I'm Julius's son and I can remember my dad taking me to Van Nuys Auto Wrecking throughout the 70s and 80s to see some of these cars. In 1987 I was a senior in high school, and I have a memory of seeing one or more of the Knight Rider cars in shop, although I don't remember it being crushed, so maybe it was one of the fiberglass shells he was talking about. I never knew he kept a part of the car, but I guess it was destiny that he was saving it for someone who will love it and share it with others. Thank you for spending time with my old man and sharing his stories. Best wishes to you all.
Thank you, Matt, for sharing a few tidbits of memories from your perspective. As you can see from the number of comments already, your dad has really made the day for so many people just by sharing his story. And with this UA-cam channel, there will be thousands of people who will undoubtedly enjoy this for many years to come!
Matt, your dad is simply wonderful. We loved chatting with him and we are so grateful that he was not only able to tell us the rest of the story of these cars, but that he saved the piece that he did. As you can see from the hundreds of comments here, he has the gratitude of Knight Rider fans across the globe!
Thanks for your great work. It's a part of History. @ Historians You are making the jobs I always dreamed about. Thanks for the memories Julius. Thx for the great videos Knight Rider Historians. KR is also a part of my life. Greetings from Austria
To Joe, thank you for this. I did not expect it. To the fans of "Knight Rider" thank you got your kind comments. You have truly made an old man's day. Julius Inglima.
As a 80's kid myself, thanks for saving the most important part of KITT. Did you by chance remember a red AMC Gremlin with white stripes come through from Universal? That car is in most episodes of Knight Rider, Joe thinks it was a Cast members car. Thanks Again! Hello from Phoenix Arizona!🔥
Thank you for taking the time to tell your amazing story. I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish! Seeing that scanner gave me goosebumps, thanks for saving it. Also thanks to Joe and the KRH for making this amazing video and doing the great work you are all doing about the show we all loved as kids 💘
Thank you for sharing your memories and experiences with us Julius! We greatly appreciate it, and I know many more will continue to do so for years to come as they watch/listen to this video.
The simple fact that he wasn't a big TV watcher at the time and yet still had the presence of mind to save this literally ICONIC PIECE of the car is incredible!
Let's be honest, if you could only save ONE piece of an original Knight Rider car, it had to be the scanner. What a fantastic piece to find after all this time, given the cars had to be destroyed contractually it's lucky even this small piece of history survived.
The Blues Brothers is one of my favorite movies, if not my favorite of all time. I am building a screen accurate Bluesmobile from a 1975 Monaco 4dr sedan, backdated to a '74 with all correct parts. I got the car almost 12 years ago, and it was a difficult car to find then, talk about a car that no one bothered to save. Even with the interest in the movie, most Monacos met their fate in demolition derbies or monster truck shows. That scanner bar is priceless.
That is an awesome, and LEGAL part for Julius to have saved considering it isn't a GM part, so no breech of contract between Universal and General Motors!
I was born in ‘79. I grew up watching Knight Rider and the Blues Brothers. I’m absolutely enjoying this channel. So many memories. Makes my scale model of KITT so much more sentimental.
I am amazed how you find this guy. I think he could talk even more for hours and hours. He just did what he had to do, it was his job after all. And in return, he shared his amazing story. Thank you Julius for sharing your story, and thank you Knight Rider historians for sharing it with us :).
Plus, you have to remember that Universal had a legal responsibility to crush the cars, because California law said they could NOT be sold and could not ever be used on the road. Universal and GM's proverbial hands were tied. Although, in retrospect, I wonder if a deal could've been made, maybe for one or two of them, where they would be preserved (in a museum or something), just for display, not driveable. But at the time noone knew Knight Rider would have a resurgence of popularity and become a cult classic LONG after the show ended.
Awesome hearing from the old guy. He was a wealth of historical knowledge. And that's a great piece of nostalgia he left you guys with. I know you'll cherish it!
Yeah it made me sick 😷 to my stomach when they shredded the cars 🚗 but if it was me I would have saved one ☝🏻 of the kitt cars 🚗 from knight rider and keep in mint condition and like 👍🏻 it was just like 👍🏻 in the show.
@@emilydaleakersgilliland2030 I agree totally. save at least one, the hero car at least with all the bells and whistles that would have been worth the memories! once upon a time KITT was the hottest thing on 4 wheels on TV.... SMH, such a sad end to a beautiful fantasy and part ot TV history.
Thank you for preserving Julius' story. He was one of the many people the industry touches, but who never have name recognition. His stories on how the Blues' Brother's cars were built were awesome! And I hope some day I'll get to see that wonderful scanner in person. :)
Yep right in the feels... Also Amazing! Dozens and dozens of turbo boosts, stunts, crashes, a wrecking ball, junk yard crusher, 35+ years later and only a single bulb doesn't light.
Thank you Julius for not only saving the scanner and the fascinating recollection of your time at work i really enjoyed the conversation.. Thank you from Paul in South Australia..
Wow! Awesome that Julius is still alive and willing to share such great history! Sad the cars are gone but now we know at least. Outstanding that he saved a scanner and sent it to you. He's an awesome guy!
