The real-life Knight Rider was Danish.

Helge Meyer was Danish Special Forces Officer stationed at Rhine Airforce Base when the war in Bosnia broke out. He knew the country and knew the roads so he brought an idea to the US forces.

With their help, he outfitted a ’79 Camaro with armor plating, infra-red absorbing paint, night vision, heat vision, a blade to clear mines and some nitrous. You know? K.I.T.T.

Helge packed this “Ghost Car” with nothing but aid, emergency supplies and his bible. He spent the war tearing up the dirt roads and war-torn streets of Yugoslavia delivering supplies to those in need and outrunning the military and police who came after him.

He was shot at and chased while pitting his Detroit steel against freaking tanks. But he was never caught in part thanks to his nitrous based Super Pursuit Mode. This guy was part Knight Rider and part Duke boys. (The good ones. Not the cousins.)

His good deeds, ever-present bible and (’m only speculating here) the biggest balls in the Balkans earned him the nickname God’s Rambo from the people he was helping.

Helge is still driving the Camaro, though he’s updated the paint an appropriate Hazzard Orange since no one’s shooting at him anymore.

I think we can all agree this man’s life needs to be a movie. Unfortunately, with the passing of Hal Needham, I’m not sure there’s a director left that could do it justice.

Special thanks to Jake Mosher for sharing this story with me.


This is old stuff. Newsletter subscribers got it way before you did. Get it when it’s new. Get Graying Matter delivered to your inbox each week. You’ll get a free book, too. Sign up here.

FREE AUDIOBOOK

I want to give you an audiobook.

It's a collection of short stories about time travel, alien invasions, selling homes in alternate dimensions, giant combiner robots, post-apocalyptic beagles and much more. And it's all read by the amazing Phil Thron.

It's yours when you sign up for my newsletter. 

You have Successfully Subscribed!