Admit it: you didn't know that ECTO-1 from Ghostbusters is real car! But it's not just production model, and ... a hearse! Indeed, better transport for wrestlers with ghosts and hard to come up with.
- Opel, sedan. Mazda coupe. Volkswagen, hatchback... my four-year-old nephew always liked to list cars on his way to kindergarten. His dad works as a truck driver, and Yegor, like any boy of his age, is passionate about cars. Even the inscription “Iveco” on the cab of the truck does not surprise him: the kid looks up at me, and, drawing out his words in a funny way, says that this is a “commercial transport”.
He needs to make money! Yegor adds as I lean over to tie his shoelace.
“There is also professional transport,” I answer. - And do you know why?
- Certainly! For different ... professions!
For nearly 60 years, Wayne Works was a successful business that needed no companions.
Can not argue with that. Children's logic is the strongest thing. Egor confidently stomps along the sidewalk, clutching a plastic typewriter in his hand. And rather big: even from a distance, I can see that it is made in a station wagon. Well, the white and red colors and the emblem with a crossed out ghost on the doors do not allow you to make a mistake which particular car it is.
- Yegor, why do you like Ghostbusters?
- Because they starred in the movie! - without hesitation, the nephew answers. And because they have a cool car!
And you're right, you bastard! On all questions right! The funny thing is that the whole essence of the story that I am going to tell was squeezed in the child’s palm ...
DIVCO, which made this cute Milk Truck grocery bus, briefly joined the WWR concern in 1957. The merger did not benefit her, and in 1965 she regained her independence.
Sad story
In the 50s of the last century automotive market The United States did not develop at all as rapidly as it does today. Naturally, big three set the tone in the environment of "civilian" cars, but in other areas there were niches for the needs of which various small firms worked.
Companies such as A. J. Miller, Meteor, and Comet were engaged in the manufacture of bodies and complete highly specialized cars, such as light trucks and flower trucks. They did it on extended chassis cars, which were purchased from large manufacturers (Oldsmobile, Pierce-Arrow, Packard), so the release could not be large-scale. Nevertheless, the enterprises coexisted perfectly, producing several thousand copies of various and necessary equipment a year.
Soon the rivalry between General Motors, Ford and Chrysler was elevated to the absolute: each subsequent auto show in New York resembled an "arms parade". So the members of the Big Three tested each other for strength and looked for new niches for their products. Anticipating the bad major producer school buses Wayne Works of Richmond decided to team up with fellow craftsmen.
1 / 2
2 / 2
Rare photos of surviving 1959 hearses, Miller-Meteor and Cadillac Superior. Both cars were built on the same chassis. The only difference between them was in the back. At Meteor, the tailgate had a smooth curve without decor and solid glass. The Superior had a canopy hanging over the door, and the glass was separated by vertical ribs.
As a result, 1954 became the starting point in the history of the WWR concern, which also included the brands A. J. Miller, Meteor, Cotner-Bevington (ex-Comet). A little later, the partners rebranded, calling their association Miller-Meteor. Home production base became the Meteor factory in Piqua, Ohio.
The concerns of the concern were going well: each of its members knew their business, and close cooperation with General Motors, which supplied them with a chassis from Cadillac “dreadnoughts”, provided Miller-Meteor with orders for years to come. At the same time, the concern was not too big to interfere with automotive giants America underfoot. At its peak, the total number of employees in the WWR group reached 252 people; contracts were concluded with 34 dealers.
Under the Miller-Meteor brand, trucks and various buses were produced, but hearses were the most popular product here. long cars station wagon with increased back windowless were needed not only by funeral homes. They also proved to be excellent as ambulances.
« Ambulance» Superior 1965 model year. Almost like an Ectomobile.
High-tech medical transport has not yet appeared, and paramedics, sensibly judging that since the coffin with the body fits freely inside it, then the bedridden patient will be able to, began to use hearses for their needs. For this, they were also loved by representatives of small businesses: a huge inner space equally well served both artisans and graphic designers. As a rule, such a machine was equipped with a high-torque engine (with a volume of at least 5 liters) and had a reinforced steel frame. So, despite their grim aesthetic, hearses like the 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor have gained cult status over time.
The concern survived the 60s calmly - about 2 thousand hearses alone were produced annually. But in the next decade, the skies on the horizon of the “WWR society” turned black: 1973 was a year of disappointment for the American auto industry, and the Miller-Meteor brand was also not deprived of attention. But, unlike the Big Three, for which the oil crisis in the Middle East was a real tragedy, our heroes were in for a different kind of failure ...
