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Specs For the New KITT
An anonymous reader writes "The upcoming made-for-TV Knight Rider movie features an all-new version of the Knight Industries Two Thousand (KITT). Popular Mechanics has the 'specs' for the original Hasslehoff-mobile, as well as for the digital-effects enhanced version in the 2008 production. 'Designer Harald Belker, who has created the Batmobile for Batman and Robin and a next-gen space shuttle for Armageddon, came onboard to give the new KITT. a unique look. "The goal was to make it look more aggressive without being hokey or garish," Belker says.'"
But has Hasslehoff signed on?
Libertarian Leaning Political Discussion Forum.
I'm a little confused. Do those fall under "news for nerds," or "stuff that matters?"
Village idiot in some extremely smart villages.
What's hokey about a male model and a talking car that fight crime?
> "The goal was to make it look more aggressive without being hokey or garish," Belker says
Just give the car a penis and be done with it.
300MPH to 0 in 12 feet? Sure, let's calculate the G's from that. Somehow I missed the specs for the inertial dampeners. What really peeves me is that this is Science Fiction that is too lazy to try to conform to the realm of possibility rather than exceed those limits to make a really good story.
"To those who are overly cautious, everything is impossible. "
Clearly a fantasy story because anyone really wanting to design a powerful fast car and put a supercomputer with AI in wouldn't be using a Mustang. Heck, I would go with something like the Mazda RX8. It at least looks sporty and in some ways quite similar to the original KITT. Of course, it isn't American so I'll no doubt get modded down by y'all.....
"I have the attention span of a strobe lit goldfish, please get to the point quickly!"
...doesn't fit. When I see that I don't see KITT and that should be what I see immediately. Looks pretty ugly...
For the love of all things Holy, can we please stop making shows with impossible (or at least highly improbable) technology? KITT was really fun in the 80's, primarily because of a misconception about AI. It was felt at the time by the public (and to a lesser degree by actual AI researchers) that the only thing holding a computer back from sentience was enough computing power. 20+ years of research has since disavowed us of that notion.
Otherwise the original show was reasonably good about keeping the tech on the level. KITT was powered by Gas Turbines (good!), had laser weaponry (okay), was capable of computer graphics (actually, that's almost amusingly primitive at this point), and had an ultra-strong "Molecular Bonded Shell". (Unlikely, but at least within the realm of possibility.)
The show tried doing the "ridiculous tech-thing of the week" when they brought on the April character, but that didn't go over all that well. Eventually they dropped it and got back to showing solutions that didn't involve Deus-Ex Machina plot devices.
While I understand the need for suspending disbelieve, I just can't help but think that it would make a more enjoyable show if they simply tried to ground and enhance what was already presented in the original show. Updated with modern communications technology, satellite data, reconnaissance methods (could you see KITT launching UAVs?
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
Let's see Transformers comes out on the theaters, and they pick a Mustang... http://images.google.com/images?q=barricade+mustang+transformers+movie&btnG=Search+Images
Now we get a remake of Knight Rider, and they pick the same car.
I give it 5 minutes before a physics nerd RTFA and then calculates the force of the 0-60MPH and brake times and concludes it would rip out a human aorta.
I'd rather have someone respond than be modded up.
Oh, please, not more Transformers. Those transformations looked so stupid. At least do something that's geometrically possible.
In the early days of morphing, I was visiting Pacific Data Images, and I stopped by a workstation where an artist had a pictures of a tiger's face and a truck front on screen. She was trying to find control points that would morph to the other without looking totally stupid. It just wasn't working. Yes, you can morph anything to anything, and you'll get a smooth transition, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea artistically.
(Incidentally, Hollywood just made a very good movie: "Charlie Wilson's War". It's a totally outrageous story that happens to be quite true. Written by Aaron Sorkin, who did most of "The West Wing".)
Unfortunately, I can't find the original PVP Online strip, so you'll have to settle for this forum-bastardized version.
