I just thought I would share some stuff with you guys about the fate of some TA's. Most all of which are third gens.

RIP 1/1500 White 15th Aniversary Trans-AM. Totalled against a tree. (A friend of mine did this.)

RIP 100/2000 or so Recaro Edition Trans-AMs that have been turned into KITT replicas. I like KITT as much as the next TA fan. But there is no need to cut them up to make KITT replicas. KITT was not a Recaro TA and I can prove it. (Even though that is the consensus.)

RIP 1/1555 1989 Turbo TAs. (Parts found in a junkyard on the web by someone I know) (Unkown #)

RIP 1/????? Limited # edition Firebird SE.

Sad that some of the classics are being destroyed by careless people. Or that they have been chopped up for some sick reason.

Anyone else know of any of the fates of some of these fine vehicles? It would be kind of interesting to know how many of some of the rare cars are left. And what condition they are in today.

 

things happen

people make mistakes

but your right, poor cars!

 

Their is a TTA sitting in a storage yard that I know of and it's been sitting there for at least 8 years now.
Sad that it's just rotting away.

 

I used to think that too, but I'm pretty sure the whole show didn't even use 100 cars total, they had to have used less, and they weren't Recaros because they have the wrong seats and wrong colors for that show. I need to take that wrong info off my site if I haven't already. KITT's had to have color 64 interior, 'tan' or 'camel' or whatever it's called. Recaros have mandatory color 18, Dark Charcoal.

Supposedly there is a story in an 80s newspaper somewhere in California I think, documenting a GM train wreck where a train was loaded with Trans Am's. At the train wreck, all the cars got their fronts and rears damaged so GM donated them to Universal Studios for their show.. anyone ever heard of this? I've never been able to find it. George any idea?

 

No I am not talking about the TV show. I am talking about companies like Marks Custom Kits and a few others that will guarantee you a Recaro TA for authenticity. I was on one site that would use one for your KITT replica if you paid extra.

I know they only used about 10 different cars for the show. There is however a Recaro TA in the pilot episode which is not KITT. Michael Long drives one. When he is show in the face his car becomes abandoned in the desert.

 

That car is not recaro T/A.I can post the pictures of if you want.I have the pilot episode in my hard disk right now and just checked it.It has PMD seats and it's black and gold trans-am.They don't leave the car in the desert they turn the car into KITT.

 

You mean people that do those conversions? Yeah well some of those guys will do anything for a quick buck, others will fall for anything. I know KITTsters that specifically look for rare cars in the classifieds owned by 2nd-hand owners who don't know the rarity of their car so they're willing to sell it dirt cheap. So then the KITTster buys it and converts it into a half-@ssed KITT, runs out of money halfway through the conversion, and is then forced to sell a half rare Firebird / half KITT that nobody wants to buy.. I know many people who have specifically looked for Recaros to convert them. I know of at least 10 or 15 Recaros I can name right now that have been killed in the name of that show. It pisses me off, but there's nothing I can do about it, those people have a one track mind. They will gladly hunt down the *wrong* car, a Recaro, and chop it up. I just take comfort in knowing that the less Recaros out there, the more mine is worth.

As far as Mark Scrivani: Major con artist and very egotistical. That's been my experience. For my own amusement one time I made an animated GIF of a KITT scanner, then I noticed he had a really low quality animation one on his website that made it look unprofessional, so I gave him one look at mine, which I spent quite a while perfecting, and next thing you know, my scanner is on his site the next day, and he claims it as his own, with copyrights and everything. I bring it to his attention and he says something to the effect of "sorry, do I know you?" Then-- unrelated incident-- A few months later I was looking for some 1982-era parts like a radio trim plate, a set of wheels, etc. to help restore my car to factory condition and to have some correct spare parts. I contact him with a short list of like 6 or 7 things I need, and I get a reply back saying they don't have any of those available. What a liar. They deal with 1982 on a daily basis and seeing as how the dash is usually changed, you know they gotta have dozens of those trim plates for example. Same with those Turbo cast aluminum wheels. But since he wanted nothing to do with me ever since the GIF incident, he flat out denied my business, which is perfectly his right, yet it does speak to his character.