Under the federal EMS Systems Act, all manufacturers of ambulances based on modified passenger cars were required to "shut shop" by 1977. During this period, the evolution of professional medical vehicles to the kind that we periodically meet on the streets began.
Another iconic hearse among the Cadillacs of the Miller-Meteor family. The Landau model was released in 1977. In one of these cars, Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll, who during his lifetime was a passionate admirer of Cadillacs, was seen off on his last journey. After the burial, this car went to a certain Chuck Houston, a hearse seller from Georgia. He treated the car like a relic, but decided to sell it when the business fell on hard times. On his way to a customer in Miami, Chuck made occasional stops. After one of them, the driver turned the key in the ignition, and the car suddenly caught fire. Chuck managed to jump out of it and survived, and the car itself burned down almost to the ground. Mystic, nothing else!
No, no one closed companies like Miller-Meteor - they were still manufacturers of hearses, only with a much smaller customer base. After this resolution came into force, the concern existed for another two years. When the top management was convinced that it was more expensive to work for the needs of funeral agents alone, they decided to curtail all activities.
The Miller-Meteor brand was bought out by third parties twice more (in 1984 and in 1993). The initiators tried to revive the former production of hearses and limousines, but the consumer interest in this brand was lost. At present, the Superior Holdings group has managed to establish a small-scale assembly of "funeral" vehicles at the remnants of Miller-Meteor's facilities, but for this, all production had to be transferred to its own plant in the town of Lima.
1 / 4
2 / 4
3 / 4
4 / 4
Possible variants of ESTO-1. Even a "hunting" SUV was provided!
That's almost the whole history of the brand commercial vehicles, of which there are thousands scattered around the world. Something similar can be heard ten times from veterans of the automotive industry, regardless of their country of residence. And the essence of these stories is the same – survival of the fittest. This is the law of any business, which has long sounded like a catechism. And you and I would never have paid attention to some Miller-Meteor, even if he was merchandised at General Motors, if it were not for the bold BUT (!) ... Ta-ta-ta-tada, ta-ra-ra-ra- ra-ra-tada…, Ghost! Busters!!!
Crew savior
Dan Ackroyd came up with the idea for a movie about physicists who can fight real-life ghosts in 1980. This Canadian comedian has already been quite successful in the Hollywood scene thanks to the sketch show "Live" and the musical comedy "The Blues Brothers". Acting alternately as an actor and screenwriter, Ackroyd wanted to seriously declare himself in the world of big cinema. "Ghostbusters" was the very project that would allow him to do this.
1 / 4
2 / 4
3 / 4
4 / 4
And here she is. The same car! Almost like a family photo...
In addition to his remarkable enthusiasm and crazy idea, Dan had a first-class team of like-minded people. "Partner" from "Live", Bill Murray, agreed to play one of the main characters in the future film. Another screenwriter, Harold Ramis, helped refine the script, and then, unexpectedly to himself, also joined the shooting; and director Ivan Reitman managed to get $30 million from Columbia Pictures for the deal. According to the contract with the film studio, The Hunters were supposed to appear on the big screens in 1984, i.e. exactly one year later. Therefore, filming began immediately, although the script was not completed.
“To be honest, I wanted Marshmallow Man to walk around Manhattan like Godzilla. But in order to make the audience believe it, I needed a story that looked like a real one, ”Ackroyd later admits. So from a team of super-professionals, the main characters turned into failed scientists who were kicked out of the university for sloppiness. Like their creator, screen heroes do not lose heart - having knocked out a loan from the municipality, they start their own business. Useful, even necessary for the city. They're going to… (drumroll) catching ghosts for money!
And here are the very "Hunters"! The author of the idea, Dan Ackroyd (center), has been fond of spiritualism since childhood. This interest was passed on to him from his grandfather, who was a respected spiritualist, and in his time managed to establish contact with the spirit of Arthur Conan Doyle. At least there is such a bike.
Everyone who watched this film knows that the situation of the would-be researchers of the paranormal world was deplorable: they live in a dilapidated building of a former fire station, eat canned food, and wait weeks for their first call. To emphasize the social wretchedness of The Hunters, the film crew had to pick up the appropriate car. He could look like special equipment, like fire engine, but definitely an outdated model. The older the better!
Ackroyd's team shook up all known oldtimers, but with the budget given to them by Columbia Pictures, there was no choice. Most of the money went to pay for special effects from Boss Film Studios, and there was simply no extra money to fiddle with the car. As a result, the filmmakers were already ready to take some old taxis for filming, like the Checker Marathon (even the sketches were ready), when they turned up with a real ECTO-1.