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
Assuming constant acceleration A, speed increasing linearly A.t (speed=0 at t=0), meaning it reaches a distance X=A.t^2 (t=0 then x=0) transforming mile into furlong (sorry I meant meter) means at 12 foot it has roughly 4 meters, and a speed of roughly 300*1.6=480 km-1. Now I don't want to make complex calculation, so I will assume it will have over the 12 foot an average speed of (480+0)/2=240 km.h-1. Which is 130 meter.second -1 (we go for rough estimate). It will so take it roughly 0.03 second to make that distance of 4m with an average speed of 130 m.s-1. Since we know that X=4meter=A.T^2 and t=0.03 we get A=x/t^2=4225 meter.s-2. For reference g=9 m.s-2 so he will feel a force of 470 g roughly. Naturally I bet there are some errors in the above particularly how I calculate the time it takes.
C. Sagan : A demon haunted world:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345409469/
visit randi.org
WTF? A 2008 Mustang looks nothing like an 80's Trans Am!
A modern Corvette would make so much more sense. Of course there are cooler, more exotic choices, but I think to be most consistent with the original series, it should be a GM car that's relatively common. And the Corvette has a similar body style to the 80's Trans Am.
Is whoever pays the most to be the supercar. Remember that commercial^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hshow that featured the Dodge Viper when it was new?
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
That make it a factor 4 error on the accelration A calculation. (I had taken 480 kmh as average speed instead of 240). Don't really matter. Red-meat-mash ex-driver is still dead as dead can be. even at 125g. This is why I hate tv-sf.
C. Sagan : A demon haunted world:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345409469/
visit randi.org
"While I understand the need for suspending disbelieve, I just can't help but think that it would make a more enjoyable show if they simply tried to ground and enhance what was already presented in the original show. Updated with modern communications technology, satellite data, reconnaissance methods (could you see KITT launching UAVs? :P), eves dropping tech, weapons technology, and computer control, KITT could be pretty damn cool without crossing the line into unbelievable territory. Which would, of course, force the writers to write rather than relying on the gadget of the moment. ;-)"
Well the modern car could have been a hybrid. Save the environment AND catch bad guys.
Well, the Viper already had it's supercar TV commercial... er... show in the 90s, but either way, it's not nearly as ubiquitous as the Mustang design or the Corvette design.
Anyway, in the 90s, also, Ford essentially bought out Knight Rider anyway (after my consultation with Wikipedia). In 1997, a show called Team Knight Rider made a brief appearance with a whole set of Ford vehicles.
After the 1991 flop (which GM was still involved with), the 1997 flop, you'd think Ford/NBC would be able to guess that 10 years later, not much is different.
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
Two wings in the back, generally riced out looking... nope, not the least bit garish...
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
You bunch of lackwits!
Here you are complaining that the specs as written would kill the driver of the vehicle, and you've missed the most important point.
The car can DRIVE ITSELF!!!!!
Not to mention, it has a sophisticated control suite, which most likely would be able to modify the car's performance to safe parameters for human occupants.
Seriously, I thought the people on here were *nerds*, not stupids.
Does it run Linux?
A car that can change color? Glen Larson already did that plot twist in his 1989 made for TV movie "Chameleons".
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097040/
Never took off as a series though.
I mean, I'm sure it will be totally awesome and all, but it's like if they brought back the A-Team and used a Honda Odyssey as the van.
There is simply too much glass..
Nothing in the specs states anything about driver protection, so I guess it'll simply involve an endless string of cloned Knightriders :-)
:-).
I was hoping anyone with better physics knowledge than I would be able to calculate the impact energy. To take almost 2 tonnes of steel down from 300 mph to 0 in about 12 feet (apparently calculated as a deceleration of about 250g) means you have to get rid of a godawful amount of kinetic energy in a very short time. Hell, that's not even going to look good on FILM.. Well, OK, once
Insert
Sorry, but every remake of Knight Rider has a disastrously ugly car.
A 57 Chevy and a strange red car in Knight Rider 2000, complete with dumb "Virtual Reality" mode.
