There’s something you don’t see every day…
Nicky Ferrara, 38, offers unique tours in Manhattan with his “Ghostbusters” car, visiting famous spots from the movie, the New York Post reported Sunday. The tour landmarks include the New York Public Library, Tavern on the Green, and Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, where the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man appeared. He also keeps the car stocked with Ghostbusters equipment for fan photos.
A private tour costs $850 for two, plus $100 for each additional person, while group tours are $275 each, the New York Post reported. Ferrara’s business has also caught the eye of Sony Pictures, which has given him the nod to operate his business.
Who ya gonna call? NJ dad tours NYC’s iconic ‘Ghostbusters’ filming locations in $125K hearse he painstakingly restored https://t.co/OFHKMbGDGq pic.twitter.com/NgtYK52Ifi
— New York Post (@nypost) March 24, 2024
“I floated the idea of tours with Sony and they’re like, ‘we’re good, that’s fine’ it just can’t be in any short films or movies,” Ferrara said, New York Post stated.
Ferrara built the famous Ecto-1 car from the movie, which he started with a 1959 Cadillac hearse he found on eBay for $55,000. He has spent about $125,000 on this project, according to New York Post. Ferrara scoured the country for rare parts by visiting junkyards. He also visited Sony Pictures Studio in California, where he closely examined the original car to guarantee his replica’s accuracy. (RELATED: New ‘Ghostbusters’ Trailer Doesn’t Look As Shockingly Awful As You Might Imagine)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 15: A view of the GhostBusters car at the GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE World Premiere on November 15, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Sony Pictures)
“I watched the movie a gazillion times to piece together the car but I wanted to get the exact measurements for the roof rack,” Ferrara said. Using a tape measure and a selfie stick, Ferrara took detailed photos of the car’s roof to perfectly replicate it. He gathered different parts, including brackets and lights from an ’80s police car and a siren from a ’60s fire truck, turning his Landau into a true-to-life, working Ecto-1, the New York Post reported.
Ferrara has set his sights on adding more famous movie cars to his tour offerings. He’s looking at the DeLorean from “Back to the Future,” the Ford Explorer from “Jurassic Park,” and a Volkswagen van from “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” to turn into a pizza truck, according to the New York Post. Ferrara believes he’s just keeping these iconic cars for the fans.