Walker Career Center teacher Michael Short remembers watching "Knight Rider" on NBC in the ‘80s on a black and white TV in his kitchen growing up.
“Knight Rider,” which came out in 1982, is an action TV show following the adventures of Michael Knight, a former police officer believed to have been killed who was actually saved and given a new identity along with a sentient car named K.I.T.T. This vehicle, a highly advanced 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, was Knight’s partner in fighting crime and was the symbol of the show.
As a "Knight Rider” superfan and an Introduction to Transportation teacher, Short is working on his dream project, recreating K.I.T.T. The project initially began a few years ago when Short bought a 1989 Firebird, but the dream to build it started much sooner, back in his childhood.
“This car is iconic in itself," Short said. "Everyone knows ‘Knight Rider,’ and it was definitely one of my favorite shows growing up.”
Over the course of four seasons, minor changes were made to the design of the vehicle, and newer Firebird models were used in later seasons. Short is recreating the season four version of the famous TV car. Equipped with high-tech gadgets and advanced technology and a sleek look, Short wants to make it look as accurate as possible, even including some “gadgets” such as “oil slick,” which dispenses water, a smokescreen and even a laser capable of popping a balloon in the front nose of the car.
“I'm what we would refer to as a purist,” Short said. “I want it to be a season four car, so the center console is accurate. The upper console's accurate. I'm building it as accurately as possible. And with all the “Knight Rider” nerds in the community, there are people who just keep building more and more accurate parts for it.”
In the past few school years, Short has worked on the remodel of the Firebird in his free time and has even had students help him. Starting by removing the original interior, Short then started the electrical portion of the build, putting all the wiring together. After that was completed, he and his students laid down Dynamat on the body of the car to help reduce vibrations. Students in automotive classes have also used this car as a project of their own, doing bodywork, priming and eventually even painting the body. All the while work on the car was progressing, a custom-made replica of K.I.T.T.'s dashboard was being made elsewhere, which will eventually be installed into the car.
Short has broken down the project into two phases. Right now, the project is in “Phase 1.” This phase consists of many things, such as bodywork primer, paint and electrical work. With this stage nearly complete, Short should be able to start “Phase 2” soon.
“Once I have the other engine rebuilt, with a better transmission that has an extra gear in it that my car doesn't have, and once the car's painted, I could start phase two and have the car put together inside of 30 days,” Short said.
While much work is already complete, there is much more on the horizon for Short as he works towards building his dream car, K.I.T.T. The goal is to have the car completed by March of next year for the World of Wheels car convention at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. This would be a full circle moment for him, with the World of Wheels being the first place he saw a real K.I.T.T. when he was a kid. He plans to use the car as a way to give back to the community by raising money to donate to charity, specifically the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
“The goal is to take it to car shows and, you know, take it to charity events and stuff like that, and really hire the car out for charity,” Short said “I want to use the car to support the community, my community. So that's a big goal for the car, too.”
This project means so much to Short, not only for fulfilling his childhood dream but also for the opportunity to give back to the community. As the project continues over the next few months and draws closer to completion, this dream will continue to become more of a reality.