Ghostbusters - Ecto 1

May 3, 2024 Mark Elliott

Ghostbusters Ecto 1

The Ecto-1 was the vehicle that the Ghostbusters used to travel throughout New York City busting ghosts and other entities. Being one of one of most recognisable Movie cars of all time the Miller-Meteor company was the company that converted this Cadillac into 3 different models, which were :

Futura - Which had a rear passenger area with windows that wrapped around the entirety of the automobile. This could be easily converted from limousine to ambulance to funeral coach.

Landau - This closed off the rear-cargo windows to create a level of privacy.

Sentinel - For Ambulance use - Higher ceiling / roof area

History

The vehicle used for the Ecto-1 was a 1959 390 CID V8 - 360 Hp - 4 speed - 20 gallon tank. The ambulance/hearse combination was the end loader variety. Dr. Ray Stantz found the vehicle shortly after he mortgaged his mother's house to buy the Firehouse.

Because of his mechanical skills, he was able to repair the vehicle, which he acquired for $4,800.

After repairs were completed, the vehicle had quite a unique character. It became a well-recognized symbol for the Ghostbusters franchise. The vehicle had enough room in it to store Proton Packs for all of the crew, along with Ecto Goggles, P.K.E. Meters, and a slew of Traps.

Repairs

Ecto 1

Ive Found the Car !

After purchasing the vehicle in used condition, Ray had to make repairs on the following parts of the car:

· Suspension work

· Shocks

· Brakes

· Brake pads

· Lining

· Steering box

· Transmission

· Rear end

· New rings

· Mufflers

· (a little) wiring

Roof Rack

One of the most iconic parts of the Ecto 1 is the roof rack, What does it do ? What equipment is fitted ?

Here we are going to list the equipment, but in later Blog’s will be covering how this equipment works ….

Ecto 1 Equipment

Ecto 1 in action

Ecto 1 Roof Equipment

Dr. Egon Spengler miniaturized ghostbusting technology for mobile purposes and they were mounted on the roof rack of Ecto-1.

Muon Scrubbers * Federal Siren * Whelen HRDF - 200 * Federal Signal Model 19 * PKE Detection Array * Modified A-6 Compressed Air Tanks * Modified Marine Radio Antenna * T.U Antenna (AKA the Sniffer) * HVAC Unit * Code 3 Force 4 XL Lightbars * Modified Texas instruments cross-section sensitivity unit * Half Dome directional dish * Radio GPS Locator * High Intensity Microfoams * EMF Scrubbers

New Incarnations

Ecto 1 in action

After the Ghostbusters were shut down, the Ecto-1 was used primarily for transport to and from appearances at such places as children's birthday parties. It fell into a state of disrepair, and is seen spewing smoke, and having various other mechanical problems.

Following the Ghostbusters' return to business after capturing the Scoleri Brothers, the Ecto-1 got an overhaul had more lighbars, scrolling signs, and more equipment, and was renamed Ecto-1a.

A further updated version of the Ecto-1 appears in during the Thanksgiving 1991 weekend, Ecto-1b. This version is similar to the Ecto-1a, but adds a Super Slammer Muon Trap on the roof which enables it to capture smaller ghosts much more quickly than the portable versions, as well as adding the possibility of capturing much larger ghosts.

Behind the Scenes

Ecto 1

· Stephen Dane, credited as a Hardware Consultant, was the fabricator of the original Ectomobile.

· On October 5, 1983, Dane started working on Ecto-1. He visited the primary ambulance in the backlot at The Burbank Studios. He took reference photos and measurements then went home. Dane drew up isometrics of Ecto-1 and its roof rack and various views and elevations of the exterior and interior. Dane spent the longest amount of time in his gig working on the Ecto-1 design.

o After Reitman approved Dane's design, studio painters and prop makers at The Burbank Studios Mill went to work on paint and detailing. Dane oversaw construction and directed them on building the car based off his designs. After about two weeks, the paint job and details were blocked out. The prop makers also repaired the ambulance to driving condition, cleaned the interior, and installed equipment.

o By the time it shipped on October 19, the ambulance was about half-done. Dane bought parts for the roof rack. Once it was done, it was shipped to New York where it was attached to Ecto-1. The finished Ecto-1 wasn't an exact duplicate of Dane's designs. Dane originally drew the Proton Packs to lay sideways on Ecto-1's gurney but the prop makes changed that so the packs were upright at a slight angle. Some parts on the roof rack changed position from the design. They were on top of each other or faced in a different direction. After one to two days of finishing touches, Ecto-1 was ready for filming.

· Dan Aykroyd drove the Ecto-1 in New York.

