Petrolhead spends £1,000s transforming ambulance into replica motor beloved by fans of iconic 80s film
A PETROLHEAD has spent thousands of pounds transforming an ambulance into a replica motor beloved by fans of the iconic 80s film.
Ghostbusters told the story of three parapsychologists who set up
shop as a unique ghost removal service, patrolling New York in a 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Sentinel named Ecto-1.
Austyn Brown, a teacher from Wimborne, Dorset, had been planning to recreate the famous vehicle that carried the original Ghostbusters around the Big Apple for years.
The 41-year-old found the 1963 Cadillac Superior online three years ago and bought it for £8,000.
While it was a slightly different model to the 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Sentinel used in the film, but it was ‘pretty close.’
After having it shipped across the Atlantic Austyn got to work by stripping it back to the shell and completely rebuilding it.
He had been collecting parts in his garage for about seven years in preparation for the project.
He had the number plate specially made, repainted it and added the Ghostbusters logo.
His cousin Mark Laycock, a metal fabricator, created other parts and friend Mark Lees, an ‘electrics whizz’ helped him handle all the car’s lights and gizmos.
The car has a combination chassis and was originally used as an ambulance and hearse near Texas in the 1960s, when it was cream. But it had been repainted blue and grey by the time Austyn bought it.
Austyn, 41, said: “I’ve always been fascinated by Ghostbusters, ever since I was about four-years-old when I first watched the film.
“I’ve always loved cars and the Ecto-1, for me, was just so cool. I always had lots of models as a kid and it’s always been a dream of mine to build one.
“I had been looking for a good donor car for about ten years – on eBay, asking buddies of mine in the US to keep their eyes out for one.
“This is a 1963 Cadillac Superior, it’s slightly different from the 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Sentinel they used in the film, but it’s pretty close.
“Miller-Meteors are exceptionally hard to find and when you do you’re talking six figures so there’s absolutely no way I could get that.
“I had an alert pop up on one of my search criteria, pulled up the advert and thought ‘yes this is going to be ideal’.
“The owner was called Murray, which I took as a sign (after Bill Murray from the original film), and it shipped out of New York, which is the hometown of the Ghostbusters.
“I was a bit apprehensive about sending a sizable chunk of cash but sometimes you just need to take a leap of faith.
“Well before I had the car I collected parts, anything that popped up on eBay. My garage looked like a parts and service centre for an Ecto 1. I’ve always known that one day one would present itself.
“I wouldn’t like to guess what I’ve spent, thousands of pounds. I’m very lucky that I’ve had two legends by my side – my cousin Mark owns a metal fabrication shop so he’s managed to build a lot of parts you just can’t buy any more, otherwise it would have been hundreds of thousands.
“And my friend, also called Mark, is an electrics whizz and he has taken care of all the electrics.
“We stripped it back to the shell, we’ve pretty much redone the whole car.
“The outside is pretty much finished but we’re just at the beginning of doing the inside.
“I have no idea how much time I’ve spent looking for parts, designing, making, spraying. Every day I spend some time on the car, it must be thousands of hours. It’s such a massive project.
“I’m very lucky that my wife Tara is so supportive. She knows this is something I have wanted to do for a long time.
“When we were talking about remodelling the house one of the thins I wanted to put in was a fire pole – she puts up with a lot.
“Everyone who sees it flashes or beeps, or takes pictures. It brings so much happiness to people, it’s that feelgood factor. It transports people back to their childhood.”
The car will be used to help raise funds for charities, such as the Rainbow Trust.