In true KR fashion, couldn't they have used miniatures instead of destroying the real cars? I'm sure GM wouldn't have noticed... Thanks for sharing this, Joe & AJ. It's incredible to see how far the fans have come in uncovering the history of the show
I'm grateful he reached out and took the time to share his story with the cars. He was doing his job and you can't ever fault him for that. I went to a auto tech class in the 90s and we got free Cavaliers from gm that were damaged. A they fell under the same contract to have them demolished. GM would send out inspectors randomly to make sure the contract was being honored or they would recover all cars and end the agreement
Just like to say great episode and thanks to Julius for taking the time to reach out and be interviewed for our interest. I hope my memory is as good as his for events 30yrs in the past when I reach his age.
Roger I can remember what id did far longer than 34 years but i have to call my cell phone Number once or twice a week so i can find where I left it. Julius
Same! I was watching this with the cynicism of being in my mid-40's... Thinking "ok, this is all kinda cool but... Maybe a lil over the top?-" but then i saw that first light lol... and my inner 8 year old self went friggin nuts! So awesome there is a community to protect and document one of our fondest childhood memories
That's Awesome stuff to see how people like Julian who are gracious enough to donate something so rare to you guys and because you have another controller for the scan bar, what a perfect way to give it the recognition and reconnection to its past! Display idea is absolutely perfect for this scanner! 👌
Absolutely blown away! It's amazing that only one bulb was burnt out on the scanner. So grateful for this critical piece of Knight Rider History is safe forever. Thank you for all of this great content! So freaking awesome!
That scanner is awesome. I laughed from disbelief when the bulbs still worked. And just like on TV one of the bulbs doesn't work. - removing any doubt that it's genuine. Jaw dropping stuff.
You have done a very good thing here. Hearing Julius talk about his job, his increasing joy to tell stories to a willing audience... it's a capture of time. Hopefully in a future time when UA-cam might be long gone this interview will survive as an audio recording of a life lived.
You can hear the pain in your voice when he was talking about the destruction of the KITTS. If it makes you feel better, They exist in another form since they were shredded and the steel recycled. So they live on as something else, another car, a toaster, washing machine etc.
The introduction really looked like the beginning of another Episode. Now I got to admit it. Even though it has been already 35 years (I actually started to watch this in Portugal in 1987), it was hard to really have the confirmation that the cars were literally shredded. On the other hand, it's great to have one last saved part from the show. Really great.
Blown away by Julius' story on the KITTs and the Blues Brother's cars! What a great interview... super cool to be able to preserve and show the original scanner!
OMG the pure excitement when that very 1st bulb lit up. What a great piece he saved there and lovely of him passing it onto you guys. I'd love to have something oringnal, I just dream. Thanks for sharing this video.
George Barris had a beater black Trans Am that he kept at his shop for errands and so forth. I recall driving it to Van Nuts once to pick up a part. When I arrived there was a drunk sitting on the curb near where I parked. I turned on the scanner when I left the car, when I returned he was just pointing at it and smiling... He was REALLY drunk. Maybe he thought he'd seen Michael Knight without the makeup.
This was a fantastic vid. Great interview with a guy who was there at the end. It is ironic that the number 2 bulb isnt working. I cant remember how many episodes where that bulb didnt flash either on the photo car or the blind drive car didn't flash. Obviously its a stretch to believe that it was this particular bar in those shots. 35 years and they still work. I am amazed. Again. Great interview! And thanks so much to Julius for sharing so much about these cars and the other cars from The Blues Bros.!
"KITT, where are we?" "Inside the compactor! It‘s like my worst nightmares are being released!!" Seems like you can‘t turbo boost out of Californian laws ...
oh man that part is awsome, its sad that all of the other cars have been crushed i remenber whatching a re-run of the show when i was a kid... that scanner is priceless now
That train derailment was a curse and blessing at the same time and certainly adds up to the Knight Rider myth. The scanner bar of #1084, so jealous! Congrats!
The second I saw the box I knew that it would end up being a scanner bar! That's awesome that it was saved and that it can be traced back to the car that had it. The phone call was fascinating. I'm sure Julius has a ton more stories that he could tell with a job like that.
Dan Aykroyd brother actually does own one of the blues brothers car. A movie car company called Cars For Films also owns one if the original Blue brothers car ( the speaker mounted on top). He told me , he personally went to pick it up in Missouri used it for the opening night in NYC and was able to keep the car for the fee of transportation. I've personally seen the car back in the late 1990s with paperwork from universal studios
Such an interesting history to learn. The new TAs from GM would likely not have had titles as they would still have been on MSO (Manufacturer Statement of Origin) as they were coming straight from the factory. Now interestingly, my husband had a 1982 Trans Am that was found to have been used in "Smokey and the Bandit Part 3" (the highway donut and the car used that's coming straight at the camera - it was the only one used that had stripes up the hood bulge) and the title had "Universal Studios" as the previous owner.
To Fiery Vixen, I would love to hear more about that 82 Trans Am your husband owned. I'm a huge fan of Smokey and the Bandit and it would mean a lot to me to know where that car is and how it was used in Smokey and the Bandit 3.
even though the cars are long gone, there is something still remaining. thanks to julius and you guys for sharing this important piece of knight rider history!
Hello ! I am an old diehard Knight Rider fan as it reminds me of the best teen hood days. Watching Knight Rider makes me happy and now that I am fifty, I still love watching it. I am sad to know that most of the Knight Rider cars were crushed.
