Mustang takes lead role in Knight Rider

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Mustang takes lead role in Knight Rider

Ford chose the Detroit show to tell the world that its Mustang will take on the role of KITT, the star of the new Knight Rider television series. The new show revives the Knight Rider idea of a hero driving a car capable of conversing with its driver, as well as all sorts of stunts.

With the Mustang as KITT, Ford will be plugging its new SYNC voice activated information and entertainment technology that is an option in its real-life Focus and Edge models. The TV show's KITT (Knight Industries Three Thousand) will have this system fitted, but Mustangs sold in the USA are not available with it as an option.

Among the Mustang's on-screen talents, it will be able to change shape and colour to disguise itself while helping its driver nab the baddies. Ford is keeping quiet about some of KITT's other abilities, so we'll have to wait for the new television show to see exactly what the car is capable of.

The Mustang KITT has been built in three versions for the television series: Hero, Attack and Camouflage. These three versions are used for different scenes in the series and the Hero is a standard GT500KR Mustang with 540bhp.

The Attack model has been designed by Harold Belker, who has made cars for Batman and Robin, as well as Superman. The Attack version has a new rear bumper, twin rear spoilers, side scoops and modified interior to help with the computer-generated graphics used to create the final illusions for the television show.

The new series of Knight Rider goes on air in the USA on 17 February with a two-hour special first episode.

Alisdair Suttie