A lively discussion centered around the Chevy Citation and its legacy, including its status as a 'disposable car' and the nostalgia it evokes among listeners. The hosts share humorous anecdotes, listener stories, and delve into the car's history, including its sales success in 1980. The conversation transitions to a deep dive on the iconic Knight Industries Two Thousand (KITT) from Knight Rider, exploring its features, design process, and cultural impact, with plenty of laughs and personal reflections along the way.
"Yeah, you know what people cared about was the Chevy citation people love the Chevy citation. Love they love to hate the Chevy citation. Uh-huh"
The Chevy Citation was a popular car made by Chevrolet in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was known for being affordable and was the best-selling car in the U.S. in 1980.
The Chevy Citation was a compact car produced by Chevrolet that became notable for being the best-selling car in America in 1980. It was part of the General Motors X-body platform and was known for its affordability and practicality.
"It was the best-selling car in America for 1980. Yeah, and it was I think motor trans car of the year. Car of the year of the whole entire year 1976 was the Valar a mind you"
The Plymouth Valiant was a small car made by Plymouth that was known for being reliable. It won an award for Car of the Year in 1976.
The Plymouth Valiant was a compact car produced by Chrysler from 1960 to 1976. It was known for its durability and was popular during its production run, receiving accolades such as Motor Trend's Car of the Year in 1976.
"...what you brilliantly said was it was the first disposable car? Oh"
A 'disposable car' is a car that is made to be cheap and easy to replace, rather than built to last for many years. This idea became popular when car manufacturers started making more affordable models.
The term 'disposable car' refers to vehicles designed to be inexpensive and easily replaceable, often with lower build quality and longevity. This concept emerged in the context of the automotive industry focusing on affordability over durability.
"...definitely was not an X 11 sounds like the gutless wonder. Yeah, yeah"
The X-11 was a special version of the Chevrolet Citation that had some performance upgrades. It was meant to make the car more fun to drive compared to the regular model.
The X-11 was a performance package offered for the Chevrolet Citation, which included enhancements like a sport suspension and upgraded engine options. It was aimed at making the Citation more appealing to enthusiasts.
"...that was how we got that Corvair or the Corvette the 83 Corvette..."
The Chevrolet Corvair is a small car that was made in the 1960s. It had a different design than most cars of that time because its engine was in the back instead of the front.
The Chevrolet Corvair was a compact car produced by Chevrolet from 1960 to 1969. It is known for its unique design and rear-engine layout, which was uncommon for American cars at the time.
"...as for my New Year's Eve the blue meeting's neutral safety switch went out leaving me stranded after..."
The neutral safety switch is a part that stops your car from starting unless it's in the right gear. It's a safety feature to help prevent accidents.
A neutral safety switch is a safety feature in automatic vehicles that prevents the engine from starting unless the transmission is in 'Park' or 'Neutral'. This prevents accidental movement of the vehicle when starting it.
"...and it overheated every time. It's where I learned to turn the heater on to cool the car off..."
Overheating happens when a car's engine gets too hot, which can cause serious problems. It usually means there's an issue with the cooling system.
Overheating occurs when an engine's temperature exceeds its normal operating range, which can lead to severe engine damage. It can be caused by low coolant levels, a faulty thermostat, or a malfunctioning water pump.
"...as for hot hatches. It was used to describe eco boxes. That's a quote of the early 80s...race the VW GTI, the Civic hatch, Ford Fiesta, etc..."
Hot hatches are small cars with a hatchback design that are designed for fun driving. They are usually sporty and have good performance, making them popular among car enthusiasts.
Hot hatches are small, sporty hatchback cars that offer performance and fun driving dynamics while maintaining practicality. They originated in the late 1970s and early 1980s, with models like the VW GTI leading the way in this segment.
"...race the VW GTI, the Civic hatch, Ford Fiesta, etc..."
The Volkswagen GTI is a sporty version of the regular Golf car. It's designed to be fun to drive and is popular among people who like fast cars.
The Volkswagen GTI is a performance-oriented version of the Volkswagen Golf, known for its sporty handling and turbocharged engine. It is one of the original hot hatches and has a strong following among enthusiasts.
"...the VW GTI, the Civic hatch, Ford Fiesta, etc..."
The Ford Fiesta is a small car that is easy to drive and park. It comes in a hatchback style, which makes it practical for everyday use while still being fun to drive.
The Ford Fiesta is a subcompact car known for its efficient use of space and agile handling. It has been available in various body styles, including a sporty hatchback version, making it popular among urban drivers.
"...the VW GTI, the Civic hatch, Ford Fiesta, etc..."
The Honda Civic hatch is a version of the Honda Civic that has a hatchback style. It's known for being practical and fun to drive, making it a good choice for many people.
The Honda Civic hatch is a variant of the popular Honda Civic, offering a hatchback design that combines practicality with sporty performance. It has been a favorite among drivers looking for a versatile and fun car.
"...he replaced it with the Dodge Aries or maybe a Plymouth reliant..."
The Dodge Aries is a small car that Dodge produced in the 1980s. It was popular for being budget-friendly and reliable.
The Dodge Aries was a compact car produced by Dodge from 1981 to 1989. It was part of the K platform and was known for its affordability and practicality.
"...or maybe a Plymouth reliant and he said the K car was left out during a thunderstorm..."
The Plymouth Reliant is a small car that Plymouth made in the 1980s. It was designed to be affordable and efficient for drivers.
The Plymouth Reliant was a compact car produced by Plymouth from 1981 to 1989, sharing the same K platform as the Dodge Aries. It was known for its good fuel economy and practicality.
"...the K car is not real great either. What's the K car because this came up in the brain buster, too..."
The K car is a type of car platform created by Chrysler that many small cars were built on in the 1980s. It was important for the company's success during that time.
The K car refers to a platform developed by Chrysler in the early 1980s that underpinned several models, including the Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant. It was significant for its front-wheel-drive layout and helped Chrysler recover financially during that era.
Knight Industries 2000, or KITT, is a talking car from the TV show Knight Rider. It was special because it could drive itself and had a personality, making it a favorite among fans.
Knight Industries 2000, often referred to as KITT, is a fictional artificial intelligence and the main character in the TV show Knight Rider. KITT is known for its advanced technology and capabilities, including self-driving features and a personality.
"...this is part of the reason why I bought a trans am"
The Pontiac Trans Am is a type of sports car that was made by Pontiac. It's famous for its cool looks and powerful engines, and it became well-known from TV shows and movies.
The Pontiac Trans Am is a performance version of the Pontiac Firebird, known for its sporty design and powerful engine options. It gained popularity in the 1970s and 1980s, especially due to its appearances in movies and TV shows like Knight Rider.
"...t needs to go 10 feet in the air to get to a fire escape or 20 feet in the air to get onto a helicopter B..."
The Ford Escape is a small SUV that can carry more people and stuff than a regular car. It's great for driving around town or going on trips, and it has a lot of features to keep you safe and comfortable.