Ugly cars in Team Knight Rider.
And now a butt-ugly Ford.
What they _should_ have done is kept the original KITT.
And made a female counterpart from the newer Firebirds before Pontiac dropped the line.
The new firebird had sexy curves in front, so it would have made a perfect female car.
Then we could imagine the fun plot lines involving love triangles between Hasselhoff and 2 cars. Or at least between 2 cars and 2 drivers. KITT showing off for the female. Female car saves Hasselhoff and shows up KITT. That sort of thing.
Tell me this would not have both geek appeal and joe public appeal! It's just too funny to pass up. (Oh wait...it's also an original idea. Can't have that in Hollywood these days, can we?)
Being as how it's still an American car, I expect a lot of straight-away chases with no turns. That'll eliminate the lateral G's at least...
:) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQdSVSH-iF0 (YouTube Top Gear Mustang) Live rear axle? Pshht "A whacking great girder with a wheel at each end" is what I'll have, thanks.
Here ya go, Anglophile car geeks
There is simply too much glass..
I remember two things
1. Before Knightrider came on the air they advertised a 800 number you could call to get the specs of the KITT compared to the Dukes of Hazzard General Lee. Even as a pre-teen I thought it was rather stupid to promote a fictional car as being superior to another semi-fictional car.
2. This used 5 years down the road as a creative use for 800 numbers.
But I regret not picking up copies of the this advert... it would have likely been e-bay able when Hasslehoff's popularity was tops in Germany. But now it's the 21st century and you can create all the fictional stats and specifications you like with minimal expense and no wasted paper. Not so good for the collectors market, but a fuck of a lot better for the environment.
There is no sanctuary. There is no sanctuary. SHUT UP! There is no shut up. There is no shut up.
Can you be Even More Awesome?!
I know you think you're being funny, but if you think American cars cannot turn, you are wrong. The Corvette can run with the best of them, yes even Ferrari and Lamborghini. There are 60s Mustangs pulling more Gs on the skidpad than most Porsches can.
"Designer Harald Belker, who has created the Batmobile for Batman and Robin and a next-gen space shuttle for Armageddon"
Oh good, I was afraid it would be cheesy.
I believe the appropriate phrase is "you fail it".
Boffoonery - downloadable Comedy Benefit for Bletchley Park
The lead in says the designers don't want to be 'hokey or garish'. The thing is, the original KITT was hokey from the very beginning. That was it's charm. It isn't just quaint in reruns, it was quaint in the original broadcasts.
No iPod connector. No backseat DVD player. No hybrid engine. Lame.
The "Pimp my Ride" guys do better.
Hello! I'm a disaster waiting to happen!
- change the pop-out headlights for something that is more pedestrian-friendly
- lower the suspension a bit
- change the wheels and rims to something showing less rubber and more carbon
- change the velvet interiors to black leather or whatever BMW uses
- add some neon for Super Pursuit Mode
- change the dashboard to something with a consistent colour scheme. Maybe the one they use for Start Trek NG. Or Apple iPhone.
The rest was just fine, just have the good guy catch the bad guy and kiss the girl in the end. or the other way around to make it more modern...I would have preferred that they kept "KITT" the same as it always was. There could be some neat dramatic mileage (pun intended) in showing how KITT is now relatively low-tech in comparison to modern vehicles and perhaps what the bad guys have at their disposal. An ongoing subplot could feature how the Foundation's resources were mismanaged in the past and Michael Long/Knight (or whoever has taken over the role) is also tasked with finding ways to rebuild, perhaps upgrading KITT along the way. The early 80s Trans-Am was an unusually sleek and pretty design... I think it still holds up well today.
A Ford Mustang! *gasp* It's a bloody muscle car! And this one is just plain ugly. Why not take the chassis of a Lamborghini Reventon? It looks like a sci-fi stealth car and is gorgeous (btw, it looks much better in black). Other than that, the Shelby is a horrible car. They fit a huge supercharger and do nothing about the already medieval suspension of the original Mustang. That thing going around a corner quickly just has 'special effect' written all over it.
