I grew up watching Michael Knight and KITT fight the bad guys. But it was a much simpler time in those days when the heroes and good guys were obvious and the bad guys were even more obvious. It seems like that’s changed over the years as the line between “good and evil” has blurred.
That’s why I was so excited to hear that this iconic TV show Knight Rider (along with its car) is making its way back to the airwaves on NBC!
And this time, the show is using one of the most recognized Ford cars ever made–with several modifications, of course. This time around, Mr. Knight’s son will be driving around in a Ford Shelby Mustang while fighting the bad guys. Maybe a whole new generation can grow up watching a man and his Ford Mustang fight crime, just as I did so many years ago (it was a different brand of vehicle back then, though).
According to Variety, a trade magazine for the television industry, Knight Rider will likely have a Friday night time slot when it debuts as a new series later this year. NBC checked to see if it was still as popular as it was in the 80s by showing a made-for-TV movie earlier this year. Apparently, the verdict is in, and enough people tuned in to give producers the “green light” to make a new series.
Although this isn’t unprecedented, networks don’t usually revive an old series nearly 30 years after it went off the air the first time. But I, for one, am very happy that it’s coming back and I’m waiting on the edge of my couch. Are you excited, too?

With rumors circulating that Knight Rider might be added as a regular series to NBC’s fall schedule, I felt I should do some research. As a kid, I enjoyed KITT’s voice. Today, many of us know it better as the voice of the teacher on the corny 1990s sitcom Boy Meets World. As KITT, he had a smarmy tone of voice and even had some sarcastic comments.

But the new KITT seemed different. It might be because it’s new and the voice hasn’t found its own personality yet. So I wanted to find out who does the voice for the new iconic car.

Do you know who it is?

It’s Val Kilmer! I couldn’t believe it when I read it, either. Apparently, the network originally expected Will Arnett from Arrested Development to voice the role.  He even recorded the part for the made-for-TV-movie. But his longstanding relationship with a competing automaker would be in jeopardy if his voice issued through the speakers of any Ford vehicles, let alone the iconic Mustang brand. So he had to “respectfully” withdraw his voice two weeks before the premiere. Methinks the competitor had something to say about his decision, which is why it was so sudden and close to the premiere.

Luckily, Val Kilmer saw the Mustang symbol in the sky and came to save the day. He re-recorded the voice for KITT and signed on to do the voice if the network picked up the show.  And because it looks like we’ll be seeing a lot more of Michael Knight’s son, it also looks like we’ll be hearing a lot more of Val Kilmer’s voice.

Did you know that Ford is auctioning off the two KITT vehicles used in NBC’s made-for-TV movie that will hopefully turn into a pilot episode for a new series?

For me, that’s like a dream come true. I grew up watching David Hasselhoff fight the bad guys in the original Knight Rider TV show. And then my heart grew all aflutter when I heard about the TV movie in February. And I was even more excited when I heard that NBC might bring back the entire series based on the popularity of the movie.

And now I can go to the 6th Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event on March 29 and put a bid in for one of the sleek, black Ford vehicles used in the movie. But it’s also for a good cause. The proceeds will benefit the Salute to Education, a program that offers tuition assistance to students who couldn’t otherwise afford college.

If you can’t make it to West Palm Beach, you can watch the auction of the KITT 3000 on the SPEED Network. The entire auction, occurring at the Americraft Expo Center at the South Florida Fairgrounds, is getting live coverage all across the country. You might even catch a glimpse of your favorite celebrity, says Steve Davis, president of the Barrett-Jackson Auction Company.

Don’t miss this one-time event! How many cars are as famous and recognizable as KITT? Not many, I say.

The 2008 Ford Mustang is virtually unrecognizable from the Mustang of yesteryear. I remember my uncle’s Mustang as a masculine vehicle that people would take notice of every time he peeled away from a stop light. I remember accompanying him on drives in the evenings and looking through the sunroof at the stars in the clear sky. At the time, I wanted nothing more than a Mustang when I grew up.

Thirty years later, I still have that dream. And watching the Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 on NBC’s TV movie Knight Rider didn’t do anything to extinguish that dream. It only made it grow brighter.

Even though the newer Mustangs are different than the classics, I would be satisfied with either version. I like the loud engine and power of the older Mustangs. But I like the sleeker style and eco-friendliness of the newer ones.

The closest I came to owning one of these magnificent Ford vehicles is when we rented one to go the beach last year. I’ll never forget it. It was a cherry red Mustang with a white racing stripe on the side. The inside had beige leather. My wife sat beside me, and my best friend rode comfortably in the back seat. I loved the simplicity of the controls. There wasn’t anything confusing like with some of the new-fangled systems.

But the best part about driving the Mustang to the beach was the attention we got. When we rode into the parking lot, the attendant saw our vehicle and immediately charged a higher price than he did for the guy ahead of me. He saw the Mustang as a status symbol, but I talked him down on the price.

It was almost impossible for me to turn the keys back in to the rental agency the next day. And now I want one even more.  For a look at the new Ford Mustang, stop by one of our Ford dealerships, at our Ford dealership in St. Louis MO or our Ford dealers - Waterloo.

Is anybody else as excited as I am at the announcement that Knight Rider might be returning to the airwaves as a series?

Probably not.

But last week, NBC aired a made-for-TV Knight Rider movie as a test to see if the popularity was still there for the talking car. Apparently, it is. The network aired it again less than a week later and attracted an impressive number of viewers. I was one of the millions. Were you?

David Hasselhoff is still cool and hip, but he’s getting a little too old to do the moves that Michael Knight needs to do. But the driver isn’t the only new element of the 2008 Knight Rider.   There’s also a new car named KITT, a Shelby Mustang selected from a variety of other Ford vehicles to be the co-star of the new movie. Hopefully, NBC will keep the model for the TV series, because it made a huge splash on the screen.

Here are some statistics to give you an idea of how popular Knight Rider was during its first airing last week:

• It got a 5.0 rating and a 12 share in adults from the ages of 18-49. That means that of all the people in that demographic watching TV at the time, 12 percent of them were watching Knight Rider.
• It got the highest rating for this demographic of all other TV movies in nearly three years.
• The movie garnered the network’s biggest overall viewership for this time slot (except for sports) since the 2006 Emmy Awards.
• More than 12 million viewers tuned in to see the return.

Look for an official announcement in April that NBC will add the TV series to its fall lineup. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.