Dan Ackroyd: “You can explain everything in the world! Even the concept of ghosts can be tied to the molecular structure of things.”
That same 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor ended up on set like the Greek "god in the car." “Just don’t panic! I got us a wheelbarrow. We need to fix the suspension, brakes, drive, steering and a muffler… And it only costs $4,800!” reports “hunter” Raymond Stentz, actually describing the real situation. Finding such a car was a rare success, because the total circulation of this model was only 2,100 copies. Of course, I had to tinker with the hearse, but it honestly worked out every dollar invested in it.
Difficulties in adaptation
So, in the hands of Ackroyd, his comrades turned out to be a car 6.2 meters long and 2.5 meters wide. With such dimensions, the entire crew of the Hunters in full gear could fit in it, and there was still room for fake equipment and an operator with a camera. Under the hood, this Miller-Meteor had a regular Chevy 350 V8 engine with a volume of 6.3 liters and an output of 310 hp. The car was also equipped automatic transmission gear and rear wheel drive. "A real gift of fate from the past!" the actors cheered. By the end of filming, they were almost ready to take their words back...
Dan Ackroyd: “The success of our film is that we were able to find a balance between humor and fear. It was easy. Fear itself creates a lot of humor.”
Firstly, the car literally turned out to be “heavy to lift”. It's no joke - more than 2.5 tons of weight when fully equipped! Despite the powerful engine, the Miller-Meteor did not move immediately and did not freeze in place at the first touch of the brake pedal. According to eyewitnesses, this car did not drive, but rather floated along the road. And to cope with it, the driver needed exemplary calm behind the wheel. Fortunately, all the actors understood this and treated their ECTO-1 very carefully: who could have known how much the filming would stall if something broke in the car. Given the year of her release, it was generally a miracle that she could drive without auxiliary transport!
Secondly, the regular refueling of the Ectomobil cost the director a pretty penny. Still, the Miller-Meteor was created at a time when fuel economy was thought to be a medical diagnosis: 43 liters per 100 km is not for you to go out of town! I am sure that the cost of gasoline for the year of filming the film at times exceeded the price of the car itself.
The situation with Slimer, according to Ackroyd, happened to him in early childhood. He and a friend were staying in the old mansion of his grandfather, when he saw lumps of green ectoplasm hanging in the air on the stairs ... Then they got scared and shamefully retreated. But Ray had a chance to get even with the ghost on the screen.
But otherwise it was not a car - a song! Bulky, a little ridiculous, she was the best fit for her cinematic masters. At first the director wanted to paint it black, but because of a large number night shooting of ESTO-1 was simply not visible in the frame. But when the designers came up with that same red and white color with company emblems all the pieces of the puzzle finally came together.
Then the Miller-Meteor got the original "hunting" kit, with all these proton blocks, flashers and traps, and the transformation into the "Ectomobile" was completed. Calling such a car a hearse simply did not turn the tongue. It became a full-fledged participant in the film, the fifth "Hunter", a charismatic hero with a real soul.
Watching a pile of "self-propelled scrap metal" turn into a living being was pure magic. Metamorphosis ESTO-1 has become one of those rare cases when the full potential inherent in a certain thing is revealed under the influence of fortunate circumstances.
All the charms of owning a Miller-Meteor are there! Even the folding cart came in handy. It’s not a fact that all this junk would fit in two ordinary cars ...
After the ball
This is how legends are born, and the 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor is one of them. Here, not everyone will agree with me, but I am almost sure that if you have ever watched Ghostbusters, then you will not confuse the barking bark of the Ectomobile sirens with anything.
When the film was released on the big screens (1984), it was an instant success. The fees from the screenings of the picture exceeded the initial budget by almost 10 times, so the Dan Ackroyd team simply had to shoot a sequel.
The fate of the original ECTO-1 also turned out well - after filming, the car was sold at auction for a ridiculous $ 45,000 (although the poor fellow spent another $ 100,000 to restore it). Soon, all American landfills were filled with the clanging of body iron - "black" diggers were trying to find the cherished Miller-Meteor for the amusement of collectors. According to oldtimer statistics, only about 200 of these machines survived. Of these, only a hundred are on the move. And the ESTO-1 replicas are no more than two dozen.