"A great democracy must be progressive or it will soon cease to be a great democracy." --Theodore Roosevelt
The other great line was relating to the Roush Mustang: "I'd have one of those if I were the sort of person who looks at my sister and thought 'hmmmm'"....
The original KITT had at least some style. The new one is just the chaviest car I can imagine. I suppose its going to have one of those noisy exhaust pipes and a subwoofer?
If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we shoot people for Apollo-related non-sequiturs?
What's with those super-thin tires with the rims an inch and a half from the tarmac? --I strongly suspect those things were designed to fail above legal driving speeds. I saw one of those dumb O.J. type car chases caught on camera and the stolen vehicle had that same style of wheel. You know, 'fast and gangsta cool'. --At one point when the wily bandit rounded a corner at a slightly less than legal speed, the car leaned, the rubber compressed as rubber is wont to do, and the rim made contact with the road. 'Tap', and the whole wheel blew out, just like that. When you can lose a wheel simply by turning a corner, you are officially driving a toy. Now whenever I see that design I cringe. --At least I could suspend disbelief with the tacky-and-wonderful Trans-Am. But with this stupid design. . , how do they put it. . ? It's not so much about suspending disbelief as it is needing to hang, draw and quarter it.
The 80's came and went. It was tacky and delightful, but it is long gone. --Unless this Knight Rider is going to be brought up to date with the expectations of a mature viewership (like they did with Battle Star Galactica), and I honestly don't see how this is even remotely possible, then just save everybody the heart-ache and forget it.
-FL
No no no! No Corvette! No Mustang! Those are just all-american-lazy-fat-ass-comes-with-soda-cup-holder excuses for a car. No! Trans-Am was a real car! You need a real bad ass car for Knight Rider! And when you want bad ass car the only choice is black BMW M3, CLS preferably. And you know what... you need a real man to drive that car, you need David Hasselhoff to play the part of Michael Knight not some lame excuse for a man.
Actually I'm little disappointed that they haven't recruited Hasselhoff to do the movie, or a new series. The plot could something like... Michael Knight, the lone crusader, victim of an conspiracy, has been in the coma for the last 20 years. As he wakes up, the world around has changed. Knight Foundation over ran by the conspiracy has put him and his friends underground. Michael has no choice, but to fight back, go underground, find his friends and overthrow the conspiracy that has taken over the country... Basically it would be something like X-Files added with The Fast and The Furious, and with a little hint of romance. That's the only choice, to target the same people who watched the original series, but with more mature content and plot... oooh... and KITT... he could pronounce his English with a German accent... that would be the comedical twist ;-)
Survey research tool for commercial and scientific use
They seem to misunderstand what KITT was. KITT was sleek, and elegant. It had class. And it was something we all imagined we might have some day. Until the producers get what the old show had, they should stop trying to reproduce it with horrible bulky cars.
Didn't they learn anything from Team Knight Rider?
And secondly:
"Designer Harald Belker, who has created the Batmobile for Batman and Robin and a next-gen space shuttle for Armageddon, came onboard to give the new KITT. a unique look."
Say no more. It'll suck.
Just because you can mod me down, doesn't mean you're right. Shoes for industry!
No truth to the rumor it will get better than 35 MPG, however it will not be able to solve crimes in California due to restrictive CO2 emissions.
(could you see KITT launching UAVs? :P),
The TV show Viper did it 10 years ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtJLlQYs1rY. In some ways it was better than Knight Rider, but not without it's own rediculous technologies. Transformer style "morphing", EMP guns, harpoon cables fired from little gun pods on the sides able to suspend a musclecar without breaking etc. But no 0-60 in 0.2 seconds, and no talking car. Which is a bit of a shame, KITT was always the best part of Knight Rider IMO.
Murphey's fighting Occam, and we're in the stands.
Wow, thank you! And here I was dead-set that if I were to buy a car (moving from a large F-150 4x4), it would be a Mustang for getting around. I figured that, by now, Ford had created an up-to-date car with HP and handling. They make it seem a little disappointing, and since I couldn't afford the GT500, mine would be even more of a pig in the turns...
