Cast-offs, Spare Parts Used To Create Replica Of Ghostbusters' Ectomobile In Seminole

SEMINOLE, FL — Ahead of the release of the new "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" movie by Columbia Pictures Thursday, a fan of the original 1984 film starring Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray has unveiled his own version of “Ecto-1," the ghost-busting team's distinctive ride.

Ralph Neuberger, owner of TopGun Automotive auto repair and custom installation shop, 8592 Seminole Blvd., in Seminole, took advantage of the lull in business during the coronavirus pandemic to convert a 2005 Dodge Magnum into the iconic Ghostbusters Ectomobile, using spare parts and a lot of imagination.

"I've always been a big fan of the movie, but building a Ghostbusters vehicle was never in my plans," said Neuberger. "Then one day I was hanging out with my friend Patrick Alonso who loved firetrucks, and we were looking up places to buy old fire trucks."

While searching the internet, the two men came across a 1958 Miller-Meteor Cadillac hearse, the same model used to create Ecto-1 for the original "Ghostbusters" movie.

"They wanted $30,000 for it," Neuberger said.

While they weren't about to invest that amount of money to simply fulfill a boyhood dream, the two men began discussing ways they could create their own version of the Ectomobile.

"Before we could act on it, Patrick passed away suddenly three months later from a heart attack," said Neuberger.

Neuberger's enthusiasm for recreating the Ghostbusters' vehicle waned with the death of his friend until a customer happened to bring a 2005 Dodge Magnum with a non-working engine by his shop.

"I bought it off him for $400, wondering what I was going to do with this thing," Neuberger said. "Then one day I was scrolling through a Ghostbusters Facebook group and saw a Magnum in Wisconsin that someone had turned into the Ectomobile. I thought, 'This is what I'll do with the car.'"

Working with David Butts, the custom installation manager at TopGun Automotive, Neuberger spent about a year and a half transforming the Dodge in his spare time.

"It was all done on a budget using stuff I had around the shop," he said. "The paint job, which cost $400, was the most expensive part of the project. Everything except the police light bars were built from scratch using PVC, fittings, electrical boxes, old trailer lights. I couldn’t have done this without David’s amazing lighting skills. He shared my crazy vision and helped me bring it to life.”

Neuberger admits the results of their efforts were more impressive than he expected.

He's dubbed his replica "the “EctoMag." Its colorful, flashing lights are loaded with enough watts and motion to make more than ghosts move out of the way. The highlight was the transformation of an old shelf Neuberger had lying around his automotive shop into a roof rack equipped with a realistic facsimile of the Ectomobile's sirens, modified compressed air tanks and even a spinning PKE (psychokinetic energy) detection array.

Neuberger brought his creation to a few Halloween parties last month and drove it through the streets of Seminole, and said he was amazed at the reaction.

“It’s great seeing people’s eyes light up when they see it,” he said, who even purchased a replica Ghostbusters uniform to wear when he's driving the vehicle. “People honk, take videos and just smile when they see it. It's kind of nice. It’s exactly the type of fun, positive thing people need right now, and we’re happy to share it.”

His efforts haven't escaped the attention of local Ghostbusters fanatics. The Suncoast Ghostbusters contacted Neuberger to invite him to bring his Ectomobile to some of the promotional events and premieres the group is participating in during the release of the film in cinemas this weekend.

Residents can check out Neuberger's handiwork for themselves at the Shoppes at Park Place, 7400 U.S. 19, Pinellas Park, Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m. for the premiere of the film at Regal Park Place Stadium 16 & RPX. The Suncoast Ghostbusters will have free movie posters to give away, both full-size and mini, while supplies last. And fans can take photos with the team in their full Ghostbusters' gear with the Ectomobile replicas.

Neuberger and his EctoMag will also be at Emerald City Comics at 4902 113th Ave. N, Clearwater, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Neuberger also invites fans to stop by TopGun Automotive to see and take photos with the EctoMag.

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From director Jason Reitman and producer Ivan Reitman, who directed the original movie, "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" is the next chapter in "Ghostbusters" and "Ghostbusters II, released in 1989.

The original movies were written by Dan Aykroyd and the late Harold Ramis, and starred Aykroyd, Ramis, Bill Murray, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis, Ernie Hudson and Annie Potts.

Aykroyd, Murray, Weaver, Hudson and Potts reunite in "Ghostbusters: Afterlife," about a single mom and her two kids who arrive in a small town and discover their connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind.