Many still remember the phenomenal 1984 Ghostbusters film about a couple of scientists who create their own company to catch ghosts and other supernatural creatures. This iconic film had it all—memorable lines, great directing, and an all-star cast.
Even more, the first thing that usually pops into fans' heads when they hear Ghostbusters is the spectacular Ectomobile. It’s not just any old movie car either. This beautiful Cadillac Miller-Meteor ambulance conversion is full of surprising facts.
10 The Car Has A Limited Production Run
Only about 400 vehicles were built. The iconic car came with a 320-horsepower, 6.3-liter V8 under the hood. These numbers were quite incredible; however, the car was still difficult to handle.
The inconvenience was due to the vehicle's size and curb weight. The Ecto-1 was epic in size, spanning 21 feet long and weighing 7,300 pounds. Even with that much power and a fantastic air suspension system, driving it wasn’t the most pleasant experience.
9 There Were Actually Two Ectos
The studio used two cars for the film. The first one is the modified version audiences are most familiar with. The second one remained unmodified for shooting early scenes before it sports its iconic makeover. The first car managed to survive the entire shoot, until it was time to film the sequel.
When the car started to burn and emit smoke during the second film’s production, the filmmakers decided to replace it for the team’s second ghost-catching vehicle. According to The Drive, the scene where the car smokes in the second film happened for real and was not a result of special effects.
8 The Car's Design Was Supposed To Be Different
According to Dan Aykroyd, the original vision for the Ecto-1 looked significantly different from its final design. In a YouTube video on the official Ghostbusters channel, the actor and co-writer shares that the car’s original exterior was completely black, with purple, yellow, and green details including purple strobe lights for a spookier look.
However, after giving the design further thought, the filmmakers realized that since they needed to shoot scenes of the car at night, the black color wasn’t the best option. So, for a better visual perception of the vehicle, they chose to make it white.
7 A 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Ambulance Is The Basis
Underneath the Ecto-1’s design details lies a marvelous Cadillac Miller-Meteor ambulance. It’s surprising that Miller and Meteor came together since they were former competitors.
In 1954, the Wayne Corporation first bought the Meteor Motor Company and a couple of years later also chose to purchase the A.J. Miller Company. Soon after that, the competitors became partners, which would later pave the way for the Ecto-1.
6 Ecto-1 Is One Of A Kind
The fact that the car looks rundown and as if it costs pennies is not important. The vehicle is unique. Even if one tries to create a replica, recreating all of the details would be nearly impossible.
Stephen Dane, the ghost-catching car's designer, created an outstandingly detailed version of the Ecto-1, and it was made as close as possible to his sketch. Every last detail was accurately reproduced on the vehicle.
5 They Misspelled The Vehicle Designer’s Name In The Credits
Stephen Dane is the Hardware Consultant for the Ghostbusters films and the one responsible for many of its iconic designs such as the Ecto-1. The work that he did on the films cannot be overstated.
This talented artist also created many of the iconic props such as the Slime Blowers, Proton Packs, Slime Scoop, and Ghost Traps. However, they spelled his name wrong in the credits, putting “Steven” instead.
4 The Original Ecto-1 Caused Numerous Car Crashes
Soon after the film's release in 1984, they used the car for advertising purposes. The main idea was for a Ghostbuster to drive the Ecto-1 around the city, which was an effective way to draw attention.
No one expected that it would cause that much excitement and even trouble. Of course, it was great that people were noticing the vehicle. Yet people were so surprised to see the original Ecto-1, that rubberneckers got distracted from the road and ended up bumping into others.
3 The Car Broke Down On The Brooklyn Bridge
During the filming of Ghostbusters II, the original Ecto-1 was in such bad shape that it simply couldn't take anymore and broke down in the middle of the Brooklyn Bridge. The production team had to replace it with another one that they dubbed “Ecto-1a.”
The broken down car, however, caused significant congestion on the bridge. The New York Police Department even fined the film’s production since their vehicle caused the inconvenience.
2 Fans Take Incredible Efforts To Create Replicas
Many cinephiles, and simply those that are passionate about the Ecto-1, have tried to make their own replicas of the world-famous ghost-catching vehicle. Ghostbusters fanatic Loren Baldwin seems to have made the most detailed version of the car so far.
He spent over ten years working on this stunning replica, using the original 1959 chassis and building everything else from scratch. His duplicate is even the same size as the Ecto-1 and makes the same siren sound.
1 The Ghostbusters' Vehicle Is Immortal
The ghost catching car was almost indestructible during the production of the two Ghostbusters movies. Only one car was used during the filming, but during the second movie, it broke down.
For some time, the original car was collecting dust at Universal Studios. Then, a couple of devoted fans decided to bring the car back to life, and restored it to an almost perfect condition.