You don't need to work out the time. You just need the right SAVTU equation. What's SAVTU, you ask? Well, read on.
For any constant acceleration problem, one can calculate all of the following values if three of them are known:
S=distance (or displacement)
A=acceleration
V=final velocity
T=time
U=initial velocity
S: V=U+(A*T)/2
A: S=((U+V)/2)*T
V: S=U*T+(A*T^2)/2
T: V^2=U^2+2*A*S
U: S=V*T-(A*T^2)/2
Each equation is listed by which variable it does not use. So, for the KITT problem, we know V. We know U. We know S, and we are trying to calculate A. We don't know T, so we use the T equation: V^2=U^2+2*A*S. (The actual math is left as an exercise for the reader).
When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
How is the "on the road" version of the Mustang even closely related to the car in this situation? Additionally, there is enough aftermarket bits to get near 1g out of late model Mustangs so I am not sure about what you are really getting at.
From the perspective of a secret agency building a supercar, you really need to look at initial costs associated with the base model. Ideally you do not want to start with your budget ~$200K in the hole before you start engineering nanotech body panels and braking systems with quantum space-time folding capability.
First, I was hoping for a late model Chevy remake of the Firebird(Best looking car ever made) Second, the wheels on the Ford suck... They should at least be aerodynamic and functional like KITT's. Not, sticking out 3 inches from the fender well and low profile. Seriously, what happened to all the aerodynamic wheel designs on the market??? I predict flop due to the crappy car... The only thing that could save it now is Will Smith becoming the new Knight Rider.
The comparison in TFA says the new KITT has 24-Hour Roadside Assistance, where the old one didn't.
I guess they don't make them like they used to... (either that, or they scrapped the maintenance truck)
No Audio/Video In-Dash Functions Yes
How many times did we watch Michael video conference with Devon?
10 miles Range 20 miles
I have no idea what they are talking about here. Do they mean in "super pursuit mode" or just ordinary driving? 10 mile range sounds kinda silly.
No Keyless Entry and Ignition Yes
How many times did Michael run up to kitt to meet him in a hurry, where kitt power slid to a stop and swung th door open? That's about as 'keyless entry' as it gets.
No 360-Degree Video Surveillance Yes
I never knew the original kitt had blind spots? He seemed to have 360 degree vision?
No 24-Hour Roadside Assistance Yes
What do you call that big black semi? They didn't even need to pull over to get in, so maybe you can call it NOT roadside because he didn't need to pull over?
No In-Seat Medical Diagnosis Yes
Several episodes kitt diagnosed the medical condition of some passenger that Michael dumped into the passenger seat.
(yes this used to be one of my favorite shows of 'the day'. the very similar show Airwolf rocked too)
I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
You should watch Jeremy review the F-150 then :)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=EZ21P6fFSuoThat was already done in the first episode. Eject the car thiefs onto a police car -- beats the hell out of LoJack.
Fight Spammers!
I read the article, but I didn't see any mention of KITT's Cylon "eye". There's a little gap there, but not sure if that's supposed to be the "eye". I am a child of the '80s, I did watch the show (sometimes), and this can't really be Knight Rider if KITT isn't a Cylon.
It's gotta be the most manly, macho thing you can do. I mean come on - picking up ladies becomes EASY!
:)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykSzwYQV6PU
or heck, even if you can't pick up the ladies, you can certainly get them to um...."suck up".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wn3-O17f4tg
Tell me that's not awesome.
Karma: Chameleon (mostly due to the fact that you come and go).
Well, at least that episode exemplifies - to some small extent - the differences between what our market is looking for and what the European market looks for. Personally, I can't believe anyone would road-test that small of a truck... even if it does seem a bit too large for their paths and parking spaces. I'm not sure my truck (extended cab, long-bed, 4x4) would even make it through the middle of some English towns... Here's to wide open spaces, and not being forced to live like a woman (a shopping trip and pastries?). Give me black coffee, a big job that requires a truck, and a man's territory any day of the week.
