The Ghostbusters Ectomobile Met An Unfortunate Demise At The End Of The Original Film
The original 1984 "Ghostbusters" has become one of the most iconic Hollywood films. And with all classics such as this one, there are plenty of recognizable props that fans will know at first glance. All that's needed is a flash of a Proton Pack or P.K.E Meter, and plenty of buffs out there will immediately know that it's from "Ghostbusters."
The same goes for the "Ghostbusters" iconic vehicle that, in the movie, seems to change from a beat-up lemon into a slick, pop-culture explosion on wheels seemingly overnight. However, Ernie Hudson, who played Winston Zeddemore, claims that the actual Ectomobile was not only a dud but didn't last very long, either (via Jalopnik).
When viewers are first introduced to the iconic car, the "Ghostbusters" are just starting their new business. Ray (Dan Aykroyd) pulls up to the firehouse driveway and stops next to Peter (Bill Murray) to show him what he just purchased. Ray proceeds to list off every single repair the car needs, which is so exceedingly long that Peter has to cut him off to ask him what the cost was. $4,800 is the answer, which was, at that time, highly overpriced for a car in need of so much repair. And, based on what Hudson claims, the actual car's state wasn't far off from this initial on-screen assessment.
The car barely made it to it's last scene
The car used for the original horror comedy, "Ghostbusters," was a Cadillac Miller Meteor. Reported by Way, the model was released in 1959 and was only one of 400 made, seemingly for a good reason. The car was bulky, heavy, and not known to be reliable. When Ernie Hudson spoke to Jalopnik, he gave his firsthand account of his experience with the car (aka Ecto-1), which lined up with these abysmal reviews.
Over the years (via Ghostbusters News), it has become known that the Ectomobile experienced many on-set breakdowns. Hudson confirmed this, saying, "I don't know if it was haunted or not, but the Ectomobile never really performed up to — it looked great on screen, but it was always awful." Hudson explained how the car barely made it to finish its final day of shooting, with it needing helping hands. "We were filming crossing Central Park; the car broke down. We had traffic blocked up," he recalled. "Me and Danny Aykroyd had to get out and push the car to a place they could get to it."
While the Ectomobile has popped up in modern "Ghostbusters" films, Hudson and fellow cast can rest assured knowing that these appearances were not actual Cadillac Miller Meteors — so there's a better chance they made it through filming without giving up the ghost.