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Reimagined Ecto-1 squeals into Ghostbusters reboot
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Jul 15, 2016
Reimagined Ecto-1 squeals into Ghostbusters reboot
The converted Cadillac hearse is loaded with jury-rigged gear and a warning that parts may fall off
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The converted Cadillac hearse is loaded with jury-rigged gear and a warning that parts may fall off

It’s been 32 years since the Ghostbusters Ecto-1 peeled out of a dilapidated New York City fire station, blue sirens flashing and screaming through the foggy night.

And this weekend, it’s back — updated and hitting the paranormal-infested streets of the big apple yet again in the Ghostbusters reboot— this time with a gaggle of ghost-battling ladies behind the wheel.

Here at Take Two, we ain’t afraid of no ghost. And we ain’t afraid of no slime-splattered hearse either. We're taking a look at the reimagined Ecto-1 and its new two-wheeled companion, the Ecto-2.

"You can not do Ghostbusters without the Ecto-1," Ghostbusters director and co-writer Paul Feig told the web site, MotorAuthority.com. Just like the proton packs, ghost packs and slime, the Ecto-1 was "imperative," he said.

But even though it shares the same name as the 1984 original, the 2016 Ecto-1 is different. It's based on a 1984 Cadillac hearse, rather than a 1959 Cadillac ambulance. Instead of the usual Detroit-issue hood ornament, there's a silver ghost. And there's a ladder to get to all the junk on the roof, including some sort of canister with a caution sticker that reads, “Warning: Parts may fall off.”

Every ghostbusting gadget in the new film has a back story, including the new Ecto-1, which is borrowed from the uncle of the Leslie Jones character, Patty. The uncle 's trademark: He paints all of his hearse roofs red because the dead "should go out in style."

It's Kate McKinnon's character Jillian who "fixes" the hearse by repainting the hearse body white and precariously loading its sagging chassis with quasi high-tech gear.

New to the Ghostbusters film franchise is the Ecto-2 motorcycle, which looks every bit as rickety as its companion car. A vintage dual sport with knobby tires that may or may not gain traction in the slime, the rear fender is loaded with a bin full of junk and its handlebars do double duty for what appear to be rocket launchers.