I. Can’t believe how sad I felt listening to your telephone conversation and happy that you got KITTs scranner bar looking forward to watching more of your wonderful videos I am from South Africa
What an awesome conversation! Julius is a great story teller, it's like listening to your Dad or Grandpa talk.. I got goosebumps! Such a colourful background and obviously Julius answered some long wondered questions! Brilliant 😎👌
Thanks Joe for another epic and insightful knight rider video on the kitt cars that were destroyed through a contractual obligation with General motors and universal studios it bought back many good memories of knight rider and the blues bros pure gold thank you knight rider historians 👍👍
I almost couldn't watch. The Shredder made me want to cry. We should never know who sweater vest guy is. That would be bad. Julius is now known as The Shredder Guy. Breaking my heart. Once again an absolutely fantastic dive into the history! It is really truly amazing there is still so much to learn and know.
Julius is not the guy in the wrecking ball photos. He got the cars AFTER that. The guy in the sweater vest is Neil Van Order, the transportation director at Universal. He unfortunately passed away from cancer in the 90s.
@@KnightRiderHistoriansOfficial He's smiling a bit too much in the midst of unspeakable carnage... but I get it, it was just junk to them from a show that wasn't even on the air anymore. RIP.
This was such a cool and interesting story, thank you so much for posting this interview! Pretty sad what happened to the cars, but that's life and Julius was just doing his job. So neat to hear all of his stories! Interesting note on the Bluesmobile: Many years ago I was in the Police Car Owners of America for a short time. The president, Jim Post, owned what was supposed to be the last original Bluesmobile, the last of "8 cars" built for the movie. Never saw it in person but the car had eyelet hooks on the roof, presumably for tying down the air raid siren for those scenes from the movie. Eventually he put the car in a museum in Eureka Springs, then years later saw a post on the Internet that the car had been sold. Now in the interview here, Julius said he smashed 13 Bluesmobiles. There is an old message thread on a BB board that says there were actually 12 cars plus the fall-apart car, so that would be 13, and it also discusses Jim Post's car in particular. Thread is below: bluesmobiles.proboards.com/thread/1074/cob-jim-posts-eyehook-blumo Anyway really interesting interview, thanks again for posting this!
This man made a huge present to you! Did you gave him any money, he trully deserves it after keeping intact this piece of history for such a long time.
This is so cool to see a original scanner bar still working, I have seen scanner bars on the internet for sale that are a newer and the same size that they used for kit
When the box was shown with the KARR themed music, I immediately thought it was going to be a scanner judging by the size of the box. The music did throw me off though. I thought it was going to be a scanner from one of the KARR cars with the amber lens. Either way, it was great to see an original KITT scanner in working condition.
This was a really great video. Thank you, Julius, for sharing your role in the history of this show we all love, and for saving a small piece of it for posterity.
Gave me goose bumps watching them light up. It's amazing that being that this light bar was in the jump car that the bulbs worked. Thank you for a great channel. Like you said these were just prop cars with no historical value at the time. If they knew them what they know now.
Great video! As a side note on the blues Brothers cars...back when I was a kid in the 1980s there was a dive bar called hillbilly heaven that was closed down with a fence around it in Virginia. It belonged to Earl Dixon, Donna Dixons father, Dan Aykroyds father in law. Well there was a car under a cover in front of hillbilly heaven. I would drove by there daily with my dad. One morning we drove by and the cover had blown off the fender and it was a blues brother Monaco..totally recognizable. I guess it could have been a replica but being Dan Aykroyds father in law....good chance it was real.
You have to love UA-cam! I mean where else would you have found this information and passed it on. To find the actual guy that was tasked to destroy the cars and to have an original item sent after all these years! Thankyou for the time and dedication in giving fellow fans some frankly astounding facts and stories about a show we all love. Many thanks to Julius for his time in sharing his past too. A BIG Hoff 👍 from the UK.
Very sad to hear about all those cars destruction, but like you said they couldn't be sold to the public. It's just a shame they never had the foresight to save a few for museums that deal with television history! Thanks for making the great content 👏👏
Great insights in this conversation. I guess that the pain is also part of being a Knight Rider fan. Fantastic to see your enthusiasm when unwrapping the “gift”, Joe.
Incredible Story and find! Fastastic to see the scanner bar come back to life! Straight away taught of that scene from Knight Rider 2000 when Michael brings K.I.T.T back to life on the table :) and only one bulb not working! As we know from the Not a director's series the bulb may already have blown during the actual filming! ;) I cannot Thank you enough for the incredible work you guys put into researching and hunting down these forgotten and very important pieces of Knight Rider history to preserve and share with us, this channel is a real testement to you and for generations to come.
Great video. That was so awesome that he reached out to you and we could get this historical information. Thanks and thanks for being so kind to him. He definitely sounded like he appreciated being able to tell some of the tales he had. Loved your scanner reveal as well...that's awesome.
Fantastic...I’m so glad something was saved of the cars...makes me wonder what else is out there in the world from the show. If he never left that comment, the scanner and info he gave would’ve been lost. like always guys...another amazing episode...keep it coming.
