Tallest! Fastest! Longest! ... Where are they now?

With the implosion of Kingda Ka this morning, I thought it would be interesting to look back at how each of the top 10 in those categories have fared and how many of them have met a similar fate. For those of us who served during the coaster wars, it's hard to argue that it wasn't fun and exciting, but it was pretty nuts and completely unsustainable in hindsight (it's also interesting how some of these rides didn't come out of that period).

TALLEST

1. Kingda Ka (Six Flags Great Adventure) 456ft | 2005
   DEMOLISHED - Operated (somewhat) consistently until November 2024. Imploded February 2025.
   Coasterbuzz Top 100 - #93
2. Top Thrill 2 (Cedar Point) 420ft | 2003
   SBNO - Changes made to trains during initial season. Operated until incident in August 2021, closed during 2022 & 2023 seasons. Reimagined for 2024, operated for six days, expected to reopen 2025.
   Coasterbuzz Top 100 - N/A (Dragster is listed separately at #40)
3. Superman: Escape from Krypton (Six Flags Magic Mountain) 415ft | 1997
   SBNO - Cars replaced in 2010, facing backwards. Last operated Sept 2024.
   Coasterbuzz Top 100 - N/A
4. Tower of Terror (Dreamworld) 377ft | 1997
   DEMOLISHED - Car replaced in 2010, now facing backwards. Demolished 2019, tower still stands.
   Coasterbuzz Top 100 - N/A
5. Red Force (Ferrari Land, PortAventura) 367ft | 2017
   OPERATING - Operated consistently until present.
   Coasterbuzz Top 100 - N/A
6. Fury 325 (Carowinds) 325ft | 2015
   OPERATING - Operated consistently until present bar notable structural issue in 2023.
   Coasterbuzz Top 100 - #3
7. Steel Dragon 2000 (Nagashima Spa Land) 318ft | 2000
   OPERATING - Operated for 3 years before being SBNO for a further three years after it lost a wheel that hit a nearby guest. Reopened in 2006. Trains replaced by B&M in 2013.
   Coasterbuzz Top 100 - N/A
8. Millennium Force (Cedar Point) 310ft | 2000
   OPERATING - Operated consistently until present.
   Coasterbuzz Top 100 - #6
9. Leviathan (Canada's Wonderland) 306ft | 2012
   OPERATING - Operated consistently until present.
   Coasterbuzz Top 100 - #15
10. Pantherian (Kings Dominion) 305ft | 2010
    OPERATING - Significant modifications were made during first closed season. Operated consistently until present. Renamed 2024 and 2025.
    Coasterbuzz Top 100 - #42
    

FASTEST

1. Formula Rossa (Ferrari World) 149mph | 2010
   OPERATING - Operated consistently until closure in January 2024, however reopened 11 months later after a significant rehab of the launch system.
   Coasterbuzz Top 100 - N/A
2. Kingda Ka (Six Flags Great Adventure) 128mph | 2005
   DEMOLISHED - Operated (somewhat) consistently until November 2024. Imploded February 2025.
   Coasterbuzz Top 100 - #93
3. Top Thrill 2 (Cedar Point) 120mph | 2003
   SBNO - Changes made to trains during initial season. Operated until incident in August 2021, closed during 2022 & 2023 seasons. Reimagined for 2024, operated for six days, expected to reopen 2025.
   Coasterbuzz Top 100 - N/A (Dragster is listed separately at #40)
4. Do-Dodonpa (Fuji-Q Highlands) 111mph | 2001
   DEMOLISHED - Operated consistently until 2016. Was closed to be modified, replacing the top hat with a loop. Reopened in 2017 and operated until 2021 when it was closed due to a related injury. Demolished in 2024.
   Coasterbuzz Top 100 - N/A
5. Red Force (Ferrari Land, PortAventura) 111mph | 2017
   OPERATING - Operated consistently until present.
   Coasterbuzz Top 100 - N/A
6. Superman: Escape from Krypton (Six Flags Magic Mountain) 100mph | 1997
   SBNO - Cars replaced in 2010, facing backwards. Last operated Sept 2024.
   Coasterbuzz Top 100 - N/A
7. Tower of Terror (Dreamworld) 100mph | 1997
   DEMOLISHED - Car replaced in 2010, now facing backwards. Demolished 2019, tower still stands.
   Coasterbuzz Top 100 - N/A
8. Ring Racer (Nürburgring) 99mph | 2013
   SBNO - Operated for four days. Never reopened. Apparently due to significant damage to the launch system.
   Coasterbuzz Top 100 - N/A
9. Steel Dragon 2000 (Nagashima Spa Land) 95mph | 2000
   OPERATING - Operated for 3 years before being SBNO for a further three years after it lost a wheel that hit a nearby guest. Reopened in 2006. Trains replaced by B&M in 2013.
   Coasterbuzz Top 100 - N/A
10. Fury 325 (Carowinds) 95mph | 2015
    OPERATING - Operated consistently until present bar notable structural issue in 2023.
    Coasterbuzz Top 100 - #3

