An Illinois museum is trying to solve a real-life mystery worthy of “Knight Rider” after receiving a speeding ticket for a replica of KITT, the iconic talking car from the hit 1980s TV series, despite the vehicle never leaving its exhibit floor.
Officials at the Volo Museum said they were stunned when a $50 traffic ticket from New York City arrived in the mail accusing their black 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am replica of speeding through Brooklyn on April 22.
According to the citation, a traffic camera clocked the car traveling 36 mph in a 25 mph zone on Ocean Parkway at about 1:02 p.m. The summons included photos of a black Trans Am bearing the California vanity plate “KNIGHT,” matching the novelty plate displayed on the museum’s replica KITT.
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There is just one problem: The museum says its car has not moved in years.
Ticket tied to parked display car
The summons was mailed to the Volo Museum, where a 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am replica of KITT has been on display for years as part of its Hollywood vehicle collection. The museum's marketing director, Jim Wojdyla, said it has been more than a decade since the car was last moved from its exhibit space.
Museum officials said the traffic camera images from Brooklyn appear to have incorrectly matched the vehicle’s novelty “KNIGHT” plate to the Illinois display car, even though the plate is not a valid registration and the vehicle has not been driven on public roads in years.
In a Facebook post, the museum said the automated system linked the California “KNIGHT” plate to its exhibit car, which ultimately triggered the citation.
Wojdyla said the museum received the notice on May 11 from the New York City Camera Violations Unit and initially thought it might be a joke given its well-known collection of movie and television vehicles.
“We are famous for our large movie and TV car collection, so at first we thought it was a joke,” he said. “We then looked it up on the official New York City website and it was indeed legit.”
He added that the situation became even more confusing when staff examined the plate. “What’s odd is that the California license plate that reads ‘KNIGHT’ isn’t a registered California license plate. It’s not a vanity plate at all, it’s a novelty plate. We sell them in our gift shop.”
Wojdyla said the museum’s biggest question is how a New York violation tied to a California novelty plate could be linked back to a museum in Illinois. “Our biggest confusion is how a violation in New York, with a fake California plate, was legally registered to a museum in Illinois. We haven’t found any answers yet,” he said.
'You can’t make this up': Social media reacts
The museum quickly leaned into the unexpected attention online, posting about the ticket in a viral Facebook update that mixed confusion with humor.
“Well, this is a new one,” the post said. “A traffic camera captured Knight Rider’s KITT speeding down the streets of New York City.”
The museum added that the automated system somehow connected the novelty plate to its Illinois display vehicle.
“You can’t make this up!” the post continued. "Our KITT hasn’t moved from our museum in years! Does anyone have Hasselhoffs number? He owes us $50!!!!
The museum has since requested a hearing to challenge the citation.
The New York City Department of Finance and the New York City Department of Transportation said both agencies are “looking into it,” Wojdyla said.
USA TODAY has reached out to the New York City Department of Finance and the Department of Transportation for additional comment and clarification.
The legacy of KITT
The original "Knight Rider" aired on NBC from 1982 to 1986 and starred David Hasselhoff as a crime-fighting driver paired with KITT, an artificially intelligent black Trans Am known for its distinctive voice and personality.
Only a small number of original screen-used vehicles remain, but replicas are common among collectors and fan communities worldwide, keeping the iconic car’s legacy alive decades after the show ended.
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@usatodayco.com, or on Twitter @athompsonUSAT.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ‘Knight Rider’ car gets speeding ticket. It's been parked for years
