More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
A replica of the iconic car which starred in the original film version of Ghostbusters is set to make its own comeback from the dead - in Twydall.
For the last 10 years, the Cadillac hearse has sat under tarpaulin languishing on a driveway on a housing estate.
But now after a catalogue of heartbreak, its owner Ross Hutchinson has decided to restore it to its former glory.
And he is spurred on by his four-year-old son Felix who is a number one fan of the smash hit movie and all the paraphernalia.
Ross, 41, and his younger brother Ryde grew up together sharing a love of old cars and films and had a collection of vintage vehicles.
Then in 2001 Ryde was trawling the internet and he came across a 1959 Miller Meteor duplex as featured in the first Ghostbusters film in 1984.
It was in good running order but at £20,000 was slightly out of their budget.
But by taking out a loan and selling another car, the brothers stumped up the cash and got it shipped over.
Their father, John Hutchinson, was a dab hand at mechanics so the project did not prove too difficult or expensive.
But the following year tragedy hit the family.
Ryde, his girlfriend and some friends, were driving back from London in heavy rain when their car lost control and spun into oncoming traffic on the A2 at Deptford. All of them, including Ryde, who was 18, died at the scene.
Special needs teacher Ross said: "In the midst of the upset, we knew one thing. We wanted our car, the car he loved to carry him to his funeral.
"My dad and I worked flat out to get her it in a good enough state to be road-worthy."
The vehicle painted red and white and with a red flashing light in the roof, carried Ryde's coffin to Holy Trinity Church, Twydall, and then on to Medway Crematorium at Blue Bell Hill.
Members of the community also pulled together to get the "Caddy" up and running and after Ryde's death it made appearances at charity events, school fairs and church fetes.
Then in 2006 heartbreak struck again with the news that Ross's father had lung cancer.
He passed away three years later.
Ross moved back to his mother's home in Goudhurst Road and sold his car at the time - an 1971 Eldorado - with the intention of putting the proceeds towards the restoration.
He said: "But that never happened. The "Caddy" got parked on my mother's driveway, still with some of the tools inside and exactly where my dad had set them down.
"That seems like a long time ago. I now have a partner, a daughter and son.
"Unsurprisingly both my children are huge fans of Ghostbusters and have inherited many of mine and my brother's toys, plus many of the new ones that are out. But neither know about the real thing parked up at their grandmother's house.
"I still have a white 1960 Chevrolet Impala which I hire out for weddings. My son loves it to pieces.
"All this has made me realise I owe it to him as well as my brother and dad to get back on with the car and find a way of getting it finished.
"I have this fanciful notion of surprising him with it outside his school."
Ross said: "Over the years, it has become a bit of a local landmark.
"There is an outpouring of interest I've received from the community and a good many businesses have played a part in getting parts fixed or replicated."
His aim is complete the project by the time the new Ghostbusters film is due to be released in July next year.
