When it comes to movie cars, there are few more iconic than the 1959 Cadillac ambulance from the original Ghostbusters, aka, Ecto-1. The 1959 Cadillac Futura Duplex end loader ambulance/hearse combination car was built by the Miller-Meteor company. The car had enough room to hold all of the Ghostbusters and their ghost-hunting gear. Plus, once decked out, the car was a very memorable sight. At the time, the tail fins of the 1959 Cadillac Futura Duplex were the largest to appear on a production car, giving this distinctive car an even more unforgettable appearance.

Nearly twenty-one feet long, eight feet high, and almost seven feet wide, Ecto-1 weighed nearly three and a half tons. It had a 6.3-liter V8, 320 horsepower, and an air suspension system. The Ferno-Washington gurney held the proton-packs, and a series of avionics gauges were souped-up into ghost detectors and spirit containment traps.

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The Many Lives of the Ecto-1

1989 Ecto-1A
Via Pinterest

Ecto-1 first appeared in the 1984 Ghostbusters movie and was modified in every following movie. This iconic car was redone for Ghostbusters II and rebooted for 2016's Ghostbusters: Answer The Call.

For the first two Ghostbusters films, Sony used three different 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor hearses: one that portrayed the wreck that Ray Stantz bought, one that portrayed Ecto-1 in the 1984 film, and a third that starred as Ecto-1A in the 1989 sequel, the latter two designed by Stephen Dane.

In the first film, scientist and Ghostbuster Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) pulled up to Ghostbusters Firehouse HQ in the Caddy and reported that the car just needed a little work, including “maybe new rings, also mufflers, a little wiring.”

Stantz discovered the monstrous machine shortly after he mortgaged his mother's house to buy the Firehouse. Because of his mechanical skills, he was able to fix the vehicle, which he bought for $4,800 (equivalent to about $12,029.47 in 2020).

According to movie lore, when the production company started designs for the Ecto-1, they bought two 1959 Cadillacs. The first one became the Ecto-1, of the original Ghostbusters, but the second one was only used as a prop and just made a cameo appearance to show what the ghost-busting car was before Stantz fixed it. However, during the filming of the second Ghostbusters movie in 1989, the original Ecto-1 died, and the crew swiftly made over the second car which became the Ecto-1A.

The Ecto-1A had the look and the characteristics of the original but with just a few upgrades. The car had more equipment on the roof and digital announcement boards on each side. It got an updated Ghostbusters logo on the hood and driver's side door and yellow and black stripes on both sides of the vehicle.

The 2016 Ghostbusters movie was a reboot rather than a sequel, so the story started from scratch with an entirely new all-female cast and a modern-day setting. The franchise stuck with Cadillac for the 2016 version of the film, but this Ecto-1 was 1984 Fleetwood Hearse.

Fun Fact: Dan Aykroyd's original Ecto-1 was an all-black, sinister-looking vehicle with flashing purple and white strobe lights that gave it an eerie ultraviolet aura. While reviewing the script, the cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs initially pointed out the black design would be a problem since part of the movie would be shot at night.

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Where Is That Ghostbusting Caddy Now?

Ecto-1
via barrett-jackson.com

Ghostbusters fans will be very happy to know the Ecto-1 will be back chasing ghosts next year in Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

The Ecto-1 will definitely make an appearance in “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.” After many years of not being used, the original Ecto-1 was in disrepair and needed a complete and thorough restoration, so Sony sent it to the Hollywood movie car mavens at Cinema Vehicle Services in North Hollywood for a very deserved makeover.

The new movie takes a look at the forgotten legacy and history of the three original Ghostbusters. The Ecto-1 is a large part of this legacy. In the upcoming movie, the family of Dr. Egon Spengler finds the car and uses it to help save their town from ghosts. The movie will have a new cast and also feature Sigourney Weaver, Dan Aykroyd, and Bill Murray, all three of whom starred in the original Ghostbusters movie.

The real Ecto-1 will now be used for promotional purposes prior to the release of Ghostbusters: Afterlife on March 5th, 2021.

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