The Ford Escape is a compact SUV that was first introduced in 2000, designed to offer a balance of utility and comfort for urban and suburban drivers. It has undergone several redesigns, enhancing its technology, safety features, and fuel efficiency, making it a popular choice for families and individuals alike.
"...the thing that about the self-driving is they couldn't do the scenes for a really long time because it was really..."
Self-driving means that a car can drive itself without needing a person to control it. It uses special technology to see the road and make decisions, like when to stop or turn.
Self-driving technology refers to vehicles that can operate without human input, using a combination of sensors, cameras, and artificial intelligence to navigate and control the car. This technology is at the forefront of automotive innovation and aims to improve safety and convenience.
"...ody right. Uh, you know, okay So in 1982 Pontiac firebird trans am they were really struggling And but Pon..."
The Pontiac Firebird is a sporty car that was made for many years, famous for its cool looks and powerful engine. It's a car that a lot of people remember from movies and shows, making it a popular choice among car enthusiasts.
The Pontiac Firebird is a classic American muscle car that was produced from 1967 to 2002. Known for its distinctive styling and performance, the Firebird, particularly the Trans Am variant, became an iconic symbol of the muscle car era and is often celebrated for its role in automotive history and pop culture.
"...I think it was around 2008. Yeah, it was around that crash..."
Pontiac was a car brand that stopped making cars in 2010. They made popular models like the Trans Am, and people are reminiscing about when they stopped making them.
Pontiac was a division of General Motors that ceased operations in 2010. The discussion reflects on the timeline of Pontiac's last models, including the Trans Am, which was a significant part of the brand's identity.
"So this year is the 100 year anniversary of Pontiac. Wow"
This year marks 100 years since Pontiac was created, which is a big deal for car enthusiasts and the brand itself.
The 100 year anniversary of Pontiac marks a century since the brand's founding in 1926, celebrating its history and contributions to the automotive industry.
"...pmt was pacific motor transport and it was the trucking company that took the cars from the van nye's assembly plant to the..."
Pacific Motor Transport is a company that helps move cars from where they're made to where they need to go, like dealerships. They ensure that cars are delivered safely and on time.
Pacific Motor Transport is a trucking company that specializes in transporting vehicles. They played a key role in moving cars from manufacturing plants to dealerships or other locations.
Select text to request an explanation
I
Whenever happy Wednesday happy Wednesday, we're having a whatever day whatever who cares
Yeah, you know what people cared about was the Chevy citation people love the Chevy citation
Love they love to hate the Chevy citation. Uh-huh
Some people liked it, right?
Yeah, I mean, that's it was the it was the number one car it for 1980
It was the best-selling car in America for 1980. Yeah, and it was I think motor trans car of the year
Car of the year of the whole entire year 1976 was the Valar a mind you
What's funny is that Pat told us about that his family having the Valar a
Rizmo sent me a Keith Wiesner post about the Valar a with these like these weird land-out tops that made it look like a
Kind of looks like a convertible, but it's not it's just a solid top and it was like this package and
Oh interesting there weren't a lot of them made and it's kind of ugly looking sort of looks like it has a
I'd have to you know, I'll show it to you sometime. Oh, okay. Anyway, I'll be waiting anyway
It was funny that Pat had mentioned the Valar a being the 76 car of the year. Yeah, and then Rizzo coming along with that. I mean just
Kiz man dip it is
It is it is it's kismet that we acknowledge the Valar a and that we acknowledge the Chevy citation
Yeah, I had somebody write me and
I asked him if it had rest of the gills and he said not quite. I'll have to read his quote for more
What do you got yet? Do you want? Oh, I was gonna say what you brilliantly said was it was the first disposable car? Oh
Yeah, totally. Is it not? Mm-hmm. I mean it's trash. Yeah, it was bad five years the cars
It was bad rusted out. Well, we have this quote from I can't remember what magazine. Oh raise kits calm
Oh, the model guy. That was a good model guy. Yeah, he does scale stuff and it's cool. So despite shout-out raise kits
Despite the facts. This is hilarious. Despite the fact that the car was a total disaster
They still made models out of it the X 11 specifically
I want one they're collectible. There's one that's a low rider after this. Okay, that one was sick
That was fucking awesome. I mean, is it hard to make a low rider shitty? Isn't it? I guess that's not true
But I don't know. I generally like all of them that I see
What's interesting I want to go back. I just saw Pat's note in the notes here
And it was like Aunt Rose had a late 70s Valer with a wooden crate instead of the driver's seat. Yep
It's hard to imagine. Oh boy, that'd be hard to drive just flipping and flopping all over the place. Yeah
Okay, I'm sure it was tied down but still Van Dan 73 said my first car was an 81 citation with the 2.6
It was a tank. He said I asked if it had rust up to the gills
He said no rust on the grill, but it was an awful tan light brown
And my friend used to make fun of it calling it the brown round definitely was not an X 11 sounds like the gutless wonder
Yeah, yeah
Brown round definitely gave me a pretty good chuckle
Yeah, that's pretty funny. It sounds like butthole and I think that's what they're referring to. Yeah. Yeah, it sounds like yeah
One that gets dropped off at the pool
So I'm gonna read this quote from the raised kits from the yeah, yeah, yeah, bring it on
It's quite spectacular. You know, I didn't go back to that article, but it it did it was a good write-up
Well, you did I thought you sent me this quote from it. I did I just didn't sure. Oh, okay. You didn't read the quote
It's not even dictated but not read it's just like forwarded but not read did I do that to you last time?
That was how we got that Corvair or the Corvette the 83 Corvette
Oh
The 84 the non-existent one I was like, hey, here's this Corvette mystery. I'm not gonna read about it nice and it's you
Yeah, is that what is that what created the brain buster base? No, I just did a little piece on it
I did a real funny little piece on it. I thought you'd remember that you enjoyed it
I do remember that was the 1983 Corvette because they did make one. Yeah. Yeah, or one survive
They made several prototypes
Destroy them all that was what they said to do. All right. Here is this really funny quote from
Racekits.com. I think he had one or his friend had one and he was describing it or he's quoting somebody from a newspaper article
I don't know. I just have the quote. Okay. Okay. Here we go
The guttural groan of the transmission the loud burble of the engine as it kicks into life
The heater knobs coming off as I'm trying to warm the cabin and trying to cool off the car as it is somehow
Overheating in early morphing traffic, even though it was frigid November morning
The rear view mirror dropping off the windshield the trim popping off the door once I shut them the insulation on the windows
Just flopping loose after two months the erratic veer to the left when I gently break
Gently break gently break the paint chips lying on the tarmac next to my car while it's parked as it was
Showing its ripe age of 18 months, but resting as if it were 18 years
That's the end. The rest thing is still getting me 18 months
We never came across as to why that happened. I didn't see a thing that said like it was because of this
But anyway, well, maybe we'll never know. Yeah, it's a mystery
I mean we saw that we read in that article that it was like because it was a cheap car
It was thus cheap built like yeah, and we didn't see where that made any sense
But we didn't know what the pain. Yeah, we definitely didn't want to blame UAW workers
No, we didn't and then Tanner wrote in do you want to read Tanner's a little cute little right?
