Favorite Things: Aaron Anthony Aikman and his custom KITT Trans Am

Aaron Anthony Aikman is known around town for his vivid recreation of famous fictional vehicles, whether that’s Ecto-1 from “Ghostbusters” or one of the transports from “Jurassic Park.” But, his favorite creation of all is his faithful replica of KITT, a talking Pontiac Trans Am famously driven by David Hasselhoff in “Knight Rider.”

I had just finished building the Mystery Machine and I had always wanted KITT. I found a 1988 Pontiac Trans Am in Coldwater for relatively cheap. They accepted my offer over the phone and later that night I went and picked him up. That’s the thing, the car is a character in the show so you have to refer to KITT as a “him.” It took me three months before I started building him. I had to wait for the parts to arrive from Italy. 

I’ve been in love with “Knight Rider” since I was a kid. I never thought I could own KITT, let alone build him. It was supposed to take two years, but because I refinanced one of my cars, I was able to do it quicker. 

Most of the good parts come from Italy; everything is handmade. The dashboard is fiberglass and it slips over the existing dashboard. That alone was $5,000. Brand new it’s $8,000, but I got lucky and found a used one. The same guy who sold me the dashboard sold me the proper rims and a steering wheel, which comes from an airplane. The interior wasn’t correct, it came grey and KITT’s interior from the TV show is tan. It also required a Pontiac Motor Division replacement seat. You have to have that, or it just doesn’t look correct. I’ve never done upholstery either, so that was a nice learning experience. It took two paint jobs, and I paid $500 for the nose cone. The nose of KITT is more predominant than the regular Trans Am nose. It points out more. It’s much nicer looking. 

I’ve always loved cars. I started working on cars when I was 14. My father was a mechanic, but he passed away when I was only a 1 year old, so I never got to know him. I think that’s one of the reasons why I love them, because he was a mechanic. In 2014, I sold my limousine, so I could purchase some coffins and build my version of Grandpa’s Dragula from “The Munsters.” The reason I say “my version” is mine has a second coffin, so my wife has somewhere to sit when we drive it to car shows. 

“Knight Rider” was so cool because of the car. Who doesn’t love a talking car? It did all sorts of stunts, never got damaged and it’s a Trans Am. The plotlines were stupid, but I still loved it. David Hasselhoff was great. I was 11 years old when it came out, I loved it just like I loved “The Dukes of Hazzard.”

KITT is a lot of fun to drive. He gets a lot of looks around town, when people realize who he is they go hog wild. I get thumbs up everywhere and people ask me to pull over so they can get pictures. I love to show off my toys, especially because I built them. 

Interview edited and condensed by Skyler Ashley. If you have a suggestion for Favorite Things, please email Skyler@Lansingcitypulse.com