Twenty two years after David Hasselhoff swapped his leather jacket for a pair of swimming trunks to join the cast on Baywatch, Knight Rider is back.

The Hoff may not have returned, but KITT is back – this time in the form of a black 550bhp Ford Shelby GT500KR Mustang, instead of the 1982 Pontiac Trans Am that became famous to millions of television viewers around the world.

Despite the change of car, the new KITT's features will be similar to its predecessor's and will include a voice-activated GPS system, 550bhp solar hybrid engine, access to the FBI's database and an electromagnetic field generator – but no grappling hook this time around. Oh well, you can't have it all.

The new car will also have the ability to go from 0-60mph in a lightning-fast 1.77 seconds, with an impressive braking distance of just 12 feet.

In an interview with Popularmechanics.com, the new KITT's designer Harald Belker, who created the Batmobile for George Clooney's Batman and Robin, says: "The goal was to make it look more aggressive without being hokey or garish. Maintaining as much of the original beauty of the Shelby as possible was important – and not just because of the Ford connection. It had to be simple yet believable as a superhero."

The decision to bring in a new version of KITT hasn't been without its problems. The original star lined up to do the car's voice, Will Arnett of Arrested Development fame, had to withdraw from the Ford-sponsored show following an objection from GMC motors – for whom he already does voiceover work. He's now been replaced by Batman and Top Gun star Val Kilmer.

Following the show's US launch on 17 February, take a look at pictures of the new KITT and members of the show's cast.