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Behind the wheel of the new 'Ghostbusters' Ecto-1 (pictures)

The ghostbustin' reboot comes with a new look for the spectre-chasing Ecto-1 car, so we took the souped-up 1984 Cadillac Fleetwood station wagon for a spin to see what it's all about.

Richard Trenholm
Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.
Andrew Lanxon Editor At Large, Lead Photographer, Europe
Andrew is CNET's go-to guy for product coverage and lead photographer for Europe. When not testing the latest phones, he can normally be found with his camera in hand, behind his drums or eating his stash of home-cooked food. Sometimes all at once.
Expertise Smartphones, Photography, iOS, Android, gaming, outdoor pursuits Credentials
  • Shortlisted for British Photography Awards 2022, Commended in Landscape Photographer of the Year 2022
Drew Stearne Former Director of Video
For over 16 years Drew has been producing video content on technology, video games and entertainment but now spends his days looking at, talking about, or indeed driving, fast cars.
Expertise Cars Credentials
  • Association of Online Publisher Award winner for Best use of Video
Richard Trenholm
Andrew Lanxon
Drew Stearne
ghostbusters-car-ecto-1-2.jpg
1 of 18 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

In the new movie, the Ghostbusters head to spooky calls in a souped-up 1984 Cadillac Fleetwood station wagon with a Eureka Hearse body.

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2 of 18 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

The new car replaces the 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor ambulance that transported the team in the original movies.

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3 of 18 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

If there's something strange in your neighbourhood... The Cadillac logo is replaced with a suitably ghostly badge.

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4 of 18 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Director Paul Feig chose the new car because it reminded him of the cars his dad had.

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5 of 18 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Look at that slab of a hood. Under there is a 5-litre V8 with a four-speed automatic gearbox.

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6 of 18 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

In the film, Patty, played by Leslie Jones, borrows the car from her uncle, a funeral director played by a face that will be familiar to "Ghostbusters" fans.

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7 of 18 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

The car starts out as a black hearse, but looks very different once the team's tech expert Holtzman (Kate McKinnon) gets her hands on it.

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8 of 18 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Ecto-1 is equipped with long-range psychokinetic energy (PKE) scanners.

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9 of 18 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

The specialised spook-spotting kit includes a proton pack pump-out connection with positive and negative polarised spectral foam detectors.

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10 of 18 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

The ghostbusting kit is fuelled by a power cell with hydrogen and liquid helium tanks.

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11 of 18 Hopper Stone

Ecto-1's tech specs.

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12 of 18 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Yikes.

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13 of 18 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Roadshow and Carfection's Drew Stearne drove a replica of the new Ecto-1. That's possibly not a real movie costume either.

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14 of 18 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

The new Ecto-1 hits the streets of London.

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15 of 18 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Behind the wheel.

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16 of 18 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Check out this 1980s Cadillac interior.

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17 of 18 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

We didn't see any ghosts, but we definitely turned heads as we cruised around East London.

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18 of 18 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Who ya gonna call?!

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