'Jay Leno's Garage' episode featuring Butler County man's 'Knight Rider' car to air this month

An episode of " Jay Leno's Garage " featuring a Butler County man's unique car is set to air in late May.

Joe Huth, of Clay Township, owns one of the actual cars that were used as KITT on the 1980s television series "Knight Rider."

The car, a modified 1984 Pontiac Firebird, will be seen in an episode of the series starring the former Tonight Show host on May 24 on CNBC, according to Huth's Facebook page, " Knight Rider Historians ."

Huth and his partner, AJ Palmgren, of Las Vegas, do not appear in the episode. They were seen in a "behind the scenes" segment that was posted to YouTube on April 1 .

KITT appears briefly in a commercial for the upcoming episode.

"This is all new footage that's different from the YouTube episode," they said on Facebook. "We are not in it, but our car is, along with Jay Leno and a special celebrity guest from the world of sports."

Known primarily as a comedian, Leno is also a car aficionado. His custom-built "Big Dog Garage" in Burbank, Calif. houses an extensive collection of cars and motorcycles.

Huth and Palmgren saved the KITT car, one of the last two made for the show, from a Los Angeles junk yard in 2008.

Used for stunts in the show's final two seasons, the car had been displayed at Universal Studios from 1988 to 1993. It sat behind a maintenance building for 15 years until being sent to the junk yard, where Huth and Palmgren bought it after only a couple of days.

The car's authenticity has been verified through studio modifications, body and frame damage consistent with heavy stunt use, and hidden studio markings in multiple locations, Huth said.

Brian C. Rittmeyer is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-226-4701, brittmeyer@tribweb.com or on Twitter @BCRittmeyer.