The 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor was just another relic of a bygone era until Dan Aykroyd wrote his script for Ghostbusters. In it, he described in ridiculous detail the “Ecto 1”: all black, stuffed with loads of black lights and electronics, and able to carry all the gear the Ghostbusters required.

An ad for the 1959 Millers Meteor limo and hearse builds. Photo: GBfans.com

The film’s producer, Steven Dane, a fabricator (credited as “Hardware Consultant” in the film), took Aykroyd’s idea and made it a reality, though it wound up white after Laszlo Kovacs noted most of the movie would take place at night, obligating a lighter color. The ridiculous yet eye-catching design would result in the original “Ecto 1.”

Three cars were used in the film: one used in the pre-Ecto 1 conversion scenes, Ecto 1, and Ecto 1a. The latter of these, which was used in the sequel, is the one that has become a matter of salvation from the scrap yard.

GBfans.com, a website devoted to love of the franchise, wants the barn find–or rather, studio find–car rescued and restored to its original looks. To that end, they have started a petition to save the iconic ambulance.

Directed at Sony Pictures, which owns the dilapidated car, the petition asks that since the studio is already contemplating selling the car at scrap value to a junkyard, that they do so instead to GBfans.com, and give the car a second chance. They’ve set their sights on 10,000 signatures, and as of now, they’re at the halfway point.

We here at Rod Authority hate to see any car, let alone the Ecto 1a, wind up as a steel cube and sent off to the furnace. Click here to show your support for the Ecto 1a, and help keep the Grim Reaper’s grip off of this car.

The car in its current state: a hole in the windshield, dented hood, and the original light bar. Nothing a little elbow grease can’t fix.