1964 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Ambulance Review - A 20-Foot-Long Piece Of History!

[@bazilwreckerloughead]

It's kinda neat that a car from the 60s, with faded paint, bare & ripped interior & no exhaust is one of the coolest cars I've seen in a long time!

[@fortheloveofnoise]

that is why it is

[@billmacdonald2553]

That looks more like a converted hearse with those rollers and the tracks of holes for the locking bolt pin things that held caskets in place.

[@DSP1968]

It's great to see you review a Miller-Meteor Cadillac. FYI, the reason that we don't see car-based emergency vehicles any longer is due to some Federal regulations that took effect around 1977-78 which effectively required truck or van-based emergency vehicles. There is a great book called "Miller-Meteor: the Completed Illustrated History" which covers the history and products of the company and its predecessors.

[@JonathanMoosey]

Actually there was no one specific piece of legislation mandating (at least at the federal level) that ambulances be built on truck based platforms. What happened is that the full size Cadillacs and other cars were downsized and therefore were simply not big enough to handle the duties of an ambulance. The current truck based ambulances are a lot more roomier so the EMTs have a lot more room to work with.

[@cardinaloflannagancr8929]

Before 1969 there were no paramedics anywhere in america. Ambulances were purely transport done by advanced first aid ambulance attendants. So there was no real need to have room to do much as doing so could get them fired and or potentially sued. The many of the earliest paramedics were part of fire departments. There is actually a older tv show series Emergency! that shows all about it. Several of the actors became lifelong advocates for paramedics to expand across the country, one even became a paramedic after. There was no legislation regarding vehicle type. There was legislation however which transitioned ambulance transport with only the approval to do basic first aid into paramedics.

[@dtay8913]

I'd rock this car as a daily unironically

[@bwofficial1776]

Cadillac should have made wagons.

[@JeffBolen]

My uncle , who has passed a while back, used to work at Miller-Meteor in Piqua Ohio. He put on the vinyl tops

[@nlpnt]

They use vinyl tops to this day, long after they passed from fashion, since it was easier than metal finishing a welded join in a stretched roof.

[@nlpnt]

The front seat is from a Dodge van, I recognize the matching seat belts in particular as Mopar parts.

[@trekzilladmc]

It just needs some suspension work.... and shocks, and uh, brakes, brake pads, linings, steering box, transmission, rear end, maybe new rings, also mufflers, a little wiring.

[@ShootingCars]

Only $4800!

[@cavemanjoe79]

Ironic, because I’m watching that movie right now.

[@630Cars]

We love the bizarre cars Zack!

[@nlpnt]

My favorite detail is the "Siren Brake" button, which literally activated a brake to stop the spinning mechanical siren. All obsolete technology, all would be very cool to see and hear working.

[@robertradley3043]

You still see them in fire engines that have a Federal Q siren

[@thesam19841]

An interesting fact a lot of small town places used the ambulance as a hearse, which is why you'll find this ambulance was painted black. It preformed double duty and probably had curtains or blinds at one point

[@macelius]

I'd imagine a crafty undertaker would be likely to buy an old ambulance and refit it.

[@Trance88]

I think the biggest difference is what an ambulance was then vs what it was a few years later. Ambulances in the 1970's and earlier were pretty much just emergency transport vehicles. They didn't have any equipment in the vehicle to actually tend to the person. They literally had to wait until they got to the hospital to actually provide care to the person. Since the1970's ambulances basically became emergency rooms on wheels and needed more space for the medical professionals to actually care for the person during transport.

[@kct1975]

That is exactlly what I was going to say as well!

[@RickHowland-q6l]

From a retired Mortician, Ambulance EMS. That is a hearse ambulace combo. This comes from a time funeral homes provided Ambulance Service to the local communities. Most of these had two generators. One to run the lights and siren and the other for the car. The rollers are for a casket and the holes are for a paddle that holds the casket in place. A cool find.

[@danielulz1640]

Interesting that, though the 65 model year, all Fleetwood 75 and commercial chassis were based on 1959 architecture.

[@vaagamundt4869]

I wondered what happened to this one! I was in contact with the seller when it was for sale. I could see the potential in it. SUCH a gorgeous car. I'm so glad they got it back on the road again. Thanks for doing this video and keeping the Ecto 1 references to a minimum. These cars are, to your point rolling automobile history.

