Lurgan Knight Rider fan turns heads with his replica of 1980s icon KITT driven by David Hasselhoff in US TV series

The TV series, which began in 1982, saw fictional character Michael Knight fighting crime using an almost indestructible, artificially intelligent car capable of incredible speeds and with the ability to jump over other vehicles.

For actor David Hasselhoff, who played the lead character, it was a springboard to global fame, and his later role in Baywatch.

The series won over many fans due to the witty, speaking and self driving car, which often got its owner out of tight scrapes and performed many technological feats.

It displayed features such as artificial intelligence, self-driving on roads, satellite navigation, detailed internet research in real time and video phone calls – many of which were considered science fiction in 1982.

Giving the News Letter a tour of his pride and joy David said: "This is the Knight Industries Two Thousand or KITT, as most people would probably know it from the Knight Rider Eighties TV show."

Davy will already be known to many car fans as the owner of a De Lorean car, mocked up to represent the vehicle from the Michael J Fox 1985 film Back to the Future, which sits alongside KITT in his specially designed garage.

"I like my 1980s cars," Davy says with a grin.

"There are different replicas," he says of KITT.

"You have your season one and two replicas, or you have your season three and four replicas.

"There are also different dashboards, but this is a season one and two replica."

"The car was built by an American enthusiast in 2005 for a museum in Florida.

"Then it was sold to a guy in New York and it sat there for a while, and then was brought over to England.

"I actually found it on eBay during COVID times and bought it in September 2020.

"It wasn't running when I got it and unfortunately, it didn't end up being an easy fix as it needed a new engine. But it is a project I have been working on for the past few years and it is finally ready to go."

While it is primarily a passionate hobby Davy does occasionally use his cars to help raise money for charity.

The car is built around a 1982 Pontiac Trans Am housing a 5 litre V8 engine, which he replaced in full with an original from the manufacturer.

The replica was built under licence from Universal Studios in 2004/5 and the dashboard was created using moulds from the original car's dashboard.

The vehicle has impressive loudspeakers which plays the theme music of the TV in stereo and also displays the trademark red light on the front bumper which zooms from side to side.

It also plays audio clips on demand using the voice of the original vehicle.

"It does turn a few heads," Davy added.

"For anybody who is sort of my age or a bit older, they have to take a second look, because they can't believe what they're seeing.”