# 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:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**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, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849/21 "2006-08-01T20:08:32Z")
> [@Spectre of Pithecanthropus](#): > > 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. Well, he didn’t really “use” it; he traded the formula for sheets of six-inch standard plexi and presumably use of the helicopter to deliver it. The engineer who made the trade figured it would be years before he could actually manufacture transparent aluminum, but it was mind-blowingly promising that he readily agreed to the swap. ---
**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, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849/22 "2006-08-01T21:27:47Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > Well, he didn’t really “use” it; he traded the formula for sheets of six-inch standard plexi and presumably use of the helicopter to deliver it. The engineer who made the trade figured it would be years before he could actually manufacture transparent aluminum, but it was mind-blowingly promising that he readily agreed to the swap. Sorry, my joke wasn’t scientifically, or movie, accurate… My bad! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849/23 "2006-08-02T04:27:57Z")
You’re forgetting about the most important detail… _How do you get that neat-o red light that scans back and forth on the front?_ ---
**Author:** ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849/24 "2006-08-02T05:00:58Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > You’re forgetting about the most important detail… > > _How do you get that neat-o red light that scans back and forth on the front?_ 🙂 I’ve actually seen those for sale in, I think, J.C. Whitney and a few other places. Seriously. Whatever engine you wind up with, please bear in mind that it has to be a type that will one man, with minimal tools, in the middle of a desert, to convert it over to a **ram jet** , and further, a ram jet that will work starting from a dead stop. (all I can remember from that particular episode) ---
**Author:** ![Rumpleforskin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5e9695/32.png) [@Rumpleforskin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumpleforskin)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849/25 "2006-08-02T06:30:09Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > You’re forgetting about the most important detail… > > _How do you get that neat-o red light that scans back and forth on the front?_ There are a lot of folks who have built replicas. Vendors sale the light, and the entire dashboard components. Many look just like the real thing. Check out [www.knightreplicas.com](http://www.knightreplicas.com) ---
**Author:** ![ntcrawler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/34f0e0/32.png) [@ntcrawler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ntcrawler)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849/26 "2006-08-02T06:53:31Z")
Well you can forget about the bonded molecular shell and the hyper-vaccuum brake system ---
**Author:** ![ntcrawler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/34f0e0/32.png) [@ntcrawler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ntcrawler)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849/27 "2006-08-02T06:55:42Z")
Keep in mind that in real life “bullet-proof” doesn’t work the way it does on film. Granted the sharp angles of a Mark III Trans-Am would give you some protection from bullets bouncing off the windshield, especially, but most armor-work done on cars is designed to absorb and stop the bullets, not have them bounce off. Especially with regards to the windows. And it would have to be THICK. Ever see how thick the windows are to the Presidential Limo? not to mention the body? Your car would end up weighing at least 1500 pounds over the basic gross weight if not more of a Mark III Trans-AM ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849/28 "2006-08-02T13:35:17Z")
I remember an article in, I think it was in Popular Mechanics, when the show was at its height. They conjectured that the car could be built for around $11 billion. Of course that was back in mid 1980s. ---
**Author:** ![Zachlee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Zachlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zachlee)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849/29 "2006-08-02T21:16:37Z")
Whatever you do with the body and engine, make sure the control systems don’t run on Windows. Wouldn’t want to have a crash at 300 mph or discover a virus when skiing. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849/30 "2006-08-03T19:58:07Z")
[QUOTE=SoulFrost] 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. [/QUOTE] My last car dealer tried to get me to pay extra to apply some of that stuff to the bottom of my car. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-building-a-functioning-knight-rider-car/366849.md?page=1)