The KITT industry is like this: The sellers are in it for the money and to overcharge gullible people. The buyers are poor young white males with self-image problems that ****** up nice Trans Am's to convert, yet they never seem to be able to finish their project. Strangely most of them get barely into it, just long enough to have a car sitting in pieces in cardboard boxes and to mix their random parts from other random 82-92 years into the original parts, then to lose track, lose interest, lose funds, and have move on to something else. It's not only with recaros, it happens to poor regular cars too. I see more nice, original, unmolested early firebirds exchanging hands among KITTsters than I do int he open marketplace. it's like "hey guys! just found a nice 82 T/A, 22,000 original miles, got it for $200! I'm starting to chop it up tomorrow! I'm so excited!". then they lose their dead-end jobs, they go broke, and they are forced to sell and make back a tiny fraction of their investment, all so they don't get evicted, etc. Those lucky few that can actually sell anything back. Most of them just give up and scrap the project. Then it's like "sorry to have to say it guys, but due to unforeseen circumstances, I have to give on project Billybob2000. I just don't have the funds right now. anyone need some parts? I spraypainted them myself.. reeeaal nice, trust me." I could be exaggerating, but one look on eBay and the KITTster's messageboards, and there may be some truth to it. There are exceptions to this theory but they are very few. Bottom line: it's a black hole for rare cars. 1982 was the 2nd highest production year for thirdgens right behind 1984 yet there's barely ever a decent 82 or 83 or 84 on ebay, ever. Even while they have plenty of 85+'s. All the early ones are gone. R.I.P.

 

I've always been attracted to rare thirdgen firebird, mostly early ones. i.e. the ones nobody else cares about since they were underpowered. it's hard to know how many of a specific model or submodel are left, but I would say easily 80% of the cars made in the early thirdgen (82-84) are either destroyed at the crusher, or turned into aftermarket hotrods or custom jobs, etc. very very few originals left. Every once in a while one will come along that may have mods but at least it has the original look left, and every once in a while a nice low miler original will come out of the woodwork, butthose are very few and far between.

Don't worry about one dead TTA here or there. I don't mean to be insensitive to TTA's because I hate to see any thirdgen die, any thirdgen, but the fact is that TTA's will always have a vast following and even in 100 years there will still be a few TTA's with under 1000 original miles and many of 'em with low miles like 50k 60k, etc. and people will still be racing them and getting their kicks. The forgotten casualties are ones like Firebird S/E and Recaros and frankly all early thirdgens. It's already happening and nothing can stop it now, except a massive explosive resurgence of GM authorized parts to restore cars on the brink of being abandoned. But GM will not do it. They'd rather just see the unpopular models wither away.

 

Sam Kinison - famous controversial comedian from the 80s was killed in a TTA. Hit head on by a drunk in Nevada I believe.

 

kizz, as much as i hate to say it, i agree with you.

look in the papers, when was the last time anyone saw an early thirdgen in decent (ie, drivable) condition? by early, i mean 82-84.

they're just NOT out there anymore. i know of two early firebirds in a friend's junkyard that are trashed. one has pmd seats in it, but they need re-upholstered badly. the same yard also has several early camaros (at least 4 82-84 models) that are trashed.

best bet is to keep your mint early cars in good condition, and for the early cars that are in decent shape, keep them going!

when i first bought my 84 camaro sc, i hated how it looked, especially with the 3 slats in the nose. the more i drove around in it, and such, the more it grew on me. i hope to pick up another thirdgen to drive while i tear the 84 apart to fix everything that needs to be fixed.

but time will tell.

 

I have the pilot episode also. And I can assure you that the car that Micheal Long drives is not turned into KITT.

Facts to support this.

1 Michael says "what are you talking about it's my car?"
Devon replys "any resemblence between that car and yours is purely superficial."

