The film “Ghostbusters: The Legacy”, which hits theaters this December 1, highlights the famous Cadillac Ecto-1 from this cult saga. Replicas of this ghost-hunting hearse are now trading for around € 200,000, not to mention the authentic filming cars.
Among the most famous cars on the big screen, one can easily cite James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5, the 1989 Batmobile or the DeLorean DMC-12 of Back to the future. The Cadillac “Ecto-1” from Ghostbusters throne also prominently in the list. While a new opus of this saga mixing humor, action and horror is released in theaters this 1er December, after two cult films in the 1980s and a reinvention that did not convince in 2016, the prestige auto insurance specialist Hagerty looked at the ratings of the most famous white and red station wagon in the history of movie theater.
A hearse to hunt ghosts
Ecto-1 gets this nickname from its registration number. Basically, this is a 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Futura, a model based on the manufacturer’s 75 Series commercial chassis. About 25 Miller-Meteor Futura were produced, most converted to ambulances or hearses. 6.40 m long, the car is powered by a 6.4 L V8. At least two examples were used on the set of the Ghostbusters films. They are recognizable by their famous logo representing a crossed out ghost and their unusual devices which the protagonists use to hunt specters. Another Ecto-1 was used for promotional purposes for the 1984 and 1989 films. In 2007, one of the cars visible on the screen changed hands for $ 149,998, which would equate to just over 170,000. € currently.
Replicas that are popular
Iconic cars often rhyme with replicas, and successful reproductions of Ecto-1 have seen their selling prices climb in recent years. In 2008 and 2010, two cars presumably used for official attractions were sold, the first for $ 45,000 at the time and the second for $ 88,000.
In 2014 in the UK, a neat knockoff found a buyer for £ 175,000, another for £ 70,000. This would now equate to approximately € 240,000 and € 96,000 respectively. Note that the second was the subject of a restoration worth a little more than its purchase price thereafter. And in 2020, the Barrett-Jackson auction house auctioned off a replica of Ecto-1 made from a 1959 Cadillac Superior hearse for $ 220,000, or nearly € 200,000.
As a corollary of this craze, the Miller-Meteor Futura or other Cadillacs of the same period serving as faithful bases for replicas are increasing in value and are now worth around € 50,000 in good condition. According to Hagerty, if an authentic Ecto-1 filming were put on sale today, it could be worth more than $ 500,000, or € 440,000.
Ecto-1 back in the cinema
Ghostbusters: The Legacy, in the cinema since 1er December, is considered by many to be the real third episode that we no longer expected. Its director, Jason Reitman, had stood out from his first feature films Thank You For Smoking and Juno.
He is none other than the son of Ivan Reitman who directed the first two films of the saga. This sequel gives pride of place to new characters without forgetting the fundamentals and Ecto-1 returns … from the dead?
TO READ. Unusual. Those cars that share the same tail lights.
