1959 Cadillac Ghostbusters Ecto 1 Replica
Known officially as the Ectomobile or Ecto-1, it was built on a 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Futura Duplex, an end-loader combination car that served as both an ambulance and a hearse, powered by a 6.3-liter (390 cubic inch) V8 producing 320 horsepower.
Approximately 700 Miller-Meteor coaches were produced for 1959 across all body styles, with the Futura Duplex among the rarer configurations even before its cinematic fame.
Measuring nearly 21 feet long (about 255 inches), roughly 7 feet tall, and just under 7 feet wide, the vehicle weighed in the neighborhood of 6,500 to 7,000 pounds and rode on Cadillac’s commercial chassis with heavy-duty suspension components.
The towering tailfins, shared with 1959 Cadillac production models, were the tallest ever fitted to a production car. In the original film, Ray Stantz paid $4,800 for the vehicle, claiming it needed numerous repairs including “suspension work and shocks, brakes, brake pads, lining, steering box, transmission, rear end…”
Initially, the Ecto-1 was supposed to be a 1975 Cadillac ambulance painted black with purple lights, but filmmakers wisely revised those decisions. The vehicle’s distinctive equipment and modifications were designed by Stephen Dane, whose vision created one of cinema’s most recognizable automobiles.
Today, the original screen-used cars are owned by Sony Pictures, while numerous replicas exist in museums and private collections around the world.
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