Great stuff Joe, that was truly great of Julius to of kept that one thing for all these years and to then give it to guys. Keep up the great work man 👍👍
Wow... This is awesome!!! An original scanner bar from the jump car. Also just listening to the story behind the crushed cars was great. Keep up the good work and announce when you will have that stuff at a car show or something. As a huge Knight Rider fan I would like to see it in person. And also THANK YOU for providing such GREAT Knight Rider content. 👍
WOW, your new friend has some truly amazing stories to share, and I'm sure he has hundreds more. I do have to admit, that as much of a Pontiac guy I am at heart, as well as a fan of Knight Rider, If there was a way for me to put one of the Lincolns from the movie "The Car" in my garage, I would be all over that like ink in a newspaper. And the fact that Julius was willing to give you that incredible piece of Knight Rider history, is just mind numbing. GREAT VIDEO!!!!!
I am a Pontiac & Oldsmobile fan at heart myself. I own one of the last produced Pontiacs. I own a 2008 White Pontiac G8, with only 65K miles on the clock. It is in mint condition. Definitely one of my prized possessions.👍 Hello from Phoenix Arizona!🔥
...KRH your content is crazy....you have realy nailed the history of crushing the movie cars ...superb work...and huge thanks to julius for sharing it with you joe and you with us...respect
That is a awesome piece of KR show history Joe. Love that after 35 years the scanner still lights up. Only one light is mia. Keep the vids coming Joe n AJ. KR Fan Australia
I have to tell you this was a great video. When I saw the scanner I fell off my chair and yes, I was drooling. lol. I was hoping you were gonna light it up. I had such a smile on my face just seeing it,. A true survivor!! But when you lit it up. DAMN............. I wanted to reach through the screen and touch it!! A piece of Knight Rider history for sure!! Keep up the great work!!!
Could you imagine had he managed to save at least one Knight Rider car (super pursuit mode car) restored and drivable even the mechanics of the transformation of car just for show, the amount of love and attention Julius would receive had he revealed it today would make him a celebrity overnight! As for that version of KITT... Jay Leno would probably love to drive it along with another Knight Rider Car...and car enthusiasts would be amazed!
Very cool, watching you hook up the battery to the scanner bar made it feel a little like one of the "K.I.T.T. got destroyed again, we gotta rebuild him" episodes. Also, great interview. Glad you could talk to Julius and glean those nice tidbits of history from him.
Awesome video Joe..... I have to admit that those pictures with the wrecking ball were hard to see, but at least you have more of the puzzle of what happened to the cars....
My relatives owned a motorcycle dealership back in the day. Being in the dealership business, they often got pre-production motorcycles, ATVs and snowmobiles for demo purposes only. They were ordered by the motorcycle manufacture to have a local salvage yard crush them after the demo purposes because they were never intended to be sold to the public, plus they didn't have V.I.Ns. Also, a rep from the motorcycle manufacture had to witness the crushing of all of pre-production vehicles.
I would have taken a few steering wheels, possibly the light up gas pedal, the turbo boost button pods. Glad the scanner still works. Can't wait to see it on a bumper. That music was great. Felt like I was watching knight & nerd from season 3.
@@KnightRiderHistoriansOfficial I forgot that I once read keep your eyes on the leather boots David wears pressing the gas pedal and when he comes out of the car, you can see him wear sneakers. Insert shots were used for hand models pressing buttons all over the interior in some studio
I'm Julius's son and I can remember my dad taking me to Van Nuys Auto Wrecking throughout the 70s and 80s to see some of these cars. In 1987 I was a senior in high school, and I have a memory of seeing one or more of the Knight Rider cars in shop, although I don't remember it being crushed, so maybe it was one of the fiberglass shells he was talking about. I never knew he kept a part of the car, but I guess it was destiny that he was saving it for someone who will love it and share it with others. Thank you for spending time with my old man and sharing his stories. Best wishes to you all.
Thank you, Matt, for sharing a few tidbits of memories from your perspective. As you can see from the number of comments already, your dad has really made the day for so many people just by sharing his story. And with this UA-cam channel, there will be thousands of people who will undoubtedly enjoy this for many years to come!
Matt, your dad is simply wonderful. We loved chatting with him and we are so grateful that he was not only able to tell us the rest of the story of these cars, but that he saved the piece that he did. As you can see from the hundreds of comments here, he has the gratitude of Knight Rider fans across the globe!
Thanks for your great work.
It's a part of History.
@ Historians You are making the jobs I always dreamed about. Thanks for the memories Julius.
Thx for the great videos Knight Rider Historians. KR is also a part of my life. Greetings from Austria
Happy to hear from real life story. Thank you for willing to share.
I was enjoying a nice cup of tea listening to your dad speak. Could have listened for hours. Great stuff and so grateful he saved that scanner.
To Joe, thank you for this. I did not expect it. To the fans of "Knight Rider" thank you got your kind comments. You have truly made an old man's day. Julius Inglima.
As a 80's kid myself, thanks for saving the most important part of KITT. Did you by chance remember a red AMC Gremlin with white stripes come through from Universal? That car is in most episodes of Knight Rider, Joe thinks it was a Cast members car. Thanks Again!
Hello from Phoenix Arizona!🔥
Thank you for taking the time to tell your amazing story. I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish! Seeing that scanner gave me goosebumps, thanks for saving it. Also thanks to Joe and the KRH for making this amazing video and doing the great work you are all doing about the show we all loved as kids 💘
Thank you for sharing your memories and experiences with us Julius! We greatly appreciate it, and I know many more will continue to do so for years to come as they watch/listen to this video.
Thank you Julius for everything! As you can see by the hundreds of comments here, you are the hero of many Knight Rider fans across the globe!