All the way to kindergarten I smiled and thought. Egor is only four, and he already knows how to independently turn on the computer and mobile phone manages much better than me. He plays completely different games and listens to fairy tales that my mother read to me at his age. The new generation will be completely different than the previous one. And this is the natural course of things, no matter how trite this hackneyed given may sound. But still, it's damn great to show a child a film that was one of the brightest childhood memories for you, and meet the same delight! In my opinion, it is through such points of contact that the connection between generations is determined ...
I handed Egor over to the teacher, and I went to work myself. Mass layoffs were planned in my office, so I didn’t wait for the weather by the sea, but immediately went to the boss’s office to submit an application “on my own”. And you know what? Just standing at his door, I suddenly realized that all this time I was humming the title theme from "Hunters"! If there's something strange…
Admit it: did you know that ECTO-1 is real?
The main distinguishing feature of ghost hunting is the presence of unique scientific and technical equipment, which was developed and invented together by Drs. Egon Spangler and Ray Stantz. A proton booster, a trap and an ecto-storage allow paralyzing and holding a ghost for a long time, which makes ghost hunting possible, and the well-known Ectomobile (or Ecto-1) of the Ghostbusters, on which they go on challenges, is an indispensable "ghostbusting "-an attribute and at the same time a symbol of their business.
ECTO-1 (Ectomobile)
Ectomobile - Cadillac Miller Meteor 1959 - a combined car (ambulance + hearse) was used in the film "Ghostbusters" in 1984 and other fiction dedicated to hunters.
This vehicle was purchased by Ray Stantz for the relatively high price of $4,800 (over $9,400 in the US after inflation) in a rather deplorable condition, requiring extensive repairs. According to Stantz himself, it was necessary to "change the bridge, brake pads, pedals, gaskets, gear box, shift lever, back door(At this point it was put on hold by Venkman, who wanted to know about the price), as well as new rings, mufflers and a little work on the wiring. After the necessary changes, the car was used to transport equipment, as well as trips around New York. A siren with a characteristic, recognizable sound was installed on it. hallmark The ectomobile also had a special exit at the back, where the proton blocks were transported, which made it easier to access them. There were also various technical devices installed on the roof of the car, whose action was never used in the cinema. Fans speculate that the equipment included heavy multifunctional anti-ghost weaponry to fight and protect against ghosts. The book "Creating Hunters" describes a cut scene where a policeman puts on Windshield machine receipt and it immediately turns into ashes.
Early versions of the script written by Dan Aykroyd for the first film also mentioned the ectomobile's ability to travel interdimensionally. One of the initial test shots shows the ecto car in black with purple and white flashing lights giving the car a purple halo.
The ectomobile is also known as the "Ecto-1" (due to the regular "Ecto-1" license plate shown in the first film).
ECTO-1A
Proton Pack
The proton booster (or "proton block") is a nuclear accelerating device created by the Ghostbusters. This is their main tool in the 1984 film, which was intended for hunting ghosts. It consists of a gun ("proton gun" or "particle emitter") attached to a backpack-shaped particle accelerator. It fires a beam of protons that polarizes with negatively charged ghost energy, allowing it to be contained by the beam. Proton Block Particle Emitters were originally envisioned as stick-shaped implements that had to be held in each hand.
The proton block was also described as a charged particle accelerator. He worked by "concentrating protons" (although in the first film he was referred to as a "positron connector" and the gun was called a "neutron"), using them to capture "negatively charged ectoplasmic creatures." This description is technical nonsense - in practical terms, a proton gun fires a stream of energy that allows you to immobilize a ghost, bring it to the right position, allowing you to capture it in a trap. Dr. Egon Spangler created this equipment for this very purpose. A cut scene from Ghostbusters shows Egon aiming a block at a vent in the wall and the grate bushing just melted.
Hunters' dialogues indicate that the proton accelerator operates similarly to the cyclotron, which produces a powerful stream of charged particles. In contrast to a true cyclotron (which produces a well-balanced particle stream), the proton gun's beam tends to curve (although it stays within the area where the shooter is), enough destructive power towards physical objects and can cause serious damage.
Based on the words of Egon in Ghostbusters II, the energy of each block will be enough for 5000 years. The buttons on the proton block can perform various functions to control the flow, including regulation of the flow intensity, duration and polarization level. According to the cartoon maximum power the proton block is 500,000 MHz and has a self-destruct mechanism that operates at least in a radius of half a mile. In the cartoon, proton blocks are sometimes less effective at taking down powerful ghosts and have the ability to discharge at the worst possible moment for more dramatic tension.