I do want to read tan man Tanner friend of the pod. Yeah
Tanner previous guest our previous guests on the pod
Expert he came on to
Share the Jeep lore he loves those. Oh, he loves Jeep so much. He's gonna get a Jeep
From Tanner
Just listened to the last episode as for my New Year's Eve the blue meeting's neutral safety switch went out leaving me stranded after
Stopping for smokes had to push it onto the street so it wouldn't get towed
You know what that makes me think of is the chats the price of smokes are going up again
as for the citation
My mom had a brown fastback. I remember the radio and the smell of smoke not from the transmission
But my mom smoking with the windows up
We had to commute on the I80 up Parley's Canyon and it overheated every time
It's where I learned to turn the heater on to cool the car off
also
That'll trick
Also, this is the rebuttal to the guy that was said that no hot babes ever drove a citation
He said also my mom is a babe and
Especially when she had the citation. Yes, it's a babe car. So again confirming that guy's a loser
Yeah, that guy didn't know what the hell he was talking about and then one more explanation to a question
I had he said as for hot hatches. It was used to describe eco boxes. That's a quote of the early 80s
They were used to race the VW GTI the civic hatch Ford Fiesta, etc
Basically a new era of small sporty economy cars
So there's your hot hatches. Mm-hmm. I still sounds a I'd rather have hot hash at a diner
Mmm
Yeah, I'd rather have a I do like a hatchback though. I think they're cute. They're cute. Yeah, but I like hash browns, too
Not hot. I like hash browns better than hash
So if it was short for hash browns, I'm going for it Pat said that his his grandfather had a Chevy citation
And he replaced it with the Dodge Aries or maybe a Plymouth reliant
And he said the K car was left out during a thunderstorm Western, Pennsylvania
And wound up with a few decent dents in the roof and hood from big hail
Yeah, the K car is not real great either. What's the K car because this came up in the brain buster, too
That's a Chrysler platform. Oh, okay of a very similar era. Okay. All right
Citation is technically known as an X car. Oh, yeah, I think it was an X
I think they were built on a fixture like they had like tables that they got built on
That went down the line and it was like they planted them on these fixtures
And so I think that was a thing when they would repair the citations was they had the same like they had tables that were
Specked out with the same pens and you could basically pull the car back to fit on the pens. I don't know
Hmm. I think I think that our teacher Owen Hamrick told us that when I was in a tech school
Hmm. Yeah, okay little factoid little factoid there on the factoid platform
So we got something from Trees and Nails and he was saying this is as per our New Year's Eve
Conversation that we put out into the world as a podcast
Trying to chap things up at the micro machine super service center
It's been a bit neglected car crash got me voted motivated to take care of the fleet
And then he sent some videos of all of these little tiny
Cars that he had including a bunch of gold ones and a little tiny gas station
I had a micro machine set that was a gas can
And you folded it down and it was like you drove down a mountain and then into a little town
And it had like I think like a two-story car wash and a gas station. It was a it's really cute
It was a new set my machines were cool. I didn't really know about them until he sent me that
Oh, well, I mean, I guess I've seen little tiny model cars, but I didn't know they were called micro machines
Micro machines are also nice to take a like a quickie mold of silicone like coop does that
Somebody'll send him a van one and he'll just do like a just do a quick mold of it and cast it solid
Oh little knick-knacks to leave around. Yeah. Yeah, they're great to get for that. That's fun. Yeah
He also said my mom Mary Alice had a Chevy citation. It was silver with a red interior
She was a nurse had three kids red hair drank course light and was allergic to everything
That's the type of woman who drove a Chevy citation
She sounds like a babe, too. Yeah, that's what that's where I was headed. Yeah a nurse with red hair
Hello, yeah, I was gonna say hello naughty nurse
Dude ranch nurse funnicky youth and then also he had another comment
The reason you both are so thirsty is because you're always talking about driving
Yeah, I'm reading it. I see it. I
appreciate the gesture
The effort the joke if it's there. I
Thought it was pretty funny
So that is that's I think most of it most of the citation stuff
I feel like maybe I missed one because
There just was a lot of that was a real emotional car for people, you know
And I forgot to ask people at work about it, but I think I compiled it though
I think I compiled it all on quite a few of my co-workers are my age. I wish I had asked a few people at work. I
Mean, I feel like we talked about it. Yes next time you should
Well, we encourage brain buster people to talk at people. Yeah
Well, that's why I really feel like I missed out because the citation really elicited some strong feelings in people
I just feel like maybe I forgot one or two of the responses, but it's still oncoming. Yeah, I was pretty shocked actually
I think that Rizzo. I want to say that Rizzo was like I kind of want one like maybe somebody totally drive one
Somebody told me they wanted an X 11. Yeah, I could see him doing that. I mean Joe. Yeah, Joe. I wouldn't put it past him
Yeah, I wouldn't put it rat him. What okay, so
Where do we go from here? Well, Emily's got a deep dive. Okay. We're into a project episode. Here we go
Night Industries 2000
2000 aka
KIT TTI TT aka kit. Yes
Kit of Knight Rider. That is what we're gonna talk about
I have a huge smile on my face right now because I that was my favorite show it came out when I was
Six Emily loves this and it lasted until I was 10 and this is part of the reason why I bought a trans am
third generation trans am
It was probably like 75% of the reason that about a third generation trans am maybe 80% maybe 85
You don't want to say 90 you're you're you're going up. I'm gonna say 90 going up
Well after doing all the research, I'm like, no, this is 90% the trend is positive. This is 90% and
So what jumps out to you about the car, what do you like it so much?
Or did you like the show and the show has the car?