@@pinball541 I do not recall ever getting a Gremlin from universal. if the car was privately owned it id not likely it ever came to us.
The simple fact that he wasn't a big TV watcher at the time and yet still had the presence of mind to save this literally ICONIC PIECE of the car is incredible!
Let's be honest, if you could only save ONE piece of an original Knight Rider car, it had to be the scanner. What a fantastic piece to find after all this time, given the cars had to be destroyed contractually it's lucky even this small piece of history survived.
I'm thinking the agreement was moot on this piece. It wasn't part of the car GM/Pontiac gave the studio. It was a secondary prop they added.
True, but it seems like no one was too concerned about preserving them at the time to look for loop holes.
The Blues Brothers is one of my favorite movies, if not my favorite of all time. I am building a screen accurate Bluesmobile from a 1975 Monaco 4dr sedan, backdated to a '74 with all correct parts. I got the car almost 12 years ago, and it was a difficult car to find then, talk about a car that no one bothered to save. Even with the interest in the movie, most Monacos met their fate in demolition derbies or monster truck shows. That scanner bar is priceless.
It breaks my heart that the cars were crushed but to look at it a nicer way, it makes the rare surviving parts more special.
Got to admire the guy for his donation. If that was mine, it would never leave it's display case. Awesome.
That is an awesome, and LEGAL part for Julius to have saved considering it isn't a GM part, so no breech of contract between Universal and General Motors!
I was born in ‘79. I grew up watching Knight Rider and the Blues Brothers. I’m absolutely enjoying this channel. So many memories. Makes my scale model of KITT so much more sentimental.
Same here
I am amazed how you find this guy. I think he could talk even more for hours and hours. He just did what he had to do, it was his job after all. And in return, he shared his amazing story. Thank you Julius for sharing your story, and thank you Knight Rider historians for sharing it with us :).
That pause after the shredder reenactment...
Glad that a piece of the trainwreck cars survived, and still works.
Great find!
Julius is not the enemy, these cars were going to be destroyed no matter what and we thank him for sharing his stories and presenting you with a gift.
An original scanner bar! How neat! I have always loved KITT’s scanner, the cyclops.
Remember guys, Julius had a job to do. And he did it. like any of us would have dun.
Plus, you have to remember that Universal had a legal responsibility to crush the cars, because California law said they could NOT be sold and could not ever be used on the road. Universal and GM's proverbial hands were tied. Although, in retrospect, I wonder if a deal could've been made, maybe for one or two of them, where they would be preserved (in a museum or something), just for display, not driveable. But at the time noone knew Knight Rider would have a resurgence of popularity and become a cult classic LONG after the show ended.
Yes he did. And he also gave one of the best interviews I have heard in a long time. Thank you Julius!!
I would have done it and then drove home in the best of the cars
@@thomassmith4999 They were already destroyed by the time he got them...they weren't even remotely driveable, or even fixable.
That's what the NAZI said.
Awesome hearing from the old guy. He was a wealth of historical knowledge. And that's a great piece of nostalgia he left you guys with. I know you'll cherish it!
Julius!!!!! You saved exactly the right piece! Thank for sharing it with us!
As soon as the bubble wrap was taken out of the box and I realised what it was going to be, I got chills all over. What a great video.
Wow, so cool to see an original KITT scanner lighting up for the first time in 35 years!
The shredding of those cars!It was absolute sacrilege.I literally CRIED.POOR POOR KITT!!
Yeah it made me sick 😷 to my stomach when they shredded the cars 🚗 but if it was me I would have saved one ☝🏻 of the kitt cars 🚗 from knight rider and keep in mint condition and like 👍🏻 it was just like 👍🏻 in the show.
@@emilydaleakersgilliland2030 I agree totally. save at least one, the hero car at least with all the bells and whistles that would have been worth the memories! once upon a time KITT was the hottest thing on 4 wheels on TV.... SMH, such a sad end to a beautiful fantasy and part ot TV history.
It's just sad that the cars had to be destroyed. Thanks to Julius we still have an original scanner - a part of automotive history.
Thank you for preserving Julius' story. He was one of the many people the industry touches, but who never have name recognition. His stories on how the Blues' Brother's cars were built were awesome! And I hope some day I'll get to see that wonderful scanner in person. :)
Yep right in the feels... Also Amazing! Dozens and dozens of turbo boosts, stunts, crashes, a wrecking ball, junk yard crusher, 35+ years later and only a single bulb doesn't light.
Always good when someone on the inside has the heart to save something like that.
Julius is such a kind and amazing man to deliver us this memorable piece of Knight Rider history.
This video has made me very sad, but seeing that original scanner turned on I loved it. Another treasure for the Knight Rider museum. Great job.
Thank you Julius for not only saving the scanner and the fascinating recollection of your time at work i really enjoyed the conversation..
Thank you from Paul in South Australia..
I am SO glad he saved the scanner.It is SO ICONIC
Such a great iconic item of Knight Rider history ever!
Wow! Awesome that Julius is still alive and willing to share such great history! Sad the cars are gone but now we know at least. Outstanding that he saved a scanner and sent it to you. He's an awesome guy!
In true KR fashion, couldn't they have used miniatures instead of destroying the real cars? I'm sure GM wouldn't have noticed...
