Sculptural Design Studio
Few television cars have become as instantly recognisable as KITT. Introduced in Knight Rider in 1982, the highly modified Pontiac Firebird Trans Am became far more than a vehicle for its fictional driver. With its artificial intelligence, advanced technology, and unmistakable presence, KITT represented an optimistic vision of the future at a time when the relationship between man and machine was rapidly evolving.
Its visual identity was equally distinctive. Low, wide, and remarkably clean, the third-generation Firebird's wedge-shaped profile captured the sharp, aerodynamic design language of the early 1980s. For Knight Rider, that already futuristic form was refined further, most famously through the darkened exterior and sweeping red scanner integrated into the nose. The result was a car whose character could be recognised almost entirely through silhouette and proportion.
This sculptural interpretation reduces KITT to a sequence of precisely arranged sections. Each slice captures a different cross-section of the body, while their gradual fan-like rotation introduces a second movement through the form. Viewed from different angles, the familiar silhouette continuously appears, dissolves, and reforms — transforming the car from a solid object into a rhythmic composition of line, space, and movement.
More than a tribute to an icon of popular culture, this sculpture explores how a familiar design can be experienced in an entirely new way. By stripping away colour, detail, and surface decoration, KITT is reduced to the geometry that made it unmistakable — revealing the enduring power of a shape that once represented the car of tomorrow.