I just like the adventure of it. Okay, imagine having your bestie be a car and you get to go
Trample and around not trampling you get to go gliding because this car is like very tight
Okay, and very sweet and very fast and you get to go gliding around turbine powered the US
It is turbine powered turbo turbine power turbo turbine and because of that
It has that very whiny it has a whistling is they overdubbed they dubbed the whistling sounds scary
Why is it scary? It's like a haunting sound
The car is menacing every once in a while you can hear of yate the cars menacing
It is menacing, but it's so sweet and nice
And so I think that's what I like about it is you have this ultimate freedom
And then you just have your bestie with you and you're going around and you're solving crimes and you're helping innocent people and
helping Stephanie
Huh Stephanie
Exactly Stephanie Lucy's there's always a girl involved
There's always a hot young girl involved and then of course stable has all opposite hot young man. So, you know
The two shall meet of course every episode. It's cute. It's cute. There's no like
Crazy sex scenes or anything. I think there's a make-out scene that I've seen. Yeah. I mean, it's pretty TV
Yeah, yeah cable is no no no no no no no no like what it yeah, where did what it did Aaron? I
Think it was made by Universal
Think it might have aired on NBC. Okay. Yeah, okay. Yeah, so a little few things about kit
Who is a blacked out 82 trans am which we've yeah, let's lay out some ground rules, please
Well, he so the car went from 82 to 84 is I mean
This is these are ones that they used in the show from a 2 to 84 the show ran from 82 to 86
and they did four seasons and 90 episodes
I think it's four seasons and kit. So kit is a talking thinking AI
But not the kind of scary AI that we have today. He's like
his mission is to
Keep Michael Knight alive and to keep people alive like it was by voice by mr. Feeney. Oh
Is that who you're talking about? I don't know who that is voice by mr. Feeney from boy meets world. Oh
Yeah, boy meets world. Okay. I didn't know
Like is this mr. Feeney and I spelled it wrong and then I went to dig in through the cast. Yeah, and sure enough
Yeah, it is his polite ass
Yes, and you know, I actually have never heard that or seen it
No, I mean, I think I've heard of boy meets world, but I've never seen it
I didn't really know anything about it. But what I do know about that guy
What is his name actor William Daniels? William Daniels? Yeah, Bill Daniels
He voiced kit and he did not let his name be in the credits
And one of the reasons well the reason was because he wanted kit to remain mysterious
Kit was AI and he didn't want people to think that somebody voiced him
That's a theory and then another theory is that he didn't want to be typecast, but he was already famous at that point
I don't think he was gonna get typecast. I think that he was
Method acting to the core and just like I am an AI and I will not
Have my name on this Mr. Feeney is a real one. So I like I'm not surprised even a little bit
Yeah, and but uh a couple episodes in like you said
People recognize his voice you recognize it right away
And so it kind of let the cat out of the bag, but he wasn't credited in the
They never put him in the credits because he didn't want to be so there were 20 of these cars in the show
In the show. Yeah. Oh, I have 20 to 25
Uh, I have 20 in the show give or take a few
Okay, that that makes sense five remain. Yeah. Yep
Three of them were the original show car were the original like
Top prima donna. Yeah, and then one was the touring car that actually didn't start with tea tops
One was what one was like a touring car. Oh
It didn't have tea tops and then they took they took the studio dash and put it in it to tour it around after the show
Was over and keep promoting the show
I want to run back real quick to
Kit in general. Okay, because we didn't get to go over how awesome that he is besides that
He's ai and he's cooler than the ai of today. I hate I hate hearing ai
I know but that's because think about hearing it in 1982 when you're six. Yeah. No, it would have been awesome
Anytime before three years ago. Yeah. Yeah, so
Uh, let's just pretend I never have to hear the words crypto and ai again
Be fucking sick
Yeah, I hear you he was the fastest safest strongest car in the world. He was invincible. He was bulletproof
I am not sure if he was like bomb proof because there are some I've watched most of season one
And there are some points where helicopters are throwing bombs down and they're exploding
And michael's like can you take a direct hit and kit's like I don't want to find out
But there is one episode where he
jumps over and lands on top of a pile of dynamite
To shield michael in this like hot young thing from getting blown up and he takes the blow up
So invincible car is total dais ex machina
I haven't seen that
dais ex machina is when like you have a
An ending in us in something where you're just like how did that happen?
And like it all was just like wraps up and works out
Yeah, and it's not explained
Having the invincible car is just like total. It's just like inviting that into every episode
It isn't every episode because he always gets him out of the bind. Well, that's what I mean
It's like the car will always do something that has to be like willful suspension of disbelief
Well, and they're also they're always adding a doodad on about every episode
And I wrote down as many doodads as I could
But take me through the list of doodads
Well, I don't even know if I wrote them all but here these are some of my favorite ones
Yeah, let's have it has an ejector seat in the uh, both the passenger and the driver side
And obviously the passenger that's for obvious reasons, but the driver side. That's the mother-in-law seat
Sometimes michael knight. Yeah, in case your mother-in-law needs to go sometimes michael needs to that's a joke, by the way
Oh, was it and the strip star there's a windshield in front of the driver only
And then the passenger has no windshield and he would go that's the mother-in-law seat
But then also and it's an I think you should leave
joke
Where they're doing the Ford car focus group for Ford cars and then Reuben is like no room for mother-in-law
I haven't seen that. All right. Sorry. Okay. Go ahead ejection seat ejection seat sometimes bond
Sometimes michael knight needs to go 10 feet in the air to get to a fire escape or 20 feet in the air to get onto a helicopter
Brilliant
Yeah, lots of stuff there. Okay, of course. He can put out oil slicks. This is again like james bond. So james bond
He can throw out smoke
He's got a turbo. There's a spy
He's got a turbo boost
Uh, the corvair. All right
He's got a surveillance scanner
Which is government?
Cameras and it's x-ray heat seeking
Oh
Like nicole tesla so he can see through this is an eclectic car
Walls ration from all over the place. Well, he can see through walls Superman. It's not yes, okay
He can see through walls
But it's not like he can see he can it looks like little video game people
That is like moving around on his screen. So it's more of like a sort of a kid's like lucky charms
There's a lot of fun stuff. There's a lot of fun stuff
Of course, there's a wench. Of course, there's a grappling hook the wench
Obviously he's in the front. You can't go on an adventure without a grappling hook
No, I was thinking about grappling hooks the other day how they just like magically let go and you need them to somehow
Yeah, I think yeah, you're down there and they just like you just like
What wiggle the rope and it pops off
But yeah, but it was secured in the building so secure so secure it'll tear a building down hit the release button
Yep. Yeah, that's what he's got grappling hook front and rear rockets
You don't leave home without, you know, a couple cruise missiles. No, exactly. You need those. I mean traffic, you know
the funny thing is like
The rockets sort of just come out of the body and you can't tell where they live. You don't see them
They you just see them come out
You're the exhaust to keep them warm
They don't shoot out of the exhaust though. They shoot out from like underneath the car
Just near the near the exhaust it keeps them warm. You're right. Keep them. Yeah, keep those rockets warm and then
He also has access to some worldwide database
And I don't think it's the web because I don't know if the web was around in 1982
But he can get into like technically speaking in the 70s. Yes. Okay. Well, maybe he has access to the web then
Because he can get that's feasible. I think
Yeah, he can get all sorts of information about people about places about government stuff
So he's a cop
Well, michael knight was a cop. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, we'll get into that a little bit later. Yeah
Well, michael knight is like a vigilante. So he's like robocop
No, kid is more robocop
Kid is no michael knight robocop. He was a cop. Yeah before he became michael knight
And once he becomes michael knight, he ceases to be a cop
He's more of like a vigilante and he works for night industries and night industries is like a
nationwide
Organization of people that want to uphold the law and justice and so they
Go into like corrupt cities and corrupt officials and like, you know
Controversy or sorry, controversy
Controversy
Controversy so no they go into splinter cells
Places where there's corruption within like a city or within government officials. Okay, or they just you know, they are there to protect the innocent
So he's out there fighting crime. Okay, they're fighting crime. Kit is also self-driving
And that works really good if you want to make out or if you need to jump onto a helicopter
I noticed that there were some episodes again, you know, this is like the day of sex market
I like I'm talking about like just it's very convenient
Yeah, everything about the car is convenient. Yeah
It really does everything and the thing that about the self-driving is they couldn't do the scenes for a really long time because it was really
Almost impossible. It's very hard for the stunt drivers to do it
And what they would do is they would be on the passenger floor
Which is like it's a trans they're just barely they must have been the tiniest
stunt drivers in the entire world because the floor
The seat like the floor of it's the front floor of a trans am is so tiny
But they were down there and they made like controls for them to be able to control the car from there
And if you look really close like I sent you that video if you look really close
You can see in some of the episodes you can see the stunt driver like
Like kind of trying to get out of the way of the camera. Yeah, you showed me one of those shots
I mean, I used to work on the first floor of a trans am. I mean, it was just so cramped. Yeah, really cramped. Yeah
When did you what was that the first floor of a trans am?