Thanks for sharing this, Joe & AJ. It's incredible to see how far the fans have come in uncovering the history of the show
I'm grateful he reached out and took the time to share his story with the cars. He was doing his job and you can't ever fault him for that. I went to a auto tech class in the 90s and we got free Cavaliers from gm that were damaged. A they fell under the same contract to have them demolished. GM would send out inspectors randomly to make sure the contract was being honored or they would recover all cars and end the agreement
Just like to say great episode and thanks to Julius for taking the time to reach out and be interviewed for our interest. I hope my memory is as good as his for events 30yrs in the past when I reach his age.
Roger I can remember what id did far longer than 34 years but i have to call my cell phone Number once or twice a week so i can find where I left it. Julius
Honestly felt a lump in my throat after watching it come back to life... Awesome video.! Thank you Julius!👍
Same! I was watching this with the cynicism of being in my mid-40's... Thinking "ok, this is all kinda cool but... Maybe a lil over the top?-" but then i saw that first light lol... and my inner 8 year old self went friggin nuts! So awesome there is a community to protect and document one of our fondest childhood memories
I was 17 back in 1986 and enjoyed every episode of Knight Rider back in the 80's.
That's Awesome stuff to see how people like Julian who are gracious enough to donate something so rare to you guys and because you have another controller for the scan bar, what a perfect way to give it the recognition and reconnection to its past! Display idea is absolutely perfect for this scanner! 👌
Absolutely blown away! It's amazing that only one bulb was burnt out on the scanner. So grateful for this critical piece of Knight Rider History is safe forever. Thank you for all of this great content! So freaking awesome!
Anyone else doing the Whoosh sound at the end? Great video as ever. What a brilliant chap Julius is for parting with this piece of history.
That scanner is awesome. I laughed from disbelief when the bulbs still worked.
And just like on TV one of the bulbs doesn't work. - removing any doubt that it's genuine.
Jaw dropping stuff.
You have done a very good thing here. Hearing Julius talk about his job, his increasing joy to tell stories to a willing audience... it's a capture of time. Hopefully in a future time when UA-cam might be long gone this interview will survive as an audio recording of a life lived.
You can hear the pain in your voice when he was talking about the destruction of the KITTS. If it makes you feel better, They exist in another form since they were shredded and the steel recycled. So they live on as something else, another car, a toaster, washing machine etc.
The introduction really looked like the beginning of another Episode. Now I got to admit it. Even though it has been already 35 years (I actually started to watch this in Portugal in 1987), it was hard to really have the confirmation that the cars were literally shredded.
On the other hand, it's great to have one last saved part from the show. Really great.
Blown away by Julius' story on the KITTs and the Blues Brother's cars! What a great interview... super cool to be able to preserve and show the original scanner!
OMG the pure excitement when that very 1st bulb lit up. What a great piece he saved there and lovely of him passing it onto you guys. I'd love to have something oringnal, I just dream. Thanks for sharing this video.
George Barris had a beater black
Trans Am that he kept at his shop for errands and so forth. I recall driving it to Van Nuts once to pick up a part. When I arrived there was a drunk sitting on the curb near where I parked. I turned on the scanner when I left the car, when I returned he was just pointing at it and smiling... He was REALLY drunk. Maybe he thought he'd seen Michael Knight without the makeup.
This was a fantastic vid. Great interview with a guy who was there at the end.
It is ironic that the number 2 bulb isnt working. I cant remember how many episodes where that bulb didnt flash either on the photo car or the blind drive car didn't flash. Obviously its a stretch to believe that it was this particular bar in those shots.
35 years and they still work. I am amazed.
Again. Great interview! And thanks so much to Julius for sharing so much about these cars and the other cars from The Blues Bros.!
The TV people simply ordered the scanners from Amazon - amazing! 😎
Truly an amazing story, thank you Julius for sharing!
"KITT, where are we?"
"Inside the compactor! It‘s like my worst nightmares are being released!!"
Seems like you can‘t turbo boost out of Californian laws ...
"Fuckin' California!" - Die Hard 1
oh man that part is awsome, its sad that all of the other cars have been crushed i remenber whatching a re-run of the show when i was a kid... that scanner is priceless now
I hope you keep it in that condition for the display to show just how well built they were
That train derailment was a curse and blessing at the same time and certainly adds up to the Knight Rider myth. The scanner bar of #1084, so jealous! Congrats!
Thanks so much Tom!
The second I saw the box I knew that it would end up being a scanner bar! That's awesome that it was saved and that it can be traced back to the car that had it. The phone call was fascinating. I'm sure Julius has a ton more stories that he could tell with a job like that.
Dan Aykroyd brother actually does own one of the blues brothers car. A movie car company called Cars For Films also owns one if the original Blue brothers car ( the speaker mounted on top). He told me , he personally went to pick it up in Missouri used it for the opening night in NYC and was able to keep the car for the fee of transportation.
I've personally seen the car back in the late 1990s with paperwork from universal studios
Would love to contact that guy, have a lot of questions about the blues brothers movie... Urban legend questions, can you help me out?
Damn they still light up... its like he brought KITT back to life again.
Such an interesting history to learn. The new TAs from GM would likely not have had titles as they would still have been on MSO (Manufacturer Statement of Origin) as they were coming straight from the factory. Now interestingly, my husband had a 1982 Trans Am that was found to have been used in "Smokey and the Bandit Part 3" (the highway donut and the car used that's coming straight at the camera - it was the only one used that had stripes up the hood bulge) and the title had "Universal Studios" as the previous owner.