Instead of William Daniels nagging "Michaeeeel" all through the show like a little bitch, the new voice will be Fran Drescher.
Yes, because of course Jeremy runs his mouth from across the pond. Big whoop. And all Brits stink and need dental work, along with an instruction manual on the wonders of dental floss.
If he wanted to get a few words in and back it up he should have done so when they were filming the redneck episode in the southern US.
"There's always a fjord."
"Or an inlet."
Hey Thanks, I didn't knew the whole collection.
V^2 = U^2 + 2*A*S
2*A*S = V^2 - U^2
A = (V^2 - U^2) / 2*S
300mph = ~135m/s (= ~480 km/h)
12ht = ~4m
A = -135m/s / (24 m) = ~ -2'280 m/s = ~ -230g
Conclusion :
The new "Pimp my SUV" KITT should better be in autopilot mode when doing this otherwise it'll end up with lots of bits of David Hasselhoff's guts, spread on the dashboard.
Now, how could this feat be achieved using only with the friction of *ridiculously small contact surface* of 4 rubber tires (as I don't see obvious breaking rockets visible on the front of the car) all this without using the intervention of a thick concrete wall, is left to the reader's imagination.
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
The last thing we need is to turn the series into a live action RPG.
I don't see it.
I mean, I looked at the source of speedofart.com, can't find a blink tag. It's possible I'm not looking hard enough; I've certainly had my fill of tricky Javascript problems today.
Fortunately for all of us, sibling post (or is it "uncle" to mine?) has a link to the original comic.
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
Its going to get its Ass handed to it by the new Nissan GTR.
I just can't believe they don't make the SVT Lightning in 4WD. I always assumed it was 4WD.
Grappling Hook No
.goddamnit
Oil Jets No
Flame Thrower No
That's all you need to know, KITT has been declawed.
I think I need to go now, I need a beer.
. .
It should have been a Corvette instead of the secretary's car. It could have been a Viper, but that was already done.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viper_(TV_series)
Really, KITT is supposed to be a super-futuristic badass assault car. An aftermarket-tuned retro-muscle car doesn't cut it.
My Other Computer Is A Data General Nova III.
Kinetic energy = 1/2 * mass * velocity squared
http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&safe=off&client=safari&rls=en-us&q=1%2F2+*+1000+kg+*+(134.1120+m%2Fs)+squared&btnG=Search
In summation, a lot.
After all, I am strangely colored.
FTFA: Range: 20 miles. Geez, that's kinda weak. Most plug-in electrics'll do 50-75 miles. Hope the Baddies aren't driving a Prius! At least it's a two-fold increase in the KITT2k, 10 miles would hardly cover a round trip to Hair Club For Men.
Can you fuck comfortably in the back seat?
That was the criteria in "Triple X: State of the Union" with their Shelby.
Richard Steven Hack - This sig is TOO GODDAMN SHORT TO DO ANYTHING USEFUL WITH! MORONS!
It is supposed to be a quasi-hot rod. It's almost useless as a truck as I think its payload and towing capacities are lower than that of a standard F-150.
Okay, but where is SuperPursuit Mode? I'll really need that shotgun fake-sonic boom effect to wake me up in the middle of the movie, when I'm falling asleep.
The thing to remember is that these are specs for the car, not the driver. Its an autonomous vehicle, so as long as the tires don't melt, there isn't any reason for it to not perform that well without passengers. The F16 can endure much higher G loads than the pilot, but the computer prevents the plane from doing it.
Now the real physics fun is to calculate the heat from the brakes and the surface contact area needed to bleed off that much kinetic energy.
Huh?
I am sure that the coefficient of friction between the tires and the pavement would be exceeded by this rate of deceleration, so KITT would leave a long black streak of rubber while it slides. Unless, of course, if the tires have "spiderman" velcro nanohooks attaching it to the pavement (or any other surface, drive up the wall?)