Ectomobile
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The Ectomobile is a 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor limo-style endloader combination (hearse/ambulance) used in the 1984 film Ghostbusters and other Ghostbusters fiction.
This vehicle was used to carry the team's ghost-capturing equipment, as well as transporting the Ghostbusters around New York City. It has a very distinctive siren wail. Its features include a special pull out rack in the rear containing the staff's proton packs which facilitates a quick suiting up without having to reach into the vehicle's rear. There are also various gadgets mounted on the top, but their function is never revealed in the movies. Fans speculate that the equipment includes heavy-duty anti-ghost weaponry and defenses. The book Making Ghostbusters describes a deleted scene where a police officer places a ticket on the Ectomobile only to have it instantly flare up into a pile of ashes.
Earlier versions of scripts written by Dan Aykroyd for the first Ghostbusters also included mentions of the Ectomobile having the powers of interdimensional travel. The shooting script for the movie described the Ectomobile as being black, with purple and white strobe lights that gave the vehicle a "purple aura".
This vehicle is also known as "ECTO-1" (because of its custom ECTO-1 licence plate shown in the original movie), which was the name used on The Real Ghostbusters, the animated show based on the movie.
A miniature replica of the vehicle was mass-produced as a childrens' toy. The toy version of this vehicle has sold approx. 1,000,000+ units worldwide.
Polar Lights released a 1/24 scale model kit of the Ecto-1 in 2002.
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[edit] Other Ectomobiles
Throughout other Ghostbusters fiction, a number of other Ectomobiles were introduced.
- Ecto-1a : An upgraded version of the Ecto-1, seen only in Ghostbusters II, which included more technical equipment placed on the roof of the chassis. Most noticeably this upgrade included digital announcement boards on each side of the vehicles roof, broadcasting Ghostbuster advertisements, specials, and their phone number. Also, the logo was updated on the doors and back entrance of the ambulance.
- Ecto-2 : A small open-topped one-man helicopter seen in the cartoons and the comic based on them as well as a toy. The toy's stern end had a pistol-type grip and trigger to let a child playing with it hold it in the air and make its rotor spin; this grip and trigger are copied in the comic despite the resulting aerodynamic unnaturalness.
- Ecto-3 : There have been 3 vehicles with this name:-
- "Extreme" Ecto-1 : This vehicle is a slightly different variant on car from The Real Ghostbusters as seen on the Extreme Ghostbusters TV series. The vehicle is equipped with a more 'modern' selection of detection equipment and emergency lights. It resembles a 1970's Cadillac hearse.
[edit] Trivia
- Originally the filmmakers planned to have the Ecto-1 be painted black. The color of the vehicle was later changed to white when it was decided a black car would be too difficult to see during night scenes.
- The Ectomobile was originally going to be a much more high tech vehicle, with an almost artificial intelligence.
- Three cars have played the vehicle in the movies; the third 1959 Miller-Meteor was purchased after the second died during shooting of Ghostbusters II. The black Miller-Meteor seen at the beginning of the first movie was leased and used only for that scene and never converted. Later this car was purchased by the studio and completely converted to a full Ecto-1 for touring. It now resides in a car museum in Volo, Illinois, and is for sale (see below).
- Ecto-1A was originally scripted as Ecto-2, and one reference to this remains in the movie. When Bill Murray as Dr. Peter Venkman is standing outside of his apartment and the car pulls up, you can just make out the words Ecto-2 on the license plate.
- Both Ectomobiles are currently sitting in a Sony pictures studios backlot in a rapidly deteriorating condition, the Ecto 1a having served as an attraction at the Universal studios "Spooktackular" stage show.
- Currently an Ecto 1 replica is held for sale at about $150,000[1]. This is not the original car, but a replica made by George Barris. Barris is known for falsely asserting himself as being connected to designing the original film car.[citation needed]
- The still-in-development Ghostbusters video game features a more modern version of the Ectomobile, based off of a stretched Chrysler 300C.
[edit] References
- Shay, Don (1985). Making Ghostbusters, New York: New York Zoetrope. ISBN 0918432685
[edit] External links
| Ghostbusters | |
|---|---|
| Movies: | Ghostbusters | Ghostbusters II | Ghostbusters III |
| Television: | The Real Ghostbusters | Extreme Ghostbusters |
| Video Games: | Ghostbusters (Activision) | Ghostbusters II | Ghostbusters (Sega) | Ghostbusters (Xbox 360) |
| Technology: | Proton pack | Ectomobile | Ghostbusters equipment |
| Characters: | Peter Venkman | Egon Spengler | Ray Stantz | Winston Zeddemore | Janine Melnitz | Ivo Shandor |
| Ghosts: | Slimer | Stay Puft Marshmallow Man | Vigo the Carpathian | Scoleri Brothers | Samhain | Bogeyman |
| Misc: | Ghostbusters: Legion | Ghostbusters: The Return | Ghostbusters (role-playing game) | Filmation's Ghostbusters |