"Try to imagine that your whole life as you know it suddenly stops
and every molecule of your body explodes at the speed of light"
Egon Spangler on the intersection of proton streams.
The crossing of the streams was initially forbidden, as Egon believed that "total proton decay" would have catastrophic consequences (see quote above). However, in a desperate attempt to stop Gozer, the Ghostbusters used the intersection of four proton beams directly into a dimensional gateway, which blasted every molecule of Gozer (including his psychic influence) and forced him back into the dimensional window from which he emerged. The passage collapsed and exploded when Gozer was destroyed.
| |
Proton Gun
The proton gun is used as the main control panel. From it you can set up the Proton unit for any function. The Proton Gun is also called the Proton Emitter (Neutrona Wand)
Trap (Ghost Trap)
The trap is a small box-shaped device with a double-leaf lid, controlled from a distance with a simple footswitch connected by a long cable. When the ghost is near the trap (usually with the help of a proton block, although not necessarily), the trap is activated by pressing the pedal with the foot. Its lid opens and the force field pulls the ghost inside. The protagonists were advised not to look directly at the trap when it was active. The ghost can then be transferred to a larger, more permanent detention block.
More than one ghost can be placed in the trap, but it is not established how much and how long a ghost can be there. It is also suggested that a captured ghost may be released voluntarily by the hunter; all you need to do is open it again.
Detention unit (Ecto containment unit)
The vault (or "detention unit") is a large ghost containment facility in the basement of the Ghostbusters' headquarters. It was created after Dr. Spangler and Dr. Stantz first saw the ghost of a librarian at the New York Public Library. Based on that experience, they theorized that if the level of ionization of the whole ghost's ectoplasm is constant, they can capture it and hold it indefinitely. This idea made possible the future business of hunters. All captured ghosts were kept in this vault.
The detention block has an easily accessible hole into which a filled trap is placed, after successively pressing two buttons and activating the lever, the ghost moves from the trap to the space of the detention block. After all these steps are completed, the green light on the wall of the block blinks, indicating the successful completion of the operation. Hence the rule: "When the green light comes on, the trap is clean."
PKE sensor (PKE meter)
Ectolysers are small devices worn over the eyes that allow them to see blurry and transparent ectoplasmic objects that emit psychokinetic energy. Used in the 1984 film by Ray Stantz to track down a ghost at the Sedgewick Hotel. Before night vision goggles made Ecto Lizers, they were night vision goggles. AN/PVS-5a which were in service with the US Army.
Did you know that in reality, the 1959 Cadillac "ECTO 1" was used as an ambulance medical care and how is the hearse? But fortunately, this car remained in the memory of the audience as an "ectomobile" - an unusual unit that carried ghost hunters! characteristic red and white war paint, fantastic equipment for catching otherworldly matters, as well as the soundtrack to the film made the Cadillac Miller-Meteor "ECTO 1" the most unusual car who acted in films. By the way, the original car "ECTO 1" was bought by an unknown collector at an auction for almost $45,000.
According to the original idea of the writer and director, the ectomobile was supposed to be painted in an ominous black color, but the abundance of night shooting made it clear to the film crew that something urgently needed to be changed. So the Cadillac Miller-Meteor for the film "Ghostbusters" became exactly the way we saw it. A distinctive sign of hunters - a sign of a crossed-out ghost flaunts on the front doors and trunk lid. The features of the ectomobile were holders for proton guns in the back of the car, anti-ghost weapons on the roof and a branded siren.
One of the main advantages of the ectomobile is a huge interior and spacious seats, which freely accommodated 4 adults of different weight categories with rather big satchels on their backs. According to the script of the film, these shoulder bags contained the most important things for hunters - proton traps for monsters. 3 were used for filming. Cadillac cars Miller-Meteor 1959 "ECTO 1". The first one broke down on the Brooklyn Bridge, so the number of stunt doubles for the protagonist, ECTO 1, is entirely justified.
Cadillac Miller-Meteor 1959 was released small series, only about 2000 pieces (it was written about its purpose above). Its weight was 2.5 tons, the car was quite heavy and bulky - its length was half a meter higher than the parameters of Maybach 57, and was 6 m 220 cm! Engine Chevy 350, V8, 6.3 liters developed 310 hp. at 4800 rpm. Drive, like all classic american cars- rear, with automatic transmission.
"Ghostbusters" has become perhaps the best film in the genre of fantastic comedy, a film that has grown many viewers. And a significant contribution to this was made by a futuristic hearse for ectoplasm - Cadillac Miller-Meteor, 1959 of release.