Yeah, it's really tiny. Yeah, it was yeah, there was a hudson news
Inside the first floor of this trans am I can't believe it fit in there. Yeah, I sold newspapers and sodas and
Oh, it was a lot of people a lot of people come and go like an airport, but right. Yeah. Yeah, all right
Very tiny tiny space. Yeah claustrophobic. I would say yeah, sure certainly claustrophobic
Yeah, so it's weird because you know when gene built the reactor it was remote controlled
So this is all a little strange to me
That predates this and there that wasn't just like, uh, you know, uh stunt news
When gene did it exactly, you know, no, it could have been oh, yeah, you're thinking that they could have just made it remote control
I'm surprised they didn't
Yeah, I don't know why they didn't I mean, we're on myth busters. Davis made a remote control. I don't want to make it sound like it's easy
I'm just saying like
You're saying that these producers were fucking idiots. The tech has marched along
Like I feel like if gene had it available to him
Gene was a little behind the cutting edge just a little bit, you know
I mean that was early for a remote control car, but like we're talking 20 years after that
Yeah, how elegantly could it drive?
I don't know the answer to that. I mean when davis did the truck it was decent
But I mean it's I mean it's not easy to do but anyway, I'm just I'm a little yeah
Maybe they wanted to you know, give these stunt drivers. I mean that probably was way better driving
From stunts. It was probably better driving. Yeah, I'm sure there's a I'm sure if they could cut out
Labor they would have listen if you're a stunt driver, which you know, you've interviewed at least one stunt driver
Let us know. Yeah, let us know reach out. Yeah, let us know why they would not just do a remote control car
Yeah, just let us know. Yeah, also. We are glad that they use stunt drivers
And an AI car
Well rose isn't she's rolling her eyes so sick of hearing about AI
Now I want to go into the interior because the dash is totally nuts
And some of the little things on the dash was it has a cash machine. It has a printer and rolling my eyes
I saw the dash. It's absurd. Yeah, it has this red yellow green
You know thing going on where it's all the lights. Well, okay. So something I looked at was where the gauges are like
Okay, there's the inlet air temp gauge and it's red and then there's the exhaust temp gauge and it's green
And then the one below it it was like alternating. It was like, you know, red green red
Red green red on the other like but it was like made a weird pattern and again things like why is inlet air temp red?
So you were looking at it from the lens of somebody that knows what's going on with the car
And most of the people that were looking at it
We're looking at it through the lens of like, whoa, that looks fucking awesome
They're probably not thinking about that stuff because they don't know that much about cars
Well, that's the whole that's the whole dichotomy, right?
Is it's like it's either willful suspension of disbelief or you're like or you're just like a car buff and you're like
It doesn't make any sense. I mean, it's like what you're saying about their gauges
Yeah, yeah, but you're saying that they weren't done very well
Well, again, it's like the inlet air temp is cold. Why wouldn't they make that one the green one and then the exhaust temp exhaust is hot
Why would that be the red gauge? No, you're right
Like that's a very minimum level of what i'm asking here. I'm just like in the mind of the guy on set doing it
I'm surprised that he was like inlet air red
That's weird. That's what would be cold. That's what would be good. The exhaust temp is
Yeah, strange. No, that is it. It doesn't have to make sense. It's just a tv car
But like that dash is whack-a-doodle-doo. Oh, I love it. I think it's so cool
It's weird to me that like when they would start the cars I saw on youtube
The like speedometer would be sitting at like 265 miles an hour or like 600. Well, those are retired
Those are old retired cars. Those are old tired kids
Trash and kit based on the retired dead models
Yeah
So there was also video games for boring drives slash
stakeouts
David Hasselhoff plays video games while they drive at some point in the show. Yeah, totally. What? He sleeps. He takes like whole naps
Yeah, well, they he like drives through the night and he sleeps all night. Well, it is a night writer. He's a night writer
He's night sleeper
So just the the
It's unusual. I'm not gonna call it absurd
You don't have to love it as much as I do obviously
Yeah, okay. I'm that's I I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it
You're thinking it though
No comment stop reading my mind
Get out of my head la la la
In this show kit is the superpower
As we've already discussed kit is like the hero of the show and michael is tough
And he can do martial arts. He went to vietnam. He used to be a cop like all that stuff
But kit is the one that always saves the day
You know, he's the one that's bulletproof. He's the one that's like
He's saving the day. I don't even think I see michael holding a gun
It's all very it's all very pg-13. Well, when he stopped being a cop, he gave his gun back
Yeah, but there's bad guys have guns. Oh, I mean he just does kung fu on them or something
Yeah, he just knocks the guns out of their hands. Yeah, and then wrestles them to the ground. Yeah
Seen it seen it five seen it once I've seen it a hundred times
So now this is where I want to this is we're gonna get into um kit as we know almost did not happen
And this story there's a lot. Oh, no
Oh my goodness, there's a lot of cooks in the kitchen for this one. No way producers
No as far as Pontiac
Yeah, a lot of cooks in the kitchen for this one and i'm gonna try to keep it
I really tried to make sure that I got everybody right. Uh, you know, okay
So in 1982 Pontiac firebird trans am they were really struggling
And but Pontiac's still in business
You be quiet over there
Didn't we didn't we talk about that recently? You know, it's not in business Pontiac's done
You're being a smart ass right now. I remember Saturn's the one that's done
But I just couldn't remember if we ever did we ever determine the Pontiac's done
Yeah, I was done in 2002. Oh right with the firebird. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, the whole thing not just a firebird
Oh, wait. No, that was the last year of the trans am it. Yeah, it's hard to believe when was the last year of Pontiac though
I think it was around 2008. Yeah, it was around that crash
Last year the trans am was 2002. Yeah
Huh, um, I think you're right. I think it might be 2012
Or something it was definitely around the crash over 16. It was after the crash
I think it was closer to 2008 than it was away from 2008
Might have been 2010
At this point it might have been 2011 to give me a born and death date
Yeah, 2010. Yep. Oh, I was right 2010. What do I get? The brand is 26 to 31, but then the division is 31 to 2010
No, that was it founded in 26 and 100 years ago
Oh, well good for you Pontiac
Yeah, so this is yeah, this is the 100 year anniversary of Pontiac
In 1982. Oh this year they were yeah, Pontiac came to life in 26
So this year is the 100 year anniversary of Pontiac. Wow
So should we do something? Well, yeah, you're you're commemorating their best car kit. Yeah, this is true
This is true. I just have this feeling Pontiac a lot of cooks in the kitchen
But I feel like maybe they're quasi aware that you do this kind of thing
You put one of your cars in a show and you are they had tons of stuff in shows. You're stuck with it
Like they will have to live with the reputation of this
So if people make fun of kit, they will make fun of Pontiac. Well, and this is exactly where that's exactly where it's going
Jim Graham the sales promo manager
He's the one that said no because he thought it was going to be corny and it was going to damage the brand image
Where do you get that idea? Well, he got that idea from a car a movie a 1960s flop called my mother's a car
And it was about have you heard of it? No, it was about sad and terrible
It was about a car who had the spirit of this guy's mom in it
But it's not christine
No, it's from 19. It's like a no, it's I don't think it was do you remember what kind of car it is?