2 KARR is KITT's predecessor. That car is clearly a Trans-AM. They don't need Michaels Trans-AM to build KITT necessarily.

Now you may be right on the Recaro TA thing. I knew KITT was not actually a Recaro. You can tell by any of the interior shots. Also by any shots of the seat. Since you only see Michael's car at night it's much harder to tell.

It looked like it to me but it may not be. I can agree with you there. If you listen to what Devon says though, there is NOTHING said to confirm that car as being Michael's acutal car.

 

If I remember right it was the 1 of 15 hartop/cloth TTA's that he was driving too. I also heard that they rebuilt the car too..

ANyone confirm this?

Kat

 

From the pictures I saw, the car didn't look rebuildable, perhaps someone from the TTA website has more info. That would be a special car from a collectable point of view though.

 

I agree on that one.Most of the conversions are cheap and not identical at all.Not everybody from that KITT community has knowledge about T/A's.They're KITT fans not T/A fans.But there are some people who likes both.Most of the T/A's are wasted on those conversions.If they were doing it properly it wouldn't bother me but most of them are ugly.The prices are too expensive too if you look at the quality.They're selling the nose piece for $450 on e-bay.And it's not identical if you compare it with KITT's nose.Dashes are not identical at all.Electronic kits for the dashes are ****ty and most of them have useless functions.If you don't have money watch the show and leave the T/A's alone or drive it stock.But if you have time and money and want to do it do it properly.

 

They were building the car when Michael was recovering.And it had to be built fast.And when they turn the car into KITT it doesn't have anything to do with the T/A anymore.Everything is changed with the car.What you want him to say?
KARR showed up in later episodes and it's very likely that they didn't think about KARR when they were writing the script.When they added why design and build another car and spend money?
The first script written in that way.I hope i can find the source that i saw the info.It was an interview with the creator of the show or something.And below picture of Michael Long's T/A.

 

AS far as Michael Knight's car:
Devon's comment "any resemblance...is superficial" meant that the car only looked similiar to the original T/A but after $$$$$$$ it was certainly no regular car anymore. It was supposed to be Michael's T/A heavily modified to K.I.T.T.

Yes, it's sad to see rare cars get destroyed and such. I watched a '92 Yellow T/A vert (supposedly 1 of 2) go from nice to totally trashed out within about an 8 year span.

 

I can account for 1/1550 TTAs totaled... The one driven by comedian SAM KINESON with his wife of 3 weeks before some drunk driver veered into his lane head on

 

See my post about 7 or 8 up.

 

An interview with the creator would change my mind on the subject. Nothing was said to confirm or deny that the car was his original car. Also, realisticly (which is not what that show was about) to design and build such a car would take years.

KARR being first makes sense. Although KARR would have had to have been made in 1981 before that body style TA for the car to have predated KITT. However it does make sense that the a prototype would have had to have been made in order for them to build KITT so fast. They would have had to have done one already. And of course as they said they never got KARR's programming right.

This does also not mean that they couldn't haved used Michaels car. They may have made KARR from early dealer stock or a early delivery from GM. (Wilton Knight had that kind of money.) And when they needed a new car after their discovery of Michael they simply used his because it was available.

Theres nothing concrete either way. But it is fun to speculate.

 

NOTHING in Knight Rider is concrete.There's always been mistakes in KR.It was a nice show to watch at the time.And for it's time it was pretty good too.I still like it but there are so many stupid stuff in the show sometimes you loose all your appetite for the show.

 

I had a pic and seemed to recall it being a T-top, it was
though restored against his wife's wishes. There is only
14 hardtop/cloth TTA's left as one was stolen and burned.

 

One guy on another Forum I post on has a Hardtop Cloth TTA. He was selling it last I checked. His asking price was $26.000.

