Full Breakdown
Knight Rider Replica Receives NYC Speeding Ticket While Stationary in Illinois
5/14/2026, 12:21:45 PM
The Ticket Incident
On April 22, NYC’s traffic-camera system issued a $50 speeding citation to the black Pontiac Trans Am on display at the Volo Museum near Chicago. The camera recorded the car traveling 36 mph in a 25 mph Brooklyn zone, 11 mph over the limit, and listed the California vanity plate “KNIGHT,” the same plate used on the original KITT.
Show History and Museum Replica
“Knight Rider” aired on NBC from 1982 to 1986, starring David Hasselhoff and featuring KITT (Knight Industries Two Thousand), a black Trans Am with a talking computer. About 20 KITT units were built for the series, five originals survive. The Volo Museum’s replica is considered highly accurate, and the online Knight Rider KITT Car Club has roughly 19,000 members.
Key Participants
Jim Wojdyla, marketing director of the Volo Museum, is the museum’s spokesperson. The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) runs the speed-camera network. The California DMV records the renewal of the “KNIGHT” vanity plate by an individual named Knight in March. The Knight Rider KITT Car Club is an online community of replica owners.
Museum’s Official Response
Jim Wojdyla said the citation connects the museum to the iconic TV car and expressed confusion about how a New York ticket was linked to a California-registered plate and the Illinois exhibit. The museum has filed a hearing to contest the fine. City officials have not responded, and the DOT website notes tickets are mailed when a camera records a vehicle exceeding the limit by more than 10 mph.
Critique of Enforcement Process
Observers criticize the lack of transparency in how the camera system linked the stationary exhibit to the violation, questioning the reliability of automated enforcement when no movement is involved.
Conflicting Information and Gaps
City records show the “KNIGHT” plate tied to multiple violations, yet it is unclear whether the plate belongs to a private California owner, the museum’s replica, or both. No official explanation of the data-matching method has been provided.
Why It Matters
The case highlights challenges of automated traffic enforcement, especially when a stationary museum exhibit is mistakenly treated as a moving violator, raising broader concerns about data accuracy and inter-jurisdictional registration links.
Verbatim Quotes
- “The fact that we’re legally tied to a movie prop is interesting,” — Jim Wojdyla, Marketing Director, Volo Museum
- “We’re known for having our Hollywood cars from TV and movies, but I have no idea how we got registered from a ticket in New York to the plates in California to the Volo Museum in Illinois. We’re still trying to figure it out.” — Jim Wojdyla
- “It’s really amusing,” — Jim Wojdyla
- “Does anyone have Hasselhoff's number? He owes us $50!!!!” — Volo Museum Facebook post
Next Steps
The Volo Museum has requested a hearing to contest the citation and seeks clarification on the plate-matching process, hoping for dismissal of the ticket.
