Since he was five years old, Joe Huth has been in love with "Knight Rider." The show premiered in 1982 and ran for 90 episodes stretching four seasons.
Now Joe is all grown up and he's managed to grab a piece of history associated with his favorite show: one of the actual KITT cars using during filming.
Huth isn't alone with regards to his love affair of the show. AJ Palmgren and Huth own and operate a fan site dedicated to all things "Knight Rider." From their blog, the pair seek out props used during the filming of the show. Jay learns all this within the first few minutes of meeting the pair and quickly deduces that Palmgren is single. A bit mean with the jokes Jay...yet pointedly astute as well.
The talk quickly moves to the car, which is a 1984 Pontiac Firebird and was converted to look like a proper Trans-Am wearing the Knight Industries tech of the time. Huth's car is the one that remains closest to how it was when it was used during the show (there were 20 used for filming and only 5 survive). While the fictional vehicle used a turbocharged turbine, this actual Pontiac makes surprisingly good noise and a bit of power through its simple 305-cubic inch V-8.
Jay and Joe jump into the car and lead KITT out onto the street, and it's clear Leno is excited to be piloting the real KITT. It's a car that sat at a junkyard near Universal for 15 years before Huth grabbed wind of its current state. It's clear how much work was required to bring it to its current state, because Huth has photos of it from when he acquired it.
The pair (or is it a trio, since KITT is sentient) motor on and keep talking all things movie and TV cars, as well as the history of this specific KITT. It's lived quite a hard life both on and off the set, but now it's in the hands of someone who clearly loves what he has.
For all of Jay's ribbing about Joe (and his partner AJ) and the love of all things "Knight Rider," it's fun to see a group so emotionally invested and connected with something they cherish. Their passion for the show is real, and they've managed to turn that passion into a hobby and even a business.