· In previous drafts of the first movie, Ecto-1 was originally different models. In the July 6, 1983 draft, it was to be a blue and white 1975 Cadillac Full Formal Excelsior Ambulance bought for only $600 but by the time the September 30, 1983 draft was written, the price had escalated to $1400 for an even older 1959 model, "very long, gold 1959 Cadillac ambulance." During filming, inflation increased the cost to $4800.

Ecto 1 First Concept

· Dan Aykroyd's original Ecto-1 was an all-black, rather sinister-looking machine with flashing white and purple strobe lights that gave it a strange, ultraviolet aura. While going through the script, the cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs first pointed out the black design would be a problem since part of the movie would be shot at night.

· Dan Aykroyd's original Ecto-1 had some extranormal powers, such as the ability to dematerialize. One use of it would be to elude police pursuit.

· $4800 was a rather large sum at the time for a used vehicle in such disrepair

· A second Cadillac was bought in case of any maintenance problems during filming but only the primary was fully converted. The secondary was used solely for early "premodification" scenes.

· Sound designer Richard Beggs incorporated a modified leopard snarl for the siren sound. The snarl was reversed, played backwards, and then its speed was changed.

· Ecto-1 was promoting the 1984 film shortly after it was released in theaters. It drove around New York City with one of the Ghostbusters driving it in costume. Ecto-1 caused many accidents because other drivers lost control when they spotted the now-famous car.

· In a deleted scene of the first movie, there was encounter between a policeman and the Ecto-1. It was the only scene in the final shooting script that suggested the vehicle had some extranormal powers carried over from Aykroyd's initial draft. It was removed because it slowed down the montage. Ivan Reitman also felt it was asking too much from the audience.

· After shooting moved to Los Angeles, the second unit continued doing a couple of shots in New York with Ecto-1 and it broke down.

Ecto 1

o Ecto-1 died during filming of the Chapter 20 "Keymaster" scene where Ray and Winston drove across the Manhattan Bridge.

( The scene where Ray and Winston are in Ecto-1 talking about end of the world was used to audition actors for the role of Winston )

· Ecto-1 broke down in Central Park. They were blocking the crosstown traffic so the cast and crew pushed it out of the way.

· In the final shot of Ecto-1 driving away, a 65mm camera was used. They could only do one take because they were losing daylight.

· In Ghostbusters II, Ecto-1 was backfiring and spewing smoke. This was not done by special effects as the Cadillac truly was in a poor state of repair. It finally "died" on the Brooklyn Bridge. The NYPD fined the filmmakers because the Brooklyn Bridge does not have breakdown lanes and Ecto-1 was blocking traffic.

· Before Ghostbusters: The Video Game was released, the original (and now rusty and literally falling apart) Ecto-1 was restored to promote the game. Dan Aykroyd was shocked at the high quality of the restoration.

· There had been 3 Miller-Meteor Ambulances to portray the 2 vehicles, the pre-Ecto-1 which was never transformed, Ecto-1 which was originally a gold ambulance and Ecto-1a.

Trivia

· In the August 5, 1983 draft of the first movie, on page 65, a Motor Trend cover hails Ecto-1 as "Car of the Year."

References

↑ Ray Stantz (2005). Ghostbusters (1984) (DVD ts. 20:36-45). Columbia Pictures. Ray says: "Everybody can relax, I found the car. Needs some suspension work and shocks... and brakes, brake pads, linings, steering box, transmission, rear end."

↑ Dan Aykroyd (2009). 2009 Remaster of Ghostbusters, Ecto-1: Restoring the Classic Car (2009) (Blu-Ray ts. 11:17-11:20). Columbia Pictures. Dan Aykroyd says: "Those are Muon Scrubbers up there."

↑ Dan Aykroyd (2009). 2009 Remaster of Ghostbusters, Ecto-1: Restoring the Classic Car (2009) (Blu-Ray ts. 11:26-11:35). Columbia Pictures. Dan Aykroyd says: "There's radio GPS Locator, there's high intensity microfoams, EMF scrubbers, it was all related to the hardware needed to go out and do what we had to do."

↑ Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 66. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "Working with a basic 1959 Cadillac ambulance, hardware consultant Steven Dane designed and modified the final vehicle."

↑ Joe Medjuck (2019). Cleanin' Up The Town: Remembering Ghostbusters (2019) (Blu-Ray ts. 1:03:35-1:03:38). Bueno Productions. Joe Medjuck says: "Dan drove the Ectomobile."

↑ Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 50 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "In all previous drafts -- including Aykroyd's -- the basic vehicle from which the 'Ectomobile' would evolve was specified to be a 1975 Cadillac ambulance, secured for a bargain basement price of only $600. By the time the final script was written, the price had escalated to $1400 -- for an even older 1959 model. During filming, inflation struck once more, and the pricetag was upped to $4800."