No, but I know I know it was a flop
It didn't do well, but I don't I think it might have 38 olds
I think it was a drama or it was a comedy
Dramaty, I'm assuming. Yeah, maybe because his mom was dead. So there's definitely some sadness there
I mean, yeah, yeah
But president of Pontiac's west coast public relations agency
Eric Dahlquist was like, uh-uh this shit is going to be badass and i'm not letting this go
He was a part of the west coast
Advertising west coast public relations agency course a west coast guy wants to get with david hasselhoff
Yeah, he was like, uh-uh i'm gonna make this shit happen. So on april 16th 1982. It's just a regular friday morning
This dude calls him up
And he makes sure that he's talking to the president of the firm
This dude calls who this dude calls eric dahlquist. Okay. Yeah, wait, wait. Who's the dude?
Oh the west coast promo guy
No, he calls the west coast public relations agency and speaks to eric dahlquist who is the president
So he this dude calls up and he makes sure that he's speaking to eric dahlquist
And he says be at the pmt lot this afternoon at 4 p.m
There will be three black transams there with keys inside take them. They're yours click
Whoa, yeah
So pmt was pacific motor transport and it was the trucking company that took the cars from the van nye's
assembly plant to the
Dealers funny. I could have van nye's assembly plant. Mm-hmm sick. Yeah, I thought that was pretty sick
Too, I didn't know that I was like hell. Yeah, it's the ta's were built in van nye's. I think they were assembled there
But what is that? Does that mean built? Yeah, the parts could be stamped elsewhere trucked in and then built there. Okay. All right
That's where they that's where they put the specific line in for the platform. Okay. So yeah
And so basically there was a big, you know parking lot at the factory and the cars would roll out just minutes old
And then they would be stored until the trucks could come again. Awesome. This is cool. So this is where they're supposed to meet
Chuck
Koch the vice president of client services says it was all very cloak and dagger very deep throat
We still don't know who made the call
Eric didn't recognize his voice and the man never identified himself. Sorry. I just wanted to hear more about the deep throat
Yeah, you did so they don't know who called them and that's what they're saying
They don't know who called them and told them about the car
They were just like mystery man. And so they went there's three cars. So they go
Yeah, so they go but they forgot to take a third driver. So it's 4 p.m. No, they got doll quiz cars 4 p.m
Where's the five come from?
They got five guys for lunch, didn't they three four five? I'm seeing a pattern here five guys. What are you?
Five guys five g it's all coming together
AI
AI
So at 4 p.m. doll quiz coach and then a producer from the show so you're right. What's crotch?
Doll quiz
coach
doll quiz is coach
Dude, what?
Okay, doll quiz who is the the president okay coach who was the vice president?
Okay, and then a supervising producer from the show uh harker wade a lot of names in this
They show up to the lot
Oh me and doll quiz than harker wade were passing through
So it's 4 p.m. They're at the lot three black transams roll out of the plant
Okay
It was hard to believe then and it's even harder to believe now coach says the pmt people just parked the cars and walked away
Not a word was spoken. They didn't even look at us. That's union labor for you. We got in the cars and drove
We got in the cars and drove away. There was no paperwork. There was no nothing
It was as the cars didn't really exist. We didn't care. We finally had the cars that we needed
So
How this ended up happening to get around graham who was the guy that was like absolutely not this is not going to happen
doll quiz coach and
John kits miller who was the last annual you gotta be you gotta be fairly powerful to be like I can just disappear three cars
Yeah, no. Well, this is how it happened. Yeah. No for sure like three just off the like right out of the assembly
Like this is like to be in that position
You've calculated that you're like, yeah, I mean, I might get chewed out, but I can make three cars go
Yeah, we can just make these disappear. Oh nice cars, but
And put them in a show like that somebody said no to black cars
You know, they're in demand. I mean black tea. Oh, yeah, for sure
For sure
So doll quiz coach and john kits miller who was the latch and his own manager
secured they got the support from important players and like sales marketing
Engineering design departments and then plus some of the more influential car lots
You know as many people as you just mentioned it doesn't sound very cloaking. Well and the van nye's rather democratic
The van nye's assembly plant manager and the manager of pmt. So all these people were all going down together if this show fails
Going down together. They were really taking a gamble here really really putting everything on that night rider horse
And how it happened was the cars. So this is coach again the cars would have are you saying cock ko ch
Coach
KOT ch cock ko ch ko ch. I'm pretty sure that's cock
Are you sure?
