The gang over at the GBFans messageboards have started up a thread on that old chestnut, “What will the cars be in the third movie?” The question comes up a lot and some good guesses have been made, including the so-good-someone-made it Ecto-Magnum (which not only looks good, but is also, like the original Miller Meteor, a car that is no longer being produced). I stick by my half-joking suggestion of an Ecto-Smart (c’mon – perfect to busy New York streets – drive it on the sidewalk if you have to.)
But regardless of what the current script has in mind (and what the reality of pre-production will end up using), back in 1999, Dan Aykroyd had an idea.
And he called it the Ecto-12.
From the first draft, GB3: Hellbent script;
EXT. 59th STREET BRIDGE – NIGHTA 1989 converted Cadillac, ECTO-12, weaves in and out of traffic.
And, as with most movie scripts, that is all. A name and a year, and even the year is more thought than most scripts would include, but obviously, being a gearhead, Dan had some ideas. The only trouble is, he never expanded on it anywhere else.
So, the question is, what was he thinking of. Certainly a 1989 model car is nearly as aged a design as the original Ecto-1 was, and the Cadillac brand is still there for continuity – but there were six Caddy models produced in 1989.
Three we can discount as being too small – not that smaller cars can’t be used, but let’s assume for the sake of discussion that Dan was thinking of cars of similar imposing size to the Miller Meteor conversion from the first film. That cuts out the Seville, DeVille, and Allanté (a Roadster.)
The Fleetwood and Brougham are also classified as full-sized vehicles, the same as the Seville and DeVille, but unlike those two, the Fleetwood and Brougham are of sufficient size that there are hearse conversions of them (1989 is square in the modern ambulance era. ie truck with panel box on back) – coincidentally, the recent replica auctioned off for charity in Germany was an even older model Fleetwood, which looks not bad, but the ’89s are kind of, well, ‘89ish.
This just leaves the Eldorado, and this car has “Dan Aykroyd will love it” written all over it. Indeed, the early models are highly reminiscent of the Ecto-1. But what about the 1989 model? Well, that’s the tricky part – after 1986, the cars seem a bit too modern, compared to the Sixth Generation Eldorados (1979-1985), which don’t have to sculpted front grills of the early models, but is still more distinctive that the Seventh generation models.
And the ‘71 wagon… oh what an Ecto it could be.
But it’s a ‘71 – Dan said ‘89.
So, just because it’s Friday, what 1989 Caddy do you think Dan had in mind or would approve of? Can you find a hearse conversion I didn’t see? Can the smaller models make good Ectos? Maybe you like the Seventh gen fronts over the Sixth gen. Why the hell is it the Ecto-12? What the hell is the Ecto-50!?
Talk it up!
The 1989 Cadillac Solitaire:
http://c.barat.free.fr/cadillac/specials/solitaire.jpg
Here is an 1989 Caddy Hearse, this could be an ecto for sure. Infact its probly what I’ll end up using for my personal Ecto, the Ecto1A.
http://www.hambly-funeral.com/hearse09a.jpg
I’m not adverse to change, but the Ecto we all know and love is perfectly suited. First, it has to haul (at least) four Ghostbusters around, and they aren’t as skinny as they used to be. Secondly, you have to have room for all the proton packs and equipment. But most of all, the car is just cool. Plus, there’s the irony of it being a hearse. I mean, a giant van would take care of points one and two, but how boring is a van? Even with lights and such on it, it’s still a box on wheels. Any new Ghostbusters car would have to have that same flair as the Ecto-1, yet still be functional transportation for the business. Does such a vehicle even exist?
And don’t get me started on the Ecto-smart. In an age where technology is getting so tiny that everything I pick up is too small for my hands and feels like it’s going to break if I look at it the wrong way, I hope Ghostbusters stays with clunky, awkward, heavy equipment, and a car to match.
AJ – The Solitaire was left out because it was a concept car – the only thing harder to make an Ecto out of, for a third movie, than the original Miller Meteor is a concept car.
But boy, was that car ahead of its time…
Del, is that a Brougham (I know Superior made extended limousine versions, which would be very very close to the hearse (excepting the extra pair of side doors, and the hearse roof and rear door) – there are a lot of 89 caddy hearses, but I’m not digging their lines the same way as I am in the ‘71.
Kevin – start on the Ecto-Smart if you want. It’s mostly a joke.
The thing everyone has to remember is that the third movie is supposed to have an extra team (the ‘99 first draft had LOTS of additional teams – one scene described a fleet of Ecto’s recreating the bridge shot from the first movie), so a second car is needed. If there were any justice, they’d just have two of the old Caddy’s, but I think Dan, either to please himself or please the studio, was thinking in terms of moving things along – the Ecto-1 became the Ecto-1a, ergo the third movie will need something new. Certainly, it would be a tried and true movie trope to have the old team in the old car and the new team in their own car.
If I were taking bets, I’d put it on the Magnum, but who knows. Execs love putting SUVs into movies for product placement…
I noticed that you have a small part from the Hellbent script. Is this script floating around somewhere because I’ve been looking for it for years. Also an Ecto Smart car might be an interesting idea although kind of small. Where would they put everything? What about a converted smart car that’s a huge trap for larger ghosts?
