Camera Flags KITT Replica Over Novelty Plate
Owners of replica and novelty-plated cars can be ticketed when automated cameras misread a plate.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Car Culture
A Volo, Illinois museum received a $50 New York City speeding ticket for its black 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am replica of KITT from Knight Rider. The citation accuses the replica of traveling 36 mph in a 25 mph zone on Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn, based on a traffic camera image from April 22. Illinois readers with replica or novelty-plated vehicles should note how a plate can be misread by automated enforcement.
Why it matters
Automated traffic cameras issue citations based on plate reads, so a novelty plate that resembles a real registration can send a ticket to the wrong owner. The museum says the replica has not moved in more than a decade, which puts the burden on the owner to document that the vehicle was not on the road.
The citation, mailed to the museum and received May 11, cites a black Trans Am bearing a California plate reading "KNIGHT." That plate is a novelty plate, not a valid California registration, and the museum says the replica has not moved in more than a decade.
The players
Volo Museum
An Illinois museum known for its vintage car and pop-culture collection, which received the citation for its KITT replica.
New York City Department of Finance
The city agency that administers parking and camera-based traffic violations and is reviewing the citation.
New York City Department of Transportation
The city agency responsible for traffic safety and the cameras that generated the violation, also reviewing the matter.
The details
Traffic cameras photograph the rear plate of a vehicle that exceeds the speed limit, and the image is matched to a registered owner. The camera images show a black Trans Am with a "KNIGHT" plate, and the museum says the automated system appears to have matched that novelty plate to its Illinois display car. The museum has said the replica is parked and immobile, so the record conflict is the central question for the city's review.
Timeline
April 22: traffic camera recorded the alleged violation at about 1:02 p.m. in Brooklyn.
May 11: the museum received the New York City Camera Violations Unit notice.
The Home Front
Automated camera enforcement in New York City has grown into a major source of citations for vehicle owners across the country. Cases where a plate is misread show how much the system depends on accurate registration matching.
If you own a replica, kit car, or vehicle with a novelty plate, keep documentation showing where and when it was driven or stored. If you receive a camera citation you believe is wrong, respond within the deadline on the notice and provide your records.
The takeaway
A novelty plate can be read by automated cameras as a real registration, so owners of replicas or display vehicles should keep records of where the car was. Keep those records on file in case a citation arrives months later.
Further reading
For more on the collector vehicles and replicas that draw crowds to places like this, see Car Culture.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Post and Courier.