Yeah, I think it's cock
It's probably cock cock cock cock
Gak this is him talking the cars would have to come out of dealer allocations
So there was some horse trading involved, but everyone agreed. Wow
Kits miller horses for a bird horses for a bird exactly. That's what happened
Kits miller then sent the paperwork to hogland who signed it as promised
He then submitted orders for three loaded black 82 transams
And that's how they got the first three who signed orders
Hogland did I mention who the hell is hogland hogland dogwist
Coke bill hogland was paniak's new general manager. Okay, that makes a difference in the story. Yeah, it does
A lot of important people would believe in it
Just the one dude was like a you know, sticking them on once they got the car
John chanella paniak's chief designer wade and kotch got together to discuss the look of the car
Especially the front end and once they got done explaining it to john
He just drew it up on a cocktail napkin and wade was like that's exactly it. That's what we want
And then the red light was based on a cylon warrior from battlestar galactica who customized the cars
That
You just say the paniak had something to do with the design of the car
John chanella drew the design the first the john chanella from paniak
Yeah, this is what hager designed the kit car
He designed he like yeah, I think so he just designed the transam
No, according to hagerty
They were at a meeting so the car wasn't designed by universal studios
It was penned by a detroit designer
They knew what they wanted and then john chanella who was into the idea of the transam being in this
Show because they were like this is going to invigorate the firebird and transam brand
He was into it and so he just did a sketch real quick on a napkin
And then i'm assuming since that was his sketch. He did a better sketch later
But he did a sketch of the nose which was the main part that needed to be what was wrong with these guys
Notepads like aren't that expensive for the salary they make
You know like just carry them all skin
Everybody's just drawn on a napkin. They ripped it pieces always a famous napkin
It's like they've got like a v5 pen and it's like a dagger just ripping the napkin apart
Just you're an artist carry a notepad
Do you think it's just for the flare of the story like maybe he did write it on a notepad
Do you think that he practices at home so that when he's got to do a napkin drawing like he doesn't tear it all up like
Yeah, for sure. For sure. That's what you would do if you were drawn on napkins all the time
Practice it. Yeah, because then you look so that when you do it people are like oh my then you look good. He's doing it. Yeah
Yeah, okay, exactly
Exactly. So this is not a universal studios
car this is a
Pontiac car
Yeah
I'm I mean they had the idea though
Wade Wade was bringing it from uh, what was what they say until a professional designer put it on paper
What's the guy's name? Um, watch a professional designer work and you'll always be like, yeah, no, you're right. That's exactly what I wanted
Because that's what they fucking do
Yeah, they sell you imagery. But yeah, you Detroit designer sketches a car and you're like nah, it sucks
Yeah, you're not gonna see that. Yeah, right
That's not gonna. Those guys are good. That is not why we buy their stuff
Yeah, exactly. Okay, go on. So then it went to john ward shop for modification
This guy john ward and it took six weeks to complete. I'm guessing that was all three cars
Then went to a guy named michael chef who was an independent studio designer
And he designed and created the interior with its computerized ash and all that stuff
And it turned out to be one of this most successful automotive product placements of all time
Really? Yeah, it was iconic like it turned into this very wildly popular
Iconic show. It was innovative. It was people like night rider when it came out. Oh, yeah
It was wildly popular. It was yeah, it was insane and they sold so much merchandise
It's always so tongue-in-cheek when people talk about it now because the car is a little bit hokey
That I never can tell if people like it or if they just like the camp
No, it was a big deal. Okay. It was wildly popular. I don't know like what it was on the uh,
Nielsen ratings, but it was it was a popular show that I wanted to know how your household did
I mean it only
Lasted for four seasons. So I guess maybe it wasn't that popular
But they sold so many prop like not only did the Pontiac did the firebird
Yeah, they sold a shit ton of lunchboxes sheets t-shirts. They fire that guy that didn't want to do it
Yes
No, they didn't I don't think so. I didn't read it. He didn't get any of the proceeds
I didn't read any. Yeah, probably not. There's like you get to do any comic cons
Like you don't get to do any of it. Yeah. Yeah, um, but you know who was doing the comic cons
Or just the promo shows was david hasselhoff. He was going around the country
He was talking to people whatever the kind of shows that they had and he was celebrating night writer and
Promoting the trans am and they gave him they gave him trans amps to drive while he was filming the show
And so he would be around town
Looking all hot driving an actual trans am
so
I watched
A j lino garage episode about this. Yep. I yep
Did you watch the same thing? I also watched this one. Yeah, I want to hear your thoughts on it
I mean, it's fun because first of all, it's supposed to be a turban car and j owns a turban car
He has the chrysler
but
Oh, so he laughs at yeah, so
Um, well gleno can fuck off
How dare he laugh at my right?
Let me get let me get let me get through my notes. Okay. You might get the chance to say that
Okay, that might be in my notes. All right. I'm not giving this a proper intro
So I watched a j lino youtube video j lino's garage. Yep. Okay about night writer because I was like, okay
I guess I gotta get my footing
Yep, see what's going on here. And so I took some notes
While I watched the video and I'm glad that you watched the video too because I'm I'm curious what you would think about it
But this is me. This is me going through and just sort of writing things down as I make my way through this video
Jay lino's garage guy who owns the car is possibly a nerd not sure
Has a friend who is also into the car could also be a nerd possibly
Jay lino ribs these guys kind of hard for being nerds
He tried to drive them apart by asking who knows more trivia
They insist they're a team
Jay pins the trivia guy from iowa as a single man
Uh, he admits he feels busted. Yeah, he looks busted. Yeah, the guy who owns the car is married
But she's tolerant of the car. Yeah with the owner saying she's wonderful
This really chapped my eye
This part really bothered me. Yeah
Yeah, I just
Jay lino's kind of a misogynist
Yeah, when it comes to women in cars. Yeah, he just it's always like, oh, she must be so tolerant
Oh, like because women fucking hate cars and like fuck off
Sorry, now I'm mad. Well
Yeah, sure go ahead. I mean, you know, I've always dreamed of the day that I'd have a show where I get to to bash Jay lino
Yeah, I mean, I like I like lino's garage, but it whenever it comes to has there ever been a woman on that show
Has a woman been on that show?
I can't I haven't watched it enough to know but whenever it comes to like talking about
A guy and his it's always the joke of like
Oh, she must she hates all your cars. Oh, she barely puts up with it. I think that's what's so good about that
I think you should leave episode
Where where he's like
Oh, I wish I hadn't said that about my wife because it's like they're all drinking beer and the guy's like
Well, if you had my wife, you'd be glugging back a few too. And then he's like, no
I wish I hadn't said that
Because that's what they do there. He's like, oh, you got the old ball and chain. I bet she hates your car
Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Oh, she's tolerant
Well, like like a girl can't like nightrider a girl can't like like cars like well to skip down a few notes here
It is a this is my this is like a genuine marge simpson line, but these men are nice, but clearly they're nerds
Which is what?
