When the ‘08 Shelby GT500KR launches this spring, there could be some confusion over what the letters "KR" stand for.
While the car has been known to Mustang fans as "King of the Road” since 1968, it's about to star in a remake of the hit TV series Knight Rider. If ratings are good, NBC plans to turn the show into a weekly series in the fall.
"It's purely a coincidence and a nice one at that," said Al Uzielli a senior advisor to Ford ‘s Global Brand Entertainment in Beverly Hills. "Auto enthusiasts will know what KR stands for. But most viewers will probably think it means Knight Rider; at least at first."
The popular American television series, which ran from 1982 to 1986, starred David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight, a kind of modern day "knight." His partner was a Pontiac Trans Am with artificial intelligence. Not only could it talk, it could morph into an attack vehicle that accelerated to 300 mph, used a Turbo Boost to jump over obstacles, and even drive itself.
In the new version, Hasselhoff returns, but the lead character is now Justin Bruening, who plays Knight's long-lost son, Michael Tracer. Replacing the Pontiac is the KR, which in real-life is about to launch as a 40th anniversary limited-edition.
For Knight Rider fans, the casting of the car known as KITT (Knight Industries Three Thousand) is as important as the lead character. Galpin Auto Sports (GAS) helped design the screen version of the Shelby GT500KR. Not only does KITT make its appearance as a GT500KR, fans get to see KITT in three modes – HERO, ATTACK, and camouflage.
Don’t worry – they’re not using a real GT500KRs. KITT is built up from Mustang GTs with automatic transmissions to facilitate the driving scenes.