↑ Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 67 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "Dan Aykroyd's original Ectomobile was an all-black rather sinister-looking machine with flashing white and purple strobe lights that gave it a strange, ultraviolet aura. Though kept essentially intact through all the drafts, the vehicle concept -- suggesting a hearse rather more than an ambulance -- was clearly more in keeping with the darker tone of Aykroyd's first draft than with the lighter ones that followed it. It was cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs, however, who first pointed out a serious problem with it."

↑ Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 67 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Joe Medjuck recounts: "The Ectomobile would have been nothing more than a couple of headlights driving through the streets. So, keeping that in mind, we decided we'd better go with a white ambulance trimmed in red."

↑ Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 67 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Harold Ramis recounts: "Dan's script was set in the near future and there was much more fantasy in it. In that script, the Ectomobile was able to dematerialize. When we anchored the script more in reality and set the time in the present, that concept had to go. Besides, it's funnier so see them in an old ambulance that barely runs."

↑ Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 95 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Harold Ramis recounts: "The encounter between the policeman and the Ectomobile is the only scene in the final shooting script which suggested that the vehicle itself had some extranormal powers -- a carryover from Dan Aykroyd's initial draft in which the Ectomobile was equipped with an advanced dematerializing capability that allowed its operators, functioning somewhat outside the law, to readily elude police pursuit."

↑ Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 66. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "Although a second backup vehicle was procured as a hedge against maintenance problems, only the primary ambulance was fully converted. In the end, the backup was used solely for early 'premodification' scenes."

↑ Wallace, Daniel (2015). Ghostbusters The Ultimate Visual History, p. 42. Insight Editions, San Rafael CA USA, ISBN 9781608875108. Richard Beggs says: "It was a leopard snarl that I had done a number of things to. I looped it, cut it in quarter-inch tape, and played it backward. Usually I am very loath to play things backward, because they have a very telltale characteristic and I think it's sort of a cop out. I played it backward and it did that err-reearr-err-reearr- the exact opposite of an animal going arghh. It lost some of its organic sound and it became this 'mechanical animal' claxon."

↑ Richard Beggs (2019). Cleanin' Up The Town: Remembering Ghostbusters (2019) (Blu-Ray ts. 1:05:52-1:06:05). Bueno Productions. Richard Beggs says: "I made that from a leopard howl that was edited and then reversed and played backwards. And the speed was changed."

↑ Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 95 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "Though the ticketing sequence was shot and cut into the film, it was ultimately removed because it slowed down the breakneck pace of the montage."

↑ Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 95 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Ivan Reitman says: "There was no reason for the Ectomobile to have magical powers. It had been done with the Bluesmobile in The Blues Brothers -- where the car did somersaults and things like that -- and I didn't think it was particularly successful. I don't like movies that have no rules -- where anything is possible. We were already asking the audience to believe that there was a piece of equipment that could trap a ghost. Asking them to accept an Ectomobile with supernatural powers was just too much."

↑ Beyond the Marquee Joe Medjuck Interview 9/15/14 Joe Medjuck says: "When you're making a movie, you have doubles for everything. We didn't have a double for that car. It was the only painted car and when we left town and flew back to LA to finish shooting, we had our second unit doing a couple of shots with the car in New York and it broke down. "

↑ Joe Medjuck (2005). Ghostbusters- Commentary (2005) (DVD ts. 1:03:21-1:03:23). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Joe Medjuck says: "This is when the car died at the end. "

↑ Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 129 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Joe Medjuck: "This was one of the few scenes in the film that didn't have any big laughs in it, but we always liked it because it offered a possible explanation as to why the city was suddenly being plagued with ghosts. Also, it was a good scene for Winston -- in fact, this was the scene we used to audition actors for the role of Winston."

↑ Ernie Hudson (2009). Ghostbusters- Slimer Mode (2009) (Blu-Ray ts. 29:21-29:33). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Ernie Hudson says: "I mean, I remember we were in Central Park, you know, the little crosstown traffic that goes through and we held traffic up when the car broke down. And we had to get out and try to push the thing."

↑ Joe Medjuck (1999). Ghostbusters- Commentary (1999) (DVD ts. 01:40:16-01:40:34). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Joe Medjuck says: "I remember we got one chance at this shot because the light came down just as we were doing the shot. And they said it was the 65mm camera. So they could do that last shot. And they said they could only do one take because they lost all the light immediately."

↑ Aykroyd, Dan & Ramis, Harold (1983). Ghostbusters (First Draft August 5, 1983) (Script p. 65). Line reads: "FREEZE FRAME The cover of Motor Trend magazine: ECTO ONE - CAR OF THE YEAR.""