 

I never liked that show. Funny thing though, other than the 4-speed and the rims, mine has turbo rims, no big covers, just fins and small center caps, mine is a Kitt car. Well, it would be the perfect car for a conversion that is. I was at a show a few years ago, and a Kitt conversion was there. It was half ****. So i stood by it for a while listening to what people said as they walked by. HA! It was nothing but "who da %$^ would do such a stupid thing" or "what a waste". In 10-15 minutes, i never heard one positive comment.

I don't get the fasination. You guy's are arguing pilot episodes you have on DVD? WOW! Maybe you should start a "Treky" type fan club. LOL

I like the 82's for two reasons:
1. I've had my 82 since 86, it's kinda grown on me.
2. It's the lightest of all Firebirds @ 3078#

Bonus: there are only a handfull of nice ones left. i agree with Kizz, let these fools cut them up, makes mine more rare. I'll never sell it, but there will be even less on the street.

 

Exactly my point.I don't care who does what as long as mine stays intact.As far as knight rider goes, i was 6-7 years old when i was watching that show and for it's time it was pretty good.If i look at with todays standarts it's crappy for sure.Everything is pretty crappy about KR today.Most of the fan sites, sites sells kitt parts etc.It's sad.I'm aware most of the KITT conversions are really terrible but i mean who cares.There's so much ****ty f-bodies around it really doesn't bother me anymore.I'm getting insensitive i guess.f-bodies with crappy parts is all around and those KITT conversions are the same thing for me.What you gonna do?They're everywhere and there's nothing i can do to change that.So i'm trying to look at it from the bright side.

 

i can account for one 84 s/e, i took a few parts off one i got and junked what was left, it ran and drove, did that last fall

the cars are apparently not uncommon at all, i couldnt even get rid of the gold n24 wheels and i STILL have the mint seats and dash pad and taillights and all kinds of junk still. tried to sell the car as was perfectrly good daily driver, but that wouldnt work either, from now on ill just smash em as is, waste of time doing anything else.

good luck

 

1992 GTA dark green /tan lthr that was apparently stolen at one time then someone pirated it for all the TA specific parts. The guy wanted 800 bux for the shell with NO eng/trans or rear. I dont think so!!!

1989 T/A L98, ttops and dual cats. rare car since it had the dual cats but nonehteless a regular GTA. hit hard on the RF.

1992 Z28 L98 heritage edition, 65K miles, red/blk stripe, hit hard in rear.

 

I heard the same story. That train also had some 1LE Camaros on it too. The first batch built in 1989.

 

My 82 was headed to the crusher when I saved him. Another week or so and the owner was going to haul him off. Go him for free, but there was virually no interior. Trashed front PMDs. No engine. Bent radiator support. Bent up upper and lower panhard. Dented drivers door. Dented frt fenders. Hood is savable. Nose is decent. Rear bumper cover was torn. So he was a piece, but the frame was solid and no real rust damage...

Here is a heart breaker...At Pull-a-Part 2 weeks ago. Joe (LT1guy) goes out there and there is a 82 TA in mint condition. Everything is there, everything! He goes to talk to the owner about getting the car out. They will not do it. Not even employees can buy whole cars! We were so ticked.

So we grabbed all we could. Seats Black PMDs (power, mind you it works)...were mint before a rat chewed a hole in a few places. We still got them. It had the power buldge hood (we got it) Sweet black door panels (got them). The short gfx in the front and rear in frt of the tires (got them) The interior plastic was chalky and faded, so we left it. Center console and dash was torn up (darn rat) Center console was intact with a steering wheel I had never seen before. It was 3 spoke with a small round plastic bird insert in it and the center had face torx screws on it. We got the whole column. T-tops were gone, so the carpet was wet and nasty. So we got the gfx, door panels, seats, hood, column and steering wheel. The we went to another TA (87) and got its side gfx and door panels. We walked out paying only $150.00 for all that. This is what our cars are being reduced to! Such a pity!

