The ‘Knight Rider’ replica car received a $50 speeding ticket in New York despite never leaving the Chicago museum

(SeaPRwire) –   There’s a puzzle unfolding on New York City’s streets. Who’s the traffic offender with outstanding fines behind the wheel of a black Pontiac Trans Am—one that resembles the talking computer-equipped car from the 1980s TV show “Knight Rider” and even bears the same license plate?

Staff at an Illinois museum are part of the group eager to find out. The Volo Museum, located near Chicago, houses a replica of the show’s Trans Am that hasn’t left its display for years. It recently got a $50 speeding ticket from New York City, claiming the car was traveling at 36 mph (59 kph) in a 25 mph (40 kph) zone in Brooklyn on April 22.

The ticket included traffic camera images of a black Trans Am with the California license plate KNIGHT—identical to the one on the show and the novelty plate on the museum’s unregistered vehicle. City records indicate this license plate is linked to five additional unpaid traffic infractions in NYC dating back to late 2024.

It’s not yet known how the city connected the license plate to the museum. NYC officials didn’t reply right away to emails and phone calls on Wednesday.

“It’s curious that we’re legally associated with a movie prop,” noted Jim Wojdyla, the museum’s marketing director. “We’re well-known for our collection of Hollywood cars from TV and films, but I can’t understand how a ticket from New York, California plates, and our Illinois-based Volo Museum ended up connected. We’re still working to piece this together.”

The museum has asked for a hearing to contest the ticket.

“This is totally funny,” Wojdyla added. “We want to find out who this Knight Rider enthusiast is—since like-minded people stick together. We’re curious: Is this another museum’s car, or just a hobbyist who built an incredibly accurate replica? We’d love to meet them.”

The NBC series “Knight Rider,” which ran from 1982 to 1986, starred David Hasselhoff as a crime-fighting hero and featured KITT—a black Trans Am with a sassy, talking computer (KITT stands for Knight Industries Two Thousand). Road & Track magazine reports that roughly 20 KITTs were made for the show, but only five original models are still around.

There are plenty of replicas out there too, including the one at the Volo Museum. The Facebook group Knight Rider KITT Car Club, for owners of these replicas, has close to 19,000 members.

Per the California Department of Motor Vehicles, someone with the last name Knight renewed the registration for the California license plate KNIGHT this past March.

New York City is allowed by state law to run up to 750 speed-detecting cameras. When a camera spots a speeding vehicle, it takes photos of the car and its license plate. City DOT staff review the violations and send tickets to vehicle owners if the car was going more than 10 mph (16 kph) over the speed limit, according to the city’s website.

The Volo Museum is making light of the ticket situation on its social media platforms. It recently updated its Facebook page header to read: “Home of the Knight Rider KITT that infamously got a speeding ticket in New York City—without ever leaving its Illinois exhibit!”

“Does anyone have David Hasselhoff’s phone number? He owes us $50!!!!” reads one of the museum’s social media posts.