#797 PILEN – COCHE FANTÁSTICO KITT (KNIGHT RIDER) (Ref. 343) (1986)

 

MONTH OF THE BOOTLEG AT TOYS FROM THE PAST!

If the last entry dealt with a knock-off of the Knight Rider, why not continue with another bootleg of this same TV icon? This one is completely different: the car is a die-cast model, but its scale is also 1:43 and it was also made in Spain.

The cast of this car may be familiar to people who have been reading my blog since the beginning, because I already mentioned this toy a long time ago. Visit entry #45 now or at the end of this article.

I presented a Indra by Pilen made in the 70s. The cast by 1986 was probably completely outdated and probably kept in some dark room somewhere in the factory, but the airing of Knight Rider in the Spanish television gave it a second life. In order to create a new toy that more or less resembles the car that appeared in the TV series, Pilen recovered this cast and with some modifications, they were able to market a new reference which would be a potential best-seller.

Note the differences between both the old Indra and the new KITT: in the front, that angle to put the red lights that gave kind of “personality” to the car, on both sides, the rear windows have been covered, and also a spoiler has been added at the back. The rest of the cast (except for the base) remains unchanged to my eyes. I would say the guy who modified the cast to create K.I.T.T. did an excellent job, obviously considering the limitations of faking a Pontiac Firebird with an Indra. The rear part is especially different.

UPDATE: Thanks Steve for pointing out the different engine cover, which in the Indra is flat, and in K.I.T.T. it has some kind of bulge. Quite cool!

The base is marked “Coche Fantástico KITT” (Coche Fantástico or lit. Fantastic Car was the name of the TV series in Spain), then “Pilen - Ref 343 - Made in Spain” and finally “Escala 1/43”. Rear lights are painted red from factory.

Although this car is not especially expensive or difficult to find, it is a small treasure for me.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: COCHE FANTÁSTICO KITT (Ref. 343)
• Scale: 1:43
• Year: 1986
• Company: Pilen (Spain)
• Size: approx. 8-9 cm