 

Oh and on the lost TTAs. Add to that the lost Grand Nationals and T-types. In the past year to year and a half the thefts of these cars is on the rise. Joe has had (in the past year) 2 stolen. I talked to GEICO insurance (my company transports stolen recover car for them sometimes) the theft adjuster said in the past year in FL alone he has had at least a dozen GNs & T-Types stolen. They all come back stripped. I hope we are not loosing the TTAs to the same monster!

In fact, I had thought really hard about getting a TTA. I know someone selling 2. I decided against it since I knew I could never really drive it anywhere without the chance of it getting stolen. So instead I will loose the 2.8 and get a 3.8 turbo from totaled TTA. Or get one from a GN and get the parts to make it fit. We hope to do the swap in the next year. So if you know anyone selling a TTA drive train, send them my way!

 

I hear stories like this every day about good condition cars getting parted out or junked, etc. sometimes I wonder if one day I'll wake up and discover that there are NO early thirdgens left at all

Anyway that steering wheel sounds valid, and it's the only one for 82. also used in 83. You'd be surprised how many different types of thirdgen steering wheels there are, not to mentiont he different colors in each type. but the 82 - 83 type you saw should be the one shown here : http://ohok.com/82recaro/forum/attac...s=&postid=1274
gt

 

That is the one. I hete that the junkyard would not let us take it. Joe has been talking about getting some land and trying to save as many as possible from the crusher. I'm glad there are places like Hawks and 3rd gen resource to save some of these cars so the rest of us can benifit. Oh and I just remembered back on our first trip to Pull-a-part. There was a recaro there. Fire damage if I remember right. All that was left of the seats were the frames, not even a piece of the cushion remained. At the time we just left them there. Though now I think we would have gotten them. Though I have no clue how we would have gotten cushions for them...

And there is a Recaro in Macon, GA. A friend of ours had one and recently sold it.

 

Hold on. Where are you located????? I am in the Chicagoland area and a yellow '92 TA, vert (1of2) just got sold by Grossinger Autoplex in Lincolnwood about 10 months ago. The ******* drives the car year round salt and all. And it was in perfect shape, I believe 13K miles when sold.
So, if you saw one get destroyed, and I saw the other one, that's it! Two of the rarest ThirdGens just got taken off the "will be around for a while for people to appreciate" list. Damn I hate a$$holes like that.

As far as KITT goes, Michael Long's TA became KITT. Like mentioned earlier, Devon only meant that the car was so seriously changed, that any resemblence to Michaels car was just by the fact it was a TA. While he was recovering they built KITT out of Michael's car. As far as KARR goes, apparently KARR was built before KITT as an experimental car. Then shut down because of some problems and in the later episodes when it comes back, it's supposed to be coming out of deep storage. I agree however that the timeline doesn't quite fit for KARR to be built b4 KITT but hey that's Hollywood. It's a show, and I like it just the way it is.

Still pissed about the yellow '92s. Come back and let me know where you saw this TA, and has anyone else seen one of these cars. Maybe there's more than 2. Damn.

 

guys,
i see what u mean by people taking rare t/a's and turning them in to kitt conversions, hey, i got the nose, but my t/a was never original from the start, the guy who had it b/f me pulled out the original 5 spd manual and threw in an automatic, wtf??...
anyways, the way i see it, either u can take a bad shape t/a and build a car u want, or take a perfect shape t/a and hold onto it the way it is. i preffered the bad shape, good body t/a that needed attention. my friend had a notchback that he got into an accident with, car was tottalled, but the notch was still good, so i grabbed it b/f it went to the junker. people sometimes look and there like whatever, but i built my car for myself, and noone else. i honestly think that any idiot that takes a rare t/a and converts it is an @ss Hoel and dont' deserve to own one. so hopefully u guys arent knocking on all of us that have the nose or some minor stuff added on. i'll admit, there are some crazy fks out there that actually think there micheal knight.....LOL....those people should be shot..lol.

 

Read the book it is Michaels car I know I read the book in detention in grade school.

 

Blkdth87, got any pics? I like Knight Rider T/As.