Ecto-1 finally gets some action in new Ghostbusters trailer

Thursday, 29 July 2021

Ghostbusters fact: while it is often referred to as the ‘Ectomobile’ the car is only ever called that in a song from the soundtrack. It never got much to do in the original movies either way.

Despite the fact it is one of the most iconic and recognisable cars in film history, the legendary Ecto-1 from the 1984 movie Ghostbusters (and Ecto-1a from the 1989 sequel) didn’t really get to do all that much.

Apart from bursting out of the converted fire station that was Ghostbusters HQ with its awesomely weird siren blaring, there were a few scenes of it pulling up outside builds and cruising quietly along at night, and… that was it really.

There were no dramatic Jurassic Park-style ghost chase scenes or iconic “When this baby hits 88 miles per hour, you’re going to see some serious s..t” moments, let alone a Bullitt-style showcase of howling tyres, drifts and too many hubcaps flying off.

But the latest trailer for the new Ghostbusters: Afterlife movie looks to finally change all that and give Ecto-1 at least one long-overdue action scene.

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Finally, Ecto-1 gets some high-speed ghost-chasing action.

Featuring appearances from most of the original cast (Rick Moranis turned down the chance to reprise his character and Harold Ramis passed away in 2014), the new film picks up the story with Callie (Carrie Coon), trying to make a new start for her family (McKenna Grace's Phoebe and Finn Wolfhard's Trevor) by moving to a small town in the middle of nowhere, where her estranged father (Ramis' Egon Spengler) had a farmhouse.

Ghostly things ensue and the kids find a rusting, decrepit hulk in a barn that is, of course, Ecto-1.

Ecto-1 is a 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Futura Duplex that was converted in the original movie to haul the Ghostbusters’ equipment.

Miller-Meteor was a US coachbuilder that specialised in ambulance and hearse conversions, hence the fabulous wagon-bodied Ecto-1, which was technically based on the ambulance version, although it used largely the same body as the hearse version.

Ecto-1 was initially supposed to be painted black in the original film (with purple lights!), but the colour of the vehicle was changed to white when it was decided a black car would be too difficult to see during night scenes.

Three cars played the vehicle in the first two movies, with the third being 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 never converted for filming, though it was later purchased by the studio and converted to a full version for promotional purposes.

Two of the original cars are currently stored in a Sony pictures backlot, after having undergone a full restoration after years of deterioration.

While previous trailers offered us a brief glimpse of the kids thrashing Ecto-1 through a field, the new one finally gives us a hint of a full-blown chase scene, as Ecto-1 blazes after a ghost through the small town, with the kids making full use of its ghostbusting features, namely the never-used-before ‘gunner’ seat and a mobile ghost trap.

It’s all-too-brief, but the hint of opposite-lock action from the big Miller-Meteor-bodied ambulance/hearse looks awesome, and we only hope there is more of it in the finished move that will finally be released (after many Covid-related delays) in New Zealand on December 2nd.