We would LOVE to hear more about this! Can you email us at knightriderhistorians@gmail.com? We've got some questions for you! Thanks!
Watch out for the sheriff he's on u now
To Fiery Vixen, I would love to hear more about that 82 Trans Am your husband owned. I'm a huge fan of Smokey and the Bandit and it would mean a lot to me to know where that car is and how it was used in Smokey and the Bandit 3.
Thank you for telling us your story Julius
even though the cars are long gone, there is something still remaining. thanks to julius and you guys for sharing this important piece of knight rider history!
Hello ! I am an old diehard Knight Rider fan as it reminds me of the best teen hood days. Watching Knight Rider makes me happy and now that I am fifty, I still love watching it. I am sad to know that most of the Knight Rider cars were crushed.
Amazing job with these videos! Thank you for all the work you do! This brings back so many childhood memories!
I have always wanted to hear this story of how and why the cars were destroyed. Thank you for posting this interview.
I. Can’t believe how sad I felt listening to your telephone conversation and happy that you got KITTs scranner bar looking forward to watching more of your wonderful videos I am from South Africa
What an awesome conversation! Julius is a great story teller, it's like listening to your Dad or Grandpa talk.. I got goosebumps! Such a colourful background and obviously Julius answered some long wondered questions! Brilliant 😎👌
Thanks Joe for another epic and insightful knight rider video on the kitt cars that were destroyed through a contractual obligation with General motors and universal studios it bought back many good memories of knight rider and the blues bros pure gold thank you knight rider historians 👍👍
That scanner is like unearthing a film relic from a golden age 😮🎞🎥 Speechless....
I almost couldn't watch. The Shredder made me want to cry. We should never know who sweater vest guy is. That would be bad. Julius is now known as The Shredder Guy. Breaking my heart. Once again an absolutely fantastic dive into the history! It is really truly amazing there is still so much to learn and know.
Julius is not the guy in the wrecking ball photos. He got the cars AFTER that. The guy in the sweater vest is Neil Van Order, the transportation director at Universal. He unfortunately passed away from cancer in the 90s.
May 17, 1995
@@KnightRiderHistoriansOfficial He's smiling a bit too much in the midst of unspeakable carnage... but I get it, it was just junk to them from a show that wasn't even on the air anymore. RIP.
This was such a cool and interesting story, thank you so much for posting this interview! Pretty sad what happened to the cars, but that's life and Julius was just doing his job. So neat to hear all of his stories! Interesting note on the Bluesmobile: Many years ago I was in the Police Car Owners of America for a short time. The president, Jim Post, owned what was supposed to be the last original Bluesmobile, the last of "8 cars" built for the movie. Never saw it in person but the car had eyelet hooks on the roof, presumably for tying down the air raid siren for those scenes from the movie. Eventually he put the car in a museum in Eureka Springs, then years later saw a post on the Internet that the car had been sold. Now in the interview here, Julius said he smashed 13 Bluesmobiles. There is an old message thread on a BB board that says there were actually 12 cars plus the fall-apart car, so that would be 13, and it also discusses Jim Post's car in particular. Thread is below:
bluesmobiles.proboards.com/thread/1074/cob-jim-posts-eyehook-blumo
Anyway really interesting interview, thanks again for posting this!
This man made a huge present to you! Did you gave him any money, he trully deserves it after keeping intact this piece of history for such a long time.
This is so cool to see a original scanner bar still working, I have seen scanner bars on the internet for sale that are a newer and the same size that they used for kit
When the box was shown with the KARR themed music, I immediately thought it was going to be a scanner judging by the size of the box. The music did throw me off though. I thought it was going to be a scanner from one of the KARR cars with the amber lens. Either way, it was great to see an original KITT scanner in working condition.
This was a really great video. Thank you, Julius, for sharing your role in the history of this show we all love, and for saving a small piece of it for posterity.
Gave me goose bumps watching them light up. It's amazing that being that this light bar was in the jump car that the bulbs worked. Thank you for a great channel.
Like you said these were just prop cars with no historical value at the time. If they knew them what they know now.
Genuine historic artifact. Loved Knightrider as a child. Thanks for sharing. Subscribed.
Great video! As a side note on the blues Brothers cars...back when I was a kid in the 1980s there was a dive bar called hillbilly heaven that was closed down with a fence around it in Virginia. It belonged to Earl Dixon, Donna Dixons father, Dan Aykroyds father in law. Well there was a car under a cover in front of hillbilly heaven. I would drove by there daily with my dad. One morning we drove by and the cover had blown off the fender and it was a blues brother Monaco..totally recognizable. I guess it could have been a replica but being Dan Aykroyds father in law....good chance it was real.
You have to love UA-cam! I mean where else would you have found this information and passed it on. To find the actual guy that was tasked to destroy the cars and to have an original item sent after all these years! Thankyou for the time and dedication in giving fellow fans some frankly astounding facts and stories about a show we all love. Many thanks to Julius for his time in sharing his past too. A BIG Hoff 👍 from the UK.
Very sad to hear about all those cars destruction, but like you said they couldn't be sold to the public. It's just a shame they never had the foresight to save a few for museums that deal with television history! Thanks for making the great content 👏👏
Great insights in this conversation. I guess that the pain is also part of being a Knight Rider fan. Fantastic to see your enthusiasm when unwrapping the “gift”, Joe.