I like the idea of the Magnum for the third film Ectomobile. Let’s not forget that in the game it was the origonl Ecto-1 with modifications to the roof rack (mainly the super slammer and the return to the blue light bars). Ecto-1B, following the same line as the second film. Here’s my biggest question for the vehicle in the third film… Will our beloved Ecto-1 be more like the version in the game, or will it be more like the EGB version? Keep the time line in mind folks. They did give little hints in the game that Egon was beginning work on the disc traps and PKE meters from EGB. So… Assuming they don’t just forget all about the events in the game there would be some kind of link to both the game and EGB in the third film… Which would mean that there would possibly be some equipment or vehicle from EGB at least hinted at in the third film.
I know I seem to be getting a little off topic here. My point is, that if they continued the time line from the game, then it might be likely that the EGB version of Ecto-1 would be used by the old team. That’s assuming the EGB team is not worked into the third film in some way.
Vincent – it’s not floating around. It’s a hardcopy I obtained years and years ago.
I myself looked around at quite a few models of hearse/ambulances from over the years before I saw a guy used a 68 Fleetwood to make into a hearse and although it doesnt have the big fins, it did have the front end that almost reminds ya of a GTO which is pretty cool. That is why I decided to take a shot on a 68 Fleetwood hearse to use as a base for my own Ecto conversion/restoration. The Mid-90’s Cadillacs might look nice with an Ecto-spin. Somethin tells me Dan has a love for old Cadillacs, just from how he speaks of the 59 in the restoration special and how much he knew of them. I say they just go the rout of the video game…update Ecto-1 slightly but keep it close to the original since that one is such an icon.
I like the idea of having the original team use the original ecto but have it look like the video game model, with the blue lights original logo and the original style roof rack, use the yellow and black stipe lines from the ecto-1a but loose the advertisments, i dont mind the phone number though.
The new team should have the ford crossover edge or flex perfect shapes for the new car and can handle all the needs. look them up on ford.com
Wow. Where’d you obtain this script?
I’d vote for this….a true successor to the ‘57 Cadillac
http://www.miller-meteor.com/showroom.asp?Function=Main&ModelID=29
I think a Smart-Car might be the Smart thing to do. In honor of our new
Collectivist Agenda, it might better fit the times than a classic car with
all of the resource-wasting chrome on it. A larger car pollutes and I don’t think it’s appropriate for the GHOSTBUSTERS to pollute especially as a license by SONY, who would be seen polluting right along with them. So they could be driving these little electronic pods that get 80 mpg and go no-faster than the speed-limit, of course, with crash-test safety in mind. And I think those clunky proton-packs should be modernized to look like computer P.C. towers,..and their costumes should change. I think their costumes should be changed to black and green, green being symbollic of the Green movement, and black because I dislike brown.
I think I’ve illustrated my point. GHOSTBUSTERS NEED TO DRESS HOW GHOSTBUSTERS DRESS AND TO HELL WITH MODERNIZING THE GROUP, THEIR CAR NEEDS TO BE A POWERHOUSE OF A CLASSIC CAR IF NOT THE ORIGINAL DESIGN, but I don’t think they will because I think some of us love GHOSTBUSTERS in a different way than they do; they want to “take it to the next generation,” and in order to do that you’ve got to give them a new image and strap cell-phones to their belts.
I’m not sure how cell-phones have anything to do with Ghostbusters or Ghostbusting…but if they did decide to use cell phones, is that really that big of a deal? It would simply replace the Walkie-Talies they had and, since of course the look of the film isn’t going to be identical to that of the first two, I’m sure whatever cell phone(s) they put on screen will match the rest of the images on the screen…
I would like to see them use the Chevy HHR SS. It would be fuel efficent and provide them all their equipment and hauling needs. Or maybe the new CTS V Station wagon. Hearses are cool. The original GB definitely need to use the 59 Ecto1, but for the new ones the HHR or the CTS V Station wagon would be cool.
Now an off the wall idea I would think would be brilliant would be the Nissan Cube. Ive seen the Cube Chrome in white and it is the ultimate GB vehicle of the future.
A bit smallish, but I’ve thought it over, and would love to see the Cadillac CTS wagon as the new Ecto:
http://www.drivearabia.com/news/2008/08/15/2010-cadillac-cts-wagon-unveiled/
Very sleek, stylish, and a Caddy to boot. Nothing can truly make up for the lack of fins on modern cars, but the brake lights on these new Cadillacs do add a little flair. And while it would be a bit of a squeeze, I think it could fit the equipment.
But I’m not sure I could see Aykroyd going with something brand new like this. Whatever he decides on, while I doubt it could ever exceed the original, I trust that it’ll be a respectable replacement in its own right.
Ghostbusters is all about style, in a sense, ..we can’t go with a newer car, because let’s face it, new cars don’t have style. They’re predictably stream-lined, all of the head and tail-lamps look the same, ..not good enough. If they’re gonna wow us, their car can’t be an Aveo or a Chevrolet Volt. Otherwise, they’re gonna put a lot of us to sleep. It’s gotta have chrome, lots of cool lights, a V-8 prefably, plenty of length and obviously No-Ghost logos. The problem with going any more streamlined lies with the roof-rack equipment; we’re got to accept that it’s never going to be totally streamlined, ..if they get a car that’s too streamlined, the protruding roof-rack just isn’t going to jive with the rest of the design. The Cadillac they drove in the first 2 movies had a tall passenger compartment, so when they put their equipment up there it was like a little ‘building’.. it wasn’t meant to be sleak. If we went sleak with the new GB car, we’d be following the Men in Black look, but instead it would just be Boys in Grey. Same same. I totally think they’re going to try to modernize the GBs with a sleak look; we’ll show up in 2011 to a M.I.B. knock-off. Sad, but predictable.