Homer goes to college and they have those the nerds come home because homer gets them expelled
And you know and that like lisa and barter like their nerds dad and he's like no, they're cool and marge is like
They're very nice, but clearly homer. They're nerds. Yeah
I mean these guys are absurd nerds. They met in atlanta. No, I'm sorry my mistake
There is a kit convention
Yeah, well these guys are kit as they're like nightrider historians right and they meet in atlanta
Yep, and it's hosted by one guy
And I put in parentheses a bigger nerd
There were that this is where I have the thing says there were 20 in the show give or take a few
Five remain and these two nerds own two of them total
So they admitted to taking it too seriously, but they do it because it's fun
So I like that I can get down with that
But in the episode I noticed they're like they are driving the car down
Sepulveda and then they go into like canyon country
Which is a route that I used to drive through like you go through
That's where I would go through santa clarita to get over to ventura
And then you can see in areas they're in like santa clarita
So they obviously like I think his studio is in burbank or van nice maybe
And then they they it would make sense for them to cruise up to five and like dip into santa clarita and catch
That canyon country road is really good
Yeah, they're always he's always on a cool road, which I'm assuming is the same road every time
I probably pretty close
But yeah, you could definitely see where they're cruising around santa clarita and that road through canyon country
So the car talking
Really freaks michael night out
I think I watched a clip of like the very beginning episode
And it says uh, is kit the voice of mr. Feeney of boy meets world and it is like this is obviously sort of living
And I was like the so this clip I saw the car can take a man's blood pressure
Oh, I didn't even notice that and detect the presence of an unknown drug in a person's blood
Whoa, see these are things I haven't even I haven't noticed because I've only watched
19 episodes
It's all that it has a front scanner
Yep, that seems to be a big deal
The dashboard is bananas. Yeah
The rear blackout bar is pretty cool. Yeah. Oh, you mean the over the lights. Yeah. Yeah, it looks awesome
I think that looks good and the long nose is cool. Yeah, it does seem to have a slightly longer snoot
I don't know if it has a slightly longer. Okay. It definitely it has like the red scanner on the front
There's some different things, but I think that might be the nose
Now in another clip that I watched thieves try to steal kit
And they're in a 67 firebird that rips like it's got three tone blue
Uh-huh, and they think that kit will be like a total piece of cake to steal
I also have a note here that says
Hasselhoff's character is either wildly entitled or he's just a terrible actor
Like because he's on the phone with like Devin or whoever. Yeah. Yeah, Devin his boss basically
Yeah, which is like, uh, I have another note that says Devin is quite British. Yeah, he's he's not quite
He's absolutely through all the way, but it's not it's not totally clear
To me like just upon watching this little clip. So
All right, so I'm kind of like jumping around here in my things because I just wanted to get this note in that like
Just seems not very good
And then uh, the thief threw a brick at the window of kit and then it bounced off of the window and hit him in the face
And knocked him out classic kit yet. He continues to try to steal the car
So they see the car parked again and then just like apparently this time they just get in it
It bent the guy's lock pick also he had a lock pick in the lock and somehow that mangled the pick
He's like, yeah, of course he did he's like a bit my the guy kind of like the thief
They've kind of styled him like Richard Pryor or something. It's a weird kind of like
The thieves are always like bumbling and kid always like evades them. Yeah, so
Uh, they're totally freaked out about the car talking them with the demeanor of a movie grandma
But also he tells his pal that's with him his other thief friend
When he's like talking about the car talking and they can't figure it out. He's like, don't jive me brown
And then they're also okay, so the car starts driving itself
And the guy's like, why are you going that way? That's uptown
So they're scared of going uptown, but it looks like they're in Santa Clarita
Oh interesting. Yeah. Well, it was around LA. I mean they filmed it. Yeah, california
That's my other note here at the beginning is that he says he's going to silicon valley. That's where stefanie is
And apparently silicon valley is just past joshwood tree
Because they're like driving through a desert with joshwood trees and that's joshwood tree
Oh, yeah, my part of the desert barely had any of those
Right. Yeah. Yeah, you know, so like certain parts says like they clearly were over there like
Yeah
Weird, I mean just off the 10 basically
So
The car uses a slide whistle to eject the two thieves into a county sheriff car
Okay
Yeah, yeah, like onto the county sheriff car, right? Yeah. Yeah when they get thrown out again
Yep, it's a little more digital. Yeah a little bit not total like sideshow mel slide whistle, but it's like
Yeah, it has a little digital ache to it
And I think the reason why they're able to get into it is because michael left kit running
Well, he was yeah, well, he was talking to debon on the phone. Yeah, okay
And then I had this one clip that was titled police station release
And it goes into a video montage of his conventionally attractive generically blonde girlfriend
And she loves him
And then he picks up stefanie from jail. Are they the same person? I'm guessing they are
I don't know and he sort of strong arms him into going with him
Like she's like, what are you with and he's like the international group against crime and she's like, why would some group?
I've never heard of bail me out of jail and he's like, do you want to leave this place? And she's like, well, yeah, I guess so
I don't I don't know if I watch that episode. Yeah, but he's like he's had this montage
Like I think he knows her and then that's when I have my note devin is quite british. What's his deal?
Well, he's heads up the foundation
But was it why does why does michael keep saying the old man? Is it devin's dad? No, I oh, yeah
Okay, the gist of the story of how he becomes michael knight is he is on a sting operation
With his partner and some other cops undercover agents
His partner gets killed and then he gets shot in the face
And then this guy, I think his last name is knight who has a bazillion billionaire
In the 80s billionaire. So he was extra rich
He saves michael
And he he gets plastic surgery. So he so his face isn't recognizable
He saves him
And then he enlists so he is completely entitled
He enlists him to do this job and then he dies
And his whole thing is he said michael one man can change the world
That's the whole thing is not that these guys said they liked about it and jay lino was like
Michael knight is the one guy that changed the world. They're like, yeah
That's part of what they liked about it. He just he just made fun of these guys. No, I know he made fun of him the whole time
You saw it. Yeah, what do you think about that?
mostly it was the like when he was just dissing on like women like that part
Annoyed me like I've already said it was actually in my notes
I'm I took it out because I was like I'm talking too much
But I didn't care
I mean he dissed on the car
But I didn't care because I still doesn't make me like knight rider any less
And I like I don't need to listen to what leno says
You know what I liked about it
Was that it finally was like getting to watch somebody else get treated the way vanners get treated all the time
Like the scooby-doo stuff and all that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It was cool. That makes sense. Excellent deep dive
I've got more though. I've got so much more
We've been talking about doing a tv car deep dive for a while tv movie car and we had already decided to split it tv movie car
Yeah, um, I mean obviously for me because gene did so many movie cars and tv cars both
So there's like a lot for me to hit. Yeah
So
I don't know. Maybe maybe we'll maybe we'll dig a little deeper into a couple more. It's one of my favorites
Yeah, I think we should do I think we should do more for sure
You had a really good clip of the motorcycle gang slicing the mural off of that guy's hand
Busting his big bubble windows out. Were they heart windows? They were heart windows. Oh my god
They're huge heart windows on the side of his van and like him and his kid are watching like heart broken
Yeah, it was pretty they like the guy rode his motorcycle up the front of the van
Yeah, and I'm gonna post that clip on instagram. Oh, yeah
Yeah, so people can see it. I really I hope that y'all
Have a reaction to this and I would love to hear your thoughts on it
Because I do have a lot more things to say and well, I'm going to compile people's reactions and then give the rest of what I have
My factual tidbits about the show and about kit mostly it's about kit and like how they filmed what they did and everything
Which I find fascinating, but I don't know I love that trans am
Love it trans am lover love it
We've got some trans am lovers out there. So we want to hear your trans am love, right?
Yeah, I want to hear some stories about it. We know that we know the caster just got a new super secret cool trans am
He wrote me about it and then of course, uh, you know, Gina's got hers. You've got your ta
Yeah, you know and and in the show it was trans am and firebirds. They had both
Oh, yeah, it was a lot of them actually were firebirds that they just dress up to look like trans there's some base firebirds and stuff
So yeah, but even kit was a lot of them were they weren't all trans ams. They were firebirds as well
Just dressed up dressed up. Well, you've been piled up. You've done been piled up. Bye
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