[@joshuawang5859]

It deserves a decent restoration~

[@FriedAudio]

Very interesting that on that '64 Caddy ambulance, its vestigial fins are chrome trimmed. A 1964 Series 62 say, didn't have chromed fins. Also, the left-over 1959 glass and pillars. Very cool.

[@meadmaker4525]

Absolutely beautiful car!! She needs someone to give her lots of love and bring her back to the shiny, rust-free state she deserves to be in, though. Would love to own one someday.

[@MillerMeteor74]

The Hydramatic is a 4 speed. The 1-2 shift is barely noticeable, and if you don't already know about it, you won't notice. That car appears to be a combination hearse/ambulance. In the rear compartment you have reversible casket rollers. When the car was doing duty as an ambulance the rollers were flipped over so you have a flat floor, as they were in your video. Funeral directors often ran ambulance service, and the combination hearse/ambulances were perfect for that. 40 years ago I owned a 1963 Superior, but it was a straight hearse, not an ambulance or combination car. That car had the original 390 and Hydramatic. I had to get used to it having reverse all the way to the right on the selector, instead of between Park and Neutral. I bought it from a guy who had been delivering auto parts with it. That car is definitely a rolling piece of history. Thanks.

[@aussiefurbymogwaifan6621]

This car also looks to be a Superior too

[@MillerMeteor74]

@@aussiefurbymogwaifan6621 Well he refers to it as a Miller-Meteor. I would have to watch the video again to be sure, but I think I remember him showing the Miller-Meteor emblems on the side of the car. It's been 4 months since I left my comment, so I don't remember.

[@sprprops1]

Yes this is a superior

[@RedneckHillbilly-ho9md]

Back when the only purpose of an ambulance was to throw the patient in the back and run them to the hospital standing on it.

[@AlexR2648]

Paramedics weren't in most states until the 70s, in those days you were lucky if the ambulance attendant knew first aid.

[@MichaelOKeefe2009]

"This Cadillac Ambulance was how Paitent Transport Used To Be" - Doug DeMuro

[@ExKUKicker]

As a funeral professional for 38 years and one that owns a 1974 S & S Combination Coach/Ambulance...this 64' looks to be that...a combination. Many small towns prior to the late 70's ran the ambulance service along with using the coach i.e. hearse for their funeral business. Several of these professional cars had the light/siren panel on the dash as an option by the Coach Co. You can see the casket rollers in the rear giving way to the thought that this is, infact, a combination. Great video by the way!👍

[@TrentBrenneman]

Superior Coach Corporation (Sheller-Globe) also built these. Known as combination vehicles. It could either be an Ambulance and/or a Hearse depending on the specific usage of it.

[@aussiefurbymogwaifan6621]

Yeah, isn't this actually a Superior?

[@TrentBrenneman]

@@aussiefurbymogwaifan6621Miller-Meteor was owned by Wayne Corporation, not Superior.

[@aussiefurbymogwaifan6621]

@@TrentBrenneman no (I know it was owned by Wayne corp), but I meant the coach in this video is actually a Superior

[@TrentBrenneman]

@@aussiefurbymogwaifan6621 Cool, I didn’t realize that.

[@sprprops1]

Yes this is a Superior not a Miller-Meteor

[@macelius]

Judging by the paint job on the engine, it looks like somebody might be on their way to building a Ghost Busters Ectomobile tribute car theirs was a '59 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Sentinel. You should come drive my '61 GM PD-4106 ex-Greyhound bus! :)

[@aussiefurbymogwaifan6621]

Yeah it always irked me whenever they called it a "deplex" when that name wasn't used in any of the brochures, but I think it might of appeared on the vin plates I have read somewhere (although ecto's vin plate dosen't have anything that says "duplex"). The par lights on the car, that came with the it when the studio first brought it, I have a feeling they could of originally been the optional "full vu" lights (where the current par 46s are) that appear on the sentinel in the Miller-Meteor brochures for 1959. Also as Halloween hunters has pointed out, the coach is actually a Superior, but 1963 to 1964 seem to be more difficult to identify which coachwork belongs to who

[@tedfreakinray]

This is awesome! I love these unconventional reviews. Keep em coming!

[@brandonperry1571]

Great video and awesome car! I like how you not only show the vehicles and present their histories, but you also make them relatable to the viewers. You have a new subscriber my friend! I will try to get you more.

