# How could I building a functioning Knight Rider car? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 1, 2006, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849 "2006-08-01T06:29:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rumpleforskin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5e9695/32.png) [@Rumpleforskin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumpleforskin)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849/1 "2006-08-01T06:29:05Z")
Say money is no object. I know some things are probably impossible-like having the car think and drive itself. I don’t intend to cover all features but lets focus on the important things: The body, and windows of the car must be virtually indestructible and bullet proof. The car must be able to accelerate to speeds of 300mph…and you have to fit whatever engine to do this in a Pontiac Trans Am. There is a Turbo Boost to jump over obstacles. Other features: Oil Slick Flamethrower Tires can inflate/deflate themselves Ok so what materials would I need, how much would it cost, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849/2 "2006-08-01T07:06:47Z")
Well, for the speed, and the turbo-booster, maybe you could just cram a jet engine onboard. Gas milage is going to take a hit, of course… ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849/3 "2006-08-01T08:54:16Z")
Actually, the thinking and driving for itself parts are the \* most \* feasible. We already have autonomous vehicles that can cover fairly extended distances without drivers. (See the [DARPA Grand Challenge](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DARPA_Grand_Challenge) for details.) OK, we’re not quite there yet, and getting the snide voice right would be a challenge, but it’s probably the most technically feasible part of the vehicle. We do have vehicles that can resist small arms fire and explosions in the same way that the Knight Rider vehicle could. They’re called “tanks”. And they don’t look much like a Trans Am. Admittedly, there are bulletproof (or at least bullet resistant) vehicles such as limos and the Popemobile, but those are also built with heavy armor, kevlar, and thick bulletproof glass and their emphasis is on survivability, not looking good after an attack. The Knight Rider vehicle was built with some kind of magic sheet metal that resisted bullets and explosions without so much as scratching. Note that heavy armor is pretty much antithetical to the “accelerate to 300 mph” and “turbo boost over obstacles” part of your design spec. Material science just hasn’t come up with anything that’s super lightweight AND can shrug off the kind of beating that KITT took every week. ---
**Author:** ![Rumpleforskin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5e9695/32.png) [@Rumpleforskin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumpleforskin)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849/4 "2006-08-01T08:56:33Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > Actually, the thinking and driving for itself parts are the \* most \* feasible. We already have autonomous vehicles that can cover fairly extended distances without drivers. (See the [DARPA Grand Challenge](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DARPA_Grand_Challenge) for details.) OK, we’re not quite there yet, and getting the snide voice right would be a challenge, but it’s probably the most technically feasible part of the vehicle. > > We do have vehicles that can resist small arms fire and explosions in the same way that the Knight Rider vehicle could. They’re called “tanks”. And they don’t look much like a Trans Am. Admittedly, there are bulletproof (or at least bullet resistant) vehicles such as limos and the Popemobile, but those are also built with heavy armor, kevlar, and thick bulletproof glass and their emphasis is on survivability, not looking good after an attack. The Knight Rider vehicle was built with some kind of magic sheet metal that resisted bullets and explosions without so much as scratching. Note that heavy armor is pretty much antithetical to the “accelerate to 300 mph” and “turbo boost over obstacles” part of your design spec. Material science just hasn’t come up with anything that’s super lightweight AND can shrug off the kind of beating that KITT took every week. What about titanium? Isn’t it light and durable? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849/5 "2006-08-01T09:05:28Z")
There are some lightweight transparent ceramics that might serve as bulletproof windows; check out [ALON](http://www.afrlhorizons.com/Briefs/Sept03/ML0303.html) and [Transparent Alumina](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transparent_alumina). Although these still won’t provide the kind of fantasy-indestructible bullet-proof windows that KITT has. And the biggest problem with Turbo-Boost (which, IIRC, was initially a speed enhancement and changed to a ‘jump’ button some way into production of the series) is not the problem of making a car take off; it’s the problem of allowing it to land again without destroying it or injuring/killing the occupants. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849/6 "2006-08-01T09:43:36Z")
Don’t forget the “ski” function, allowing to car to lift itself to two wheels. The mechanics of “microlock” are even more obscure. ---