Great way to finish your video. Images of KITT creeping down a back alley with its lights off flooded my brain.
Incredible Story and find! Fastastic to see the scanner bar come back to life! Straight away taught of that scene from Knight Rider 2000 when Michael brings K.I.T.T back to life on the table :) and only one bulb not working! As we know from the Not a director's series the bulb may already have blown during the actual filming! ;)
I cannot Thank you enough for the incredible work you guys put into researching and hunting down these forgotten and very important pieces of Knight Rider history to preserve and share with us, this channel is a real testement to you and for generations to come.
Great video. That was so awesome that he reached out to you and we could get this historical information. Thanks and thanks for being so kind to him. He definitely sounded like he appreciated being able to tell some of the tales he had. Loved your scanner reveal as well...that's awesome.
Well, the man has to do what the man has to do. Thanks for the closure. Nice work.
Fantastic...I’m so glad something was saved of the cars...makes me wonder what else is out there in the world from the show. If he never left that comment, the scanner and info he gave would’ve been lost. like always guys...another amazing episode...keep it coming.
Great stuff Joe, that was truly great of Julius to of kept that one thing for all these years and to then give it to guys. Keep up the great work man 👍👍
YES!!!! This is Amazing!!! and only one bulb shot!! Watching that scanner bar comeback to life has changed me from a moderate fan to a hardcore fan!!!
What a fascinating story.
We are all very lucky to see that scanner bar. Thank you Julius
For this cars my hart has been slapped !
My hart: IT HURT !!
But for the scanner I was so happy to see it !!
Wow... This is awesome!!! An original scanner bar from the jump car. Also just listening to the story behind the crushed cars was great. Keep up the good work and announce when you will have that stuff at a car show or something. As a huge Knight Rider fan I would like to see it in person. And also THANK YOU for providing such GREAT Knight Rider content. 👍
WOW, your new friend has some truly amazing stories to share, and I'm sure he has hundreds more. I do have to admit, that as much of a Pontiac guy I am at heart, as well as a fan of Knight Rider, If there was a way for me to put one of the Lincolns from the movie "The Car" in my garage, I would be all over that like ink in a newspaper. And the fact that Julius was willing to give you that incredible piece of Knight Rider history, is just mind numbing. GREAT VIDEO!!!!!
I am a Pontiac & Oldsmobile fan at heart myself. I own one of the last produced Pontiacs. I own a 2008 White Pontiac G8, with only 65K miles on the clock. It is in mint condition. Definitely one of my prized possessions.👍
Hello from Phoenix Arizona!🔥
Joe you need to get talking to that guy again at some stage I'm sure he has some more amazing stories to tell, again a brilliant video 👏
...KRH your content is crazy....you have realy nailed the history of crushing the movie cars ...superb work...and huge thanks to julius for sharing it with you joe and you with us...respect
Thank you!!
I totally enjoyed that phone conversation. It was a long day at work and that made my day.
That is a awesome piece of KR show history Joe. Love that after 35 years the scanner still lights up. Only one light is mia. Keep the vids coming Joe n AJ. KR Fan Australia
Glad he came out and gave his story
I have to tell you this was a great video. When I saw the scanner I fell off my chair and yes, I was drooling. lol. I was hoping you were gonna light it up. I had such a smile on my face just seeing it,. A true survivor!! But when you lit it up. DAMN............. I wanted to reach through the screen and touch it!! A piece of Knight Rider history for sure!! Keep up the great work!!!
Could you imagine had he managed to save at least one Knight Rider car
(super pursuit mode car) restored and drivable even the mechanics of the transformation of car just for show, the amount of love and attention Julius would receive had he revealed it today would make him a celebrity overnight! As for that version of KITT... Jay Leno would probably love to drive it along with another Knight Rider Car...and car enthusiasts would be amazed!
Very cool, watching you hook up the battery to the scanner bar made it feel a little like one of the "K.I.T.T. got destroyed again, we gotta rebuild him" episodes.
Also, great interview. Glad you could talk to Julius and glean those nice tidbits of history from him.
Gentleman, we can rebuild him. We have the technology.👍
Awesome video Joe..... I have to admit that those pictures with the wrecking ball were hard to see, but at least you have more of the puzzle of what happened to the cars....
My relatives owned a motorcycle dealership back in the day. Being in the dealership business, they often got pre-production motorcycles, ATVs and snowmobiles for demo purposes only. They were ordered by the motorcycle manufacture to have a local salvage yard crush them after the demo purposes because they were never intended to be sold to the public, plus they didn't have V.I.Ns. Also, a rep from the motorcycle manufacture had to witness the crushing of all of pre-production vehicles.
WOW such a GREAT history lesson .. Loved that
I would have taken a few steering wheels, possibly the light up gas pedal, the turbo boost button pods. Glad the scanner still works. Can't wait to see it on a bumper. That music was great. Felt like I was watching knight & nerd from season 3.
My guess would be that the light up pedal was on a sound stage, so most likely it wasn't crushed. Maybe Joe knows about it?
Correct, it was never in an actual car.
@@KnightRiderHistoriansOfficial I forgot that I once read keep your eyes on the leather boots David wears pressing the gas pedal and when he comes out of the car, you can see him wear sneakers. Insert shots were used for hand models pressing buttons all over the interior in some studio