Before the scanner swept, before the voice spoke, before the name — there was a car.
1G2FS23E9LL210708. That's the Vehicle Identification Number stamped into the driver's door jamb of a 1990 Pontiac Firebird that rolled off the General Motors assembly line in Van Nuys, California. Not a stripped base model — this one left the factory with options. WS6 performance suspension, the teardrop functional hood, and the 700R4 four-speed automatic with overdrive. Someone ordered this car with intention.
Van Nuys built F-bodies from the muscle car era straight through to 1992, when GM shuttered the plant for good. This car was near the end of that run — one of the last Firebirds to come off that line before the doors closed.
Factory specs as delivered:
| VIN | 1G2FS23E9LL210708 |
| Year | 1990 |
| Make / Model | Pontiac Firebird |
| Body | 2-door Hatchback |
| Engine | 5.0L V8 — 305 cubic inches |
| Fuel Delivery | Throttle Body Fuel Injection (TBI) |
| Transmission | 700R4 4-speed automatic with overdrive |
| Suspension | WS6 Performance Handling Package |
| Hood | Teardrop (functional) |
| Interior | Grey cloth, stock |
| Rear Suspension | Air shocks |
| Assembly Plant | Van Nuys, California |
| Restraints | Manual belts, driver airbag |
The original KITT was an '82 Trans Am. This car is eight years younger, a different trim level, a different moment in Pontiac history. What it shares is the bloodline — the same F-body platform, the same swept nose, the same fastback silhouette that NBC's prop department chose in 1982 because nothing else looked like it belonged in the future.
That's the car this started with. What it became is the rest of the story.