bodywork, and toymaker Michael Scheffe shaped the dashboard in styrofoam.
This car keeps those cues. Outside, it has the remote-controlled red scanner and smoked taillights behind Plexiglas blackout covers, according to the listing. It also has pop-up headlights and yellow velour seats, Top Gear noted.
The gullwing-style steering wheel and its switch pods, the overhead console, the lit-up gas pedal, and the keypad center console with sound effects all date from the original conversion. The stolen electronics were replaced with a Season 1 and 2 style set from Alessandro Zagni's ZA Elettronica, including a voice box and twin monitors.
Under the hood, it's stock. The factory 305-cubic-inch Cross-Fire Injection V8 makes 165 horsepower. Carscoops pointed out that 1982 Trans Ams couldn't get to 60 mph in under 9 seconds.
The car runs and drives, but its KITT changes mean it isn't road legal, and it shows wear from years of touring. It comes with period customs papers, the 1999 bill of sale, and archive photos of the car with Hasselhoff. Another screen car, Tony Stark's NSX Roadster, also went to auction this fall.
Is the black Trans Am still the coolest car on TV? Rate KITT on WhipJury.
Sources:
Lot number, estimate, auction date, builder, certificate, owners, theft in Italy, Interpol recovery, lost electronics, 1999 purchase, Swiss TV appearance, registry and inspection, scanner, taillights, interior parts, replacement electronics, engine, road-use limits, and included papers: Broad Arrow Auctions listing
Auction venue, Auto Zürich partnership, and October 21 announcement: Broad Arrow Auctions
Dollar estimate, no screen time, and the earlier Hasselhoff sale being a different car: Robb Report
Schinella's sketch, the Cylon-inspired light, the premiere date, and the $300,000 sale in 2021: Car and Driver
The $18,000 conversion, Barris bodywork, and Scheffe dashboard, from Hasselhoff's autobiography: TV Insider
Pop-up headlights and yellow velour seats: Top Gear
The 1982 Trans Am's 0 to 60 mph time: Carscoops
Photos: Featured image from Broad Arrow Auctions press materials; dashboard and headlight photos from the Broad Arrow Auctions listing
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Jeffrey Wiley has spent more time than he'd like to admit thinking about what makes a car look right. He writes about automotive design, car culture, and the opinions people have strong feelings about. He lives in north Georgia.