[@errorsofmodernism7331]

When my next door neighbor had a heart attack in 1968 they picked him up in one of these. The procedure was they would drive as fast as they could to get you to the hospital. He ended up dying.

[@williamsinger4124]

I see alot of Ghostbusters references but this car, or one similar was also in the movie the warriors. "Ohh warriors, come out and play"

[@skuula]

Danish ambulances also used to be modded big Mercedes Benz wagons into the 1980s.

[@Mintman83]

My dad drove one of those, he also was an ambulance driver in the army.

[@Autobotmech]

Love the nods to Ghostbusters heh ^^ Keep up the awesome reviews.

[@Aschoolbusandsimulatorfan2219]

Awesome job Zack!

[@HalloweenHunters]

Just to let you know, This is actually a superior coach. Not a Miller meteor . And it’s not technically an ambulance it’s what’s known as a combination coach used as an ambulance and a hearse. Mostly used by small towns that didn’t want to spend money on a hearse and ambulance. And the flip rollers are for a casket when it was used as a hearse. And the flat part of the roller is what is used for the gurney to roll over. Nice video and sweet ride😎🤘🏼

[@aussiefurbymogwaifan6621]

Noticed that it was a Superior too, but it's a bit harder to differentiate which coach builder was who in the 64/63 model years

[@teigjames8076]

I have almost the exact same car, built by Superior. I rescued it from a field in Wyoming where it was about to be crushed for scrap.

[@bwofficial1776]

That's a rare find. Most of these have been destroyed or turned into Ghostbusters replicas. The patina is cool but it would be fun to restore this and run lights and sirens at sanctioned events. In many places the town's ambulance doubled as the hearse which may be why this is painted black and doesn't have a fiberglass raised roof with additional lights like many car-based ambulances. Kind of spooky. Cadillac should have built wagons. I like the proportions. Imagine this massive wagon with a two-tone paint job pulling up to the country club in 1964. By the way, you have to honk the horn whenever you're in an old Cadillac. You'll think there's a train horn under the hood. A guy down the street from me used to have an almost exact Ghostbusters replica. The movie cars were 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor ambulancess, his was a '60 Cadillac with an Eureka ambulance body. Every Halloween he'd go tearing around the neighborhood with lights and sirens blazing.

[@MrJayrock620]

Surprised there’s no ashtrays in the back Lol. I think I’d rather own a hearse though, at least I know no one died in it.

[@macelius]

Pretty sure the original sedan had ashtrays AND lighters for every passenger, at least my friend's '60s one did.

[@MrJayrock620]

@@macelius I’ve actually seen pictures of paramedics and patients smoking in the back of these ambulances

[@AlexR2648]

Ambulance or combination car?

[@TooManyHobbiesJeremy]

Combination, the rollers are for a casket.

[@TheBarth79]

Great ride.

[@DOWNTOWN_AUDIO]

Imagine using that as a demo vehicle for a car stereo shop! You could install a massive and crazily cool system in that thing, and turn it into a bloody work of art!

[@paputnam1]

Wayne Corp, hmmm. Would this be the same company that built school busses?

[@ShootingCars]

That wasn’t in my research, but I wouldn’t be surprised. They were buying up coach builders from sea to shining sea!

[@danielulz1640]

Yes.

[@sprprops1]

This is a Superior coach, not a Miller-Meteor. Superior did make school buses. Zach did zero research and it is no surprise he botched this video so badly.

[@embalmer80]

Neat video, but this combination coach is a Superior Royal Combination, built by the Superior Coach Company in Lima Ohio.

[@jdwarferc3754]

Similar model as Ghostbusters it seems I love it but this one would need a bit of refreshing IMO

[@gertstolk]

A true work of art ❤

[@vincentblue6756]

Even we’re in ghosts busters

[@AR-wh2vp]

A great video! Throughly enjoyed this video. Thank you.

[@santaanaroadwildman3614]

They need to restore that!

[@steveafanador6441]

That thing is super cool 😀👍👍

[@scabbythecrownvic]

Chevy Suburban Ambulance: Am I a joke to you?

[@sybsygstgstsgysg5330]

Yessir Zack be reviewing more cool cars than Doug demuro

[@stevelavely]

That was a dual purpose ambulance/hearse.

