The Ectomobile

The Ectomobiles are the standard form of transportation for the Ghostbusters. The car is a 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Futura Duplex End Loader painted white and red separated by a Miller-Meteor exclusive trim option called "Flite-Fin". A modified Ferno-Washington Model 23 gurney holds the 4 proton packs inside for easy access. While never explained in the movies, the roof rack contains various items that are believed to be as radar, infrared sensors, and for the 1A a satellite uplink. Ecto-1The Ecto-1 is a 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Futura (limousine style windows) Duplex (hearse / ambulance combination) used in the 1984 film Ghostbusters and other Ghostbusters fiction. This vehicle was purchased by Ray Stantz for the relatively high price of $4800 (over $9400 when scaled up for inflation) in a poor state of repair. In Stantz' own words, it needed "suspension work and shocks, brakes, brake pads, lining, steering box, transmission, rear-end (interrupted by Venkman inquiring as to the aforementioned price), new rings, mufflers, and a little wiring..." It is assumed that Ray continues listing needed repairs after this scene cuts away. After the necessary refurbishing, it was used to carry the team's ghost-capturing equipment, as well as transporting the Ghostbusters throughout New York City. It has a distinctive siren wail that was created specifically for the movie. Its features include a modified gurney containing holding the proton packs, which facilitates a quick retrieval without the complication of having to reach into the vehicle. There are also various gadgets mounted on the roof rack, whose function is never revealed in the movies. The book Making Ghostbusters describes a deleted scene where a police officer places a ticket on the Ectomobile only to have it instantly burn to ashes. The Ecto-1 makes celebrity appearances from time to time regarding Ghostbusters-related events, including the re-release of the movie into theaters in October 2011 and the debut of the Ghostbusters slot machine at an Arizona casino.Ecto-1AAn upgraded version of the Ecto-1, seen only in Ghostbusters II, also built from a 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Futura Duplex and including more technical equipment placed on the roof. Most noticeably this upgrade included digital sign boards on each side of the vehicle's roof rack, broadcasting Ghostbusters advertisements, specials, and their phone number. The light bars changed from the blue lenses to clear lenses with multi-colored rotators and a third light bar was added along with a directional arrow stick. Other features on the roof rack were added or enhanced including a radar dish. The logo was updated on the doors and yellow and black caution striped reflective tape was added to the side of the car. A logo was added to the hood. The rear bumper was replaced with an aluminum diamond-plate step painted red. The Ecto-1A is currently in an off-site storage location of Sony's; it was originally going to be restored along with the Ecto-1 for the 25th anniversary of the release of the original movie, but the restoration of the Ecto-1A was indefinitely put on hold.Universal Studios Ecto-1 The Universal Studies Ecto-1 (Known as the USO, USF, or UO Ecto) was the Ecto-1 replica that cruised around the park for entertainment of visitors. The Ecto itself is not entirely screen accurate due to creative license taken during the build. It was usually accompanied by 3 or 4 Ghostbusters who would ride or walk with the car and wave and talk to people. After a while, the Ecto-1 stopped rolling through the park, and was put into storage on the back lot. The car was bought by Paul Francis and in an attempt to document his restoration to a more accurate Ecto-1 he started the website www.theecto1.com. After restoration, Paul sold the car for $30,000 on Ebay. The car was sold again, this time at the Barrett-Jackson Car Auction in Scottsdale Arizona in January 2010 for $80,000. Ernie Hudson even rode in the car as it came across the auction block. The car was last spotted rolling around in Texas and is part of a private collection.