| Why Create a Knight Replica? Each person has their own reason for creating their replica. Many of us were children when the Knight Rider television series originally aired, and some of us were parents who watched the show with our children. Most of us wished they had KITT, a few of us wanted to
wreck havoc in KARR. All of us wanted a car that was smart, fast, and fun to drive.And who can argue against the powerful alure of being the lone crusader, Michael Knight? Are Replicas of the Same Vehicles All Identical? Because the vast majority of replicas are custom created by their owners, very few are alike. Many of the parts within the same
replica have been made by completely different companies. Due to the large amount of personalized work found in replicas, several divisions of accuracy can be distinguished. The standard divisions are:- Facade Replica
- Accurate Replica
- Authentic Replica
- Functional Replica
Some owners wish to simply create what is termed a "Facade Replica", which means that they reproduce the look of the outside of the vehicles and leave their
stock (standard, out of the factory) interiors. These facade replicas have several advantages: they are cheaper, easier, and take much less time to create. However, they have limited show value, and spectators are often disappointed when they look inside and don't see digital gauges and the high-tech interior. Many of the facade replicas go on to the next level of authenticity when financing becomes available. "Accurate Replicas" include both the exterior and interior conversion,
meaning that they look very similar to the vehicle they represent. These cars never dissappoint the casual onlookers who get close enough to look inside. However, due to some imperfections, the attentive observers will be able to point out inconsistencies between the show car and these replicas. Some of these imperfections arise from small items, such as using look-alike interior consoles instead of ones molded from the original props, to larger items, such as not using the correct seats. For
older replicas, these problems are due to no fault of the owner. Early in this industry's infancy there was a shortage of information and few companies produced truely authentic parts. For those fanatical enthusiasts who absolutely must have the real KITT, companies are now beginning to produce extremely accurate reproduction parts, many of them molded off of the original props used in the show. When a replica is created using these parts and few deviations are made from the prop car, a
replica is considered an "Authentic Replica". This does not imply any sort of certification by Universal Studios, but an exceptional reproduction at which even the experts marvel. Due to the many changes and inconsistencies within the show itself, most authentic replicas are representative of the vehicles in specific episodes or seasons. Recently, a new breed of replica builders have come onto the scene. These owners are creating "Functional Replicas", which not only
walk-the-walk, but actually listen-and-talk! These replicas set themselves apart from the rest by including speech recognition and generation, as well as some of the more fantastical accessories, such as smoke screen, oil slick, and auto cruise (meaning the vehicle drives, or seems to drive, by itself). Very few owners can afford (or would even want) to go to such lengths. Interested in Creating Your Own Knight Replica?
Read the Knight Replicas Guides,
View the Knight Replicas in the Database and Check List, and
Join the Discussion in the Knight Replicas Forums Want to Link to KnightReplicas.com? If you would like to add a link on your website to KnightReplicas.com, you may use the following animated banner:
To download a copy of this banner for use on your website, right-click your mouse on the banner and choose "Save Picture As" from the pop-up menu, or use File/Save from your web browser's menu.
Want to Know More About KnightReplicas.com? Donate
Read Our Policies
Read the Legal Notices | |
