Peter Cullen, the beloved voice actor who died on August 26, 2026, was best known for playing Optimus Prime in the “Transformers” franchise. But Optimus Prime wasn’t Cullen’s only automotive role. Cullen played K.A.R.R., an evil counterpart to K.I.T.T., in “Knight Rider.”
While K.I.T.T., the witty, intelligent Pontiac Firebird Trans Am that assisted David Hasselhoff’s Michael Knight as they fought crime on the roads, was one of the best TV cars of the ’80s, K.A.R.R. was its villainous counterpart. K.A.R.R. (which stood for Knight Automated Roving Robot) was a prototype whose programming prioritized its own survival. Instead of protecting drivers, K.A.R.R. protected itself, even if that meant ejecting whoever was behind the wheel to save weight and drive a little faster.
Cullen voiced K.A.R.R. when the vehicle debuted in Season 1, Episode 9, “Trust Doesn’t Rust,” after thieves who broke into a warehouse unknowingly unleashed the malicious auto. Michael and K.I.T.T. ultimately defeat K.A.R.R. by playing a game of chicken and driving it off a cliff.
Knight Rider has other Transformers connections
The “Knight Rider” episode featuring K.A.R.R. aired in 1982, meaning Peter Cullen voiced the automobile two years before he began voicing Autobot leader Optimus Prime when “The Transformers” premiered in syndication. When K.A.R.R. returned in the Season 3 episode “K.I.T.T. vs. K.A.R.R.” soon after “The Transformers” started, Cullen didn’t reprise the role. Voice actor Paul Frees did, though he wasn’t credited.
In 2009, Cullen did get back behind the wheel, so to speak, when he voiced K.A.R.R. in an episode of the NBC reboot of “Knight Rider.” This version of K.A.R.R. could also transform into a humanoid robot form.
Cullen’s voice acting performances on both “Knight Rider” and “Transformers” weren’t the only connection between the two iconic, vehicle-focused ’80s series. While the shows never had an official televised crossover, Hasbro released a special collectible Transformers figure named Agent Knight in 2024. As you might guess, the toy transforms from a familiar Pontiac Firebird Trans Am into a robot.
