“If there’s something strange in your neighborhood. Who ya gonna call? Ghostbusters! » The first notes of Ray Parker Jr’s song sound like a rallying cry for the many fans of the “Ghostbusters” film franchise.
The Trojan Éric Robin pushed the passion even further. He owns one of the rare replicas of Ecto-1, the car with which Peter Venkman and the Ghostbusters team go hunting. The dream he lived all these years, he now wants another person to live it. The collector recently put the vehicle up for auction on the eBay site.
After more than ten years at the wheel of Ecto-1, Éric Robin obviously has a pang in his heart at the idea of parting with it, as this car has given him extraordinary and sometimes unusual adventures. “It’s a 1959 Cadillac,” he explains. I bought it in France but it wasn’t running at the time. The engine was broken and there were steering problems. Only part of the vehicle had been customized and it was not very realistic. » L’Aubois did not count his hours to make this hearse, originally, the almost perfect replica of Ecto-1.
People jump on him
He has participated in numerous exhibitions in France and abroad such as in Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. “Most of the time, I put the vehicle together on a flatbed. It’s an old car and I wasn’t sure I’d make it! On the other hand, for short trips, I went on the road but it was not ideal. People came up to me to take a photo or simply admire the car. » With all the risks that this entails. “I have already seen someone get into a pile in these conditions…” regrets Éric Robin.
During an event in Paris, he had the chance to meet Dan Aykroyd, one of the actors of the very first film in the franchise, who also appeared in the following ones. In addition to playing Dr. Raymond Stantz, Ray for short, he is one of the screenwriters of the first opus. “He came to Paris to promote his brand of vodka, the one whose bottle is a skull (Crystal Head), says Éric Robin. We drove around Paris in the car and he allowed me to film. »
Six vehicles worldwide
If he decided to put his emblematic car up for sale, it was also due to lack of time and space. The Trojan owns a Bumblebee Camaro, the one from the Transformers saga, currently under construction, and the Ford Explorer from the Jurassic Park saga. He also had in his hands the Ford Gran Torino from the “Starsky and Hutch” series. And in project? “My dream would be the DeLorean from “Back to the Future.” I have a friend who has one and I have already been able to ride it. » When Marty McFly goes hunting for the evil Bibendum from “Ghostbusters”…
It is not a matter of money but Éric Robin does not intend to sell off Ecto-1. “I had offers from China! I said no because it is too far and my wish is that the vehicle remains in France. The buyer profile is important. There is no point in having the car left in the garage. The goal is to benefit as many people as possible. » On Wednesday January 15, a few hours before the auction closed on eBay, the reserve price (55,300 euros) had still not been reached.
“For example, the same model was sold for $222,000 (215,500 euros) in the United States but I’m not asking for that price. » A unique model in France, the Ecto-1 Auboise is one of six rolling replicas of the film car in the world. If it does not find a buyer immediately, Ecto-1 will be put back on sale in February. “Before, I have a performance to honor for Sony,” says Éric Robin. More than forty years after its launch on the big screen, ghost hunting is still a hit.