**Author:** ![SoulFrost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@SoulFrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoulFrost)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849/7 "2006-08-01T10:43:07Z")
IIRC, KITT’s body was that of a regular car which had been treated with a “molecular bonding” process. Also, IIRC, this darkened the metal to black. So what you need is magic paint. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849/8 "2006-08-01T11:13:57Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > And the biggest problem with Turbo-Boost (which, IIRC, was initially a speed enhancement and changed to a ‘jump’ button some way into production of the series) is not the problem of making a car take off; it’s the problem of allowing it to land again without destroying it or injuring/killing the occupants. Perhaps, but only the sense that the latter is slightly more impossible than the former, if that makes sense (and it’s not supposed to). How the car is supposed to leap off the ground at will is a total mystery in itself. ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/48db29/32.png) [@Caffeine\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine_Cat)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849/9 "2006-08-01T11:15:33Z")
> [@Rumpleforskin](#): > > What about titanium? Isn’t it light and durable? Yes it is. But it’s not magical either. You can make, say, 20% or even 30% lighter armor as durable as steel one. Won’t stop RPG nonetheless. Or save you from being squished by hitting concrete wall at 100MPH. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849/10 "2006-08-01T11:23:20Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > Perhaps, but only the sense that the latter is slightly more impossible than the former, if that makes sense (and it’s not supposed to). How the car is supposed to leap off the ground at will is a total mystery in itself. Actually, the Wikipedia article describes Turbo Boost as being a set of directable rocket thrusters, so that would account for its behaviour as both a speed boost(point them backwards) and as a means of making the car jump(point them downwards) ---
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849/11 "2006-08-01T16:26:40Z")
This guy built a “street legal” VW Beetle powered by a jet engine (with afterburner). [Check it out](http://www.ronpatrickstuff.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849/12 "2006-08-01T16:27:25Z")
K.I.T.T. was supposed to have a gas sturbine engine; to go 300mph requires one making at least 2000 hp. Turbo boost…the jump button…diverting highly compressed air from the compressor housing to the shock absorbers would suddenly push the wheels down, pushing the car up. KITT being a sentient car capable of thinking and driving itself? Well, Kitt was reverse engineered from a Cylon from Battlestar Galactica 1980. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849/13 "2006-08-01T17:02:42Z")
> [@Jayrot](#): > > This guy built a “street legal” VW Beetle powered by a jet engine (with afterburner). > > [Check it out](http://www.ronpatrickstuff.com/) Awesome. Scroll all the way to the bottom for his next project: mounting twin jets onto his wife’s scooter. ---
**Author:** ![Iggins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Iggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggins)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849/14 "2006-08-01T17:24:03Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > There are some lightweight transparent ceramics that might serve as bulletproof windows; check out [ALON](http://www.afrlhorizons.com/Briefs/Sept03/ML0303.html) and [Transparent Alumina](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transparent_alumina). Although these still won’t provide the kind of fantasy-indestructible bullet-proof windows that KITT has. I hear that you can safely transport whales across time using some “Transparent Alumina”. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849/15 "2006-08-01T17:39:11Z")
> [@Iggins](#): > > I hear that you can safely transport whales across time using some “Transparent Alumina”. [Not so farfetched as you might think.](http://www.afrlhorizons.com/Briefs/Sept03/ML0303.html) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849/16 "2006-08-01T17:40:25Z")
> [@Rumpleforskin](#): > > Tires can inflate/deflate themselves They also had nails that would pop out and allow it to climb very steep rock formations. Oh and not only could K.I.T.T. tell that the was a puddle of break fluid under a bus 50 feet away, it could also register that there was metal filings in the puddle. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849/17 "2006-08-01T17:41:05Z")
> [@Enola Straight](#): > > K.I.T.T. was supposed to have a gas sturbine engine; to go 300mph requires one making at least 2000 hp.: Out of curiosity how does that speed= X required HP calculation work? ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849/18 "2006-08-01T17:44:28Z")
Has anyone figured out how strong woven carbon nanofilaments would be? Maybe we could use that for the body panels. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849/19 "2006-08-01T18:36:08Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Out of curiosity how does that speed= X required HP calculation work? As speed increases mathematically, power requirement rises geometrically. Say it takes a car of X mass and Y coefficient of drag 100 hp to go 100mph. 200mph requires 800hp. 300 mph requires 2700hp. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849/20 "2006-08-01T18:53:46Z")
> [@Iggins](#): > > I hear that you can safely transport whales across time using some “Transparent Alumina”. I think in the movie Scotty used transparent aluminum. Alumin_ **a** _ is aluminum oxide, same as ruby or sapphire without the impurities that provide the color. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849.md?page=2)