If you are of a certain age, then chances are that a significant part of your childhood was spent watching Knight Rider. It’s an odd kind of nostalgia, a concept that worked in its day but would likely struggle to make the transition to modern screens. That said, when the concept of a self-driving car emerged on the small screen in 1982, not many of us would have thought just under 40 years later we’d be arguing over autonomous terminology and legality.
YouTuber Perifractic of Retro Recipies decided to go ahead and build his own tribute to the crime-fighting “supercar”. Using a Tesla Model 3 with Full Self Driving Beta, the first step was to add the iconic voice box. Rather than plumbing in a replica unit that is near unobtainium, Peri opts to use an iPhone and a simple app that recognizes phrases.
Also Read: After K.I.T.T., What Would You Replace The BTTF DeLorean With?
The next step was to swap out the steering wheel for something a little less practical but undeniably inspired by the original: a yoke. Apparently, aftermarket Model S Plaid-style yokes are available for the Model 3, with the kind of build quality that’s close to the original wheel (jokes in the comments, please). Retro Recipes could be the first independent sources to say they actually like the design of the yoke, raising a crucial point — a large part of the mystique behind the original K.I.T.T’s self-driving scenes was down to the way a yoke appears to move, with more deliberate turns of the quadratic form than the shuffle of a round wheel.
Of course, the final piece of the puzzle was installing the iconic scanner up front. Managing to get the LED scanner to shine through the frunk panel gap (again, jokes down below) makes for a seamless look. Future plans for the Model 3 Knight Rider tribute include fitting retro-style screens, an Atari joystick, and voice commands. But really, shouldn’t the car be black for the ultimate in K.I.T.T cosplay?