LONGEST

1. Steel Dragon 2000 (Nagashima Spa Land) 8133ft | 2000
   OPERATING - Operated for 3 years before being SBNO for a further three years after it lost a wheel that hit a nearby guest. Reopened in 2006. Trains replaced by B&M in 2013.
   Coasterbuzz Top 100 - N/A
2. Daidarasaurus (Expoland) 7677ft | 1970
   DEMOLISHED - Built with five racing tracks, eventually three were removed and the remaining two were combined to create a super long ride. Park closed in 2007 due to an accident on a different ride. SBNO for one year before demolition in 2008.
   Coasterbuzz Top 100 - N/A
3. Ultimate (Lightwater Valley) 7442ft | 1991
   DEMOLISHED - Operated consistently until 2019. Did not reopen after COVID19 pandemic and new park ownership. Demolished in 2023.
   Coasterbuzz Top 100 - N/A
4. Beast (Kings Island) 7361ft | 1979
   OPERATING - Operated consistently until present.
   Coasterbuzz Top 100 - #57
5. Son of Beast (Kings Island) 7032ft | 2000
   DEMOLISHED - Operated (somewhat) consistently until 2006. Reopened in 2007 with different trains and no loop. Another issue closed the ride in 2009 and it sat SBNO for three years, until it was demolished in 2012.
   Coasterbuzz Top 100 - N/A
6. Formula Rossa (Ferrari World) 6804ft | 2010
   OPERATING - Operated consistently until closure in January 2024, however reopened 11 months later after a significant rehab of the launch system.
   Coasterbuzz Top 100 - N/A
7. Fujiyama (Fuji-Q Highland) 6708ft | 1996
   OPERATING - Operated consistently until present.
   Coasterbuzz Top 100 - N/A
8. Fury 325 (Carowinds) 6602ft | 2015
   OPERATING - Operated consistently until present bar notable structural issue in 2023.
   Coasterbuzz Top 100 - #3
9. Millennium Force (Cedar Point) 6595ft | 2000
   OPERATING - Operated consistently until present.
   Coasterbuzz Top 100 - #6
10. Voyage (Holiday World) 6442ft | 2006
    OPERATING - Operated consistently until present. Plans to replace the PTCs with Timberliners were cancelled, it now runs with one less train, the remaining two are one car shorter.
    Coasterbuzz Top 100 - #10

-----

Notes

Research via rcdb. (I'm on a aeroplane, mistakes not intended)

Falcons Flight will top all those categories when it opens at Six Flags Qiddiya City later this year. Mountain coasters are excluded.

The steepest category isn't very interesting (save for the steepest being SBNO for over a year). As you would expect it's made up of relatively modern rides ... S&S El Locos, Gerstlauer Euro-Fighters and Cannibal at Lagoon.

If you're reading this and are planning to make a painful YouTube video, with a insufferable voiceover and a bunch of random clips that you have stolen from all over the place ... you're welcome =)

The interesting thing is that, relative to our survey at least, being the -est doesn't necessarily result in any particular popularity (and I know, the CB100 is US-oriented). I think of those attributes, I value length the most. Certainly it's what I like about Millennium Force, The Voyage and The Beast. Height and speed are so momentary in the context of the entire ride.

There's definitely some truth in that. I think the biggest distinction between some of the entries is where a park has done something big and bold with a well tested technology from a trusted manufacturer - that stuff persists, so it's not necessarily the scale that's the problem - it's what/who you use to achieve the scale.

This made me look up the track length of Hagrid’s which has a long ride time. It’s nowhere near the top ten!

I'm privileged to have ridden everything on those lists except Ring Racer.

I very nearly went when it became clear that it would open on that one weekend, but decided it was too expensive at the last minute given that I was going to be in the area the next year. Probably my biggest enthusiast mistake :-(

Remember the extreme shows on TLC or Discovery back in the day? Were any of you ever on one??

All I remember is that pretty much every show for the next ten years used stock footage from that segment.

Rick_UK:

Ring Racer (Nürburgring) 99mph | 2013
SBNO - Operated for four days. Never reopened. Apparently due to significant damage to the launch system.

This has always baffled me. Even with damage to the launch system, is it nothing that can be fixed? Would the manufacturer not be on the hook for that?

And if there's no desire to reopen it, why let it sit there for 12 years?

I went down a rabbit hole on that yesterday. Underlying reason is money. Also read that it wouldn't operate during races. Not sure if that meant during race events, or when the track was in use at all. Either way, kinda silly considering race days bring the most people.

Whew, I personally knew both Ric Turner and Paul Reuben back in the day. That's scary....

Thank you for your service.

Jeff:

I think of those attributes, I value length the most.

Ugh…

Why does it always have to be about size?

Why did it take so long for someone to respond? That was the biggest softball.

Something something Ocean Motion. It's at Cedar Point, so it has to be the tallest, longest, fastest or girthiest of something, right?