[@fortheloveofnoise]

That is how the paint looks on my 98 Nissan Sentra.

[@dejulesb974]

RustBusters! We're ready to repair you!

[@Miami543210]

It was also useful if you had a problem with ghosts

[@James-mw6se]

Awesome job zack

[@JaceD4V1S88]

i told my self if i couldnt get a 59 then a 63 or 64 would do. Would definitely ectofy one of these

[@redneon06]

Do more like this! 🎉

[@dave11686]

So cool

[@sarahdentongirlynoiino0lon5]

That is the ecto-1 from Ghostbusters

[@poomsiraprapasiri8448]

Another "iconic" ambulance which you probably don't see too many in the US is the Volvo 240 estate-based version.

[@fatu1738]

Wow!!!! The car beat you up, it wasn't a beat up lol!

[@AlbanyHermes]

Ghostbusters!

[@jamesstuart3346]

In that era there would be no "medical professionals" aboard an ambulance -- just two guys to load the victim (sorry patient) in and out

[@wiscoshenanigans]

Amazing video !!

[@keithwindham4756]

Keith I have a 1949 ponatic car 4 door in Detroit Michigan come out and look at it

[@rogerb5615]

That beast looks a lot like ECTO-1.

[@That_AMC_Guy]

Are you sure it was an Ambulance & not a hearse?

[@danielulz1640]

Probably a combo unit. In smaller towns, the local Funeral Home provided ambulance service.

[@Daniel28021991]

Sooo cool

[@Dankcatvacs]

beyond WOW awesome but terrifying

[@kevbrown1867]

This is not a Miller Meteor Ambulance it is a Superior Royale hearse/ambulance combo

[@samorowell535]

who ya gonna call?

[@ДжереміСалазар]

The ECTO-1

[@TheUnknown-mg8fv]

The Warriors or Ghostbusters?

[@homeofchrome]

That’s a Superior. Not a Miller-Meteor.

[@kevbrown1867]

This would have been a combo ambulance hearse and back in the day they didn’t really have the paramedics and equipment they have now so didn’t need much space just scoop up the patient and drive as fast as you can to the hospital. Cadillac back then sold a commercial chassis with just the front and back and different coach builders would build on top , these were hand built and as expensive back then as a Rolls Royce Hard to believe that they get neglected so much considering what they were worth new this one looks like it has been sitting at the bottom of the ocean for the last 40 years what’s wrong with people ? Cadillac stopped building the commercial chassis back in the 70s so today coach builders have to buy complete Cadillacs and cut them in half welding in frame extensions and sticking a fibreglass body on top . The new coaches are not as well built as the old ones and no where near as gorgeous .

[@celsovera91]

Who you gonna call

[@bid84]

Your sister

[@kennethrusso-v1x]

hi sorry that car is NOT a Miller-Meteor its a superior built brand

[@RedBird7]

I feel this car must be hunted

[@Tahoe95]

Ambulance? It looks like a hearse

[@gregorylatiak3333]

My 66 calais with the 429 could chirp the tires at 100mph if your floored it.

[@JeffFrmJoisey]

Hmmm… Interesting how the A-Pillars, windshield and front doors are from a 1959-62 Caddy.

[@danielulz1640]

59-60. 61-62 had a straighter A pillar.

[@normalizedaudio2481]

Full gas tank. Nice patina. I would dig into it. Go for it and clear coat.

[@JOEMAMA_06]

I know it's cringe But FIRST! 🙋

[@sprprops1]

Its not even a Miller-Meteor. Its a Superior. What a joke. You obviously don't do any research on the vehicles you review.

[@johnbaker6572]

I didn’t think this was Miller Meteor either. There would be an MM badge on the back fender of either side, and also the gas tank door would be on the driver’s side. There was a cheesy horror movie in the 70’s called “Let’s scare Jessica to death” that cruised around a 64 MM throughout the movie.

[@sprprops1]

It's not a Miller-Meteor, it's a superior

[@SilentHillFetishist]

Does it have multiple belt hooks to secure freight?

[@X69x69oooo]

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[@bwofficial1776]

Sure, whatever. How about you try that again in English?

[@X69x69oooo]

@bwofficial1776 no englesh Herr illleegol vork 8 day weak Thank you Mr Biden

[@wigletron2846]

Excellent

[@dettespaghetti5412]

Who you gonna call