Universal Studios Hollywood targets 2026 for new Fast & Furious roller coaster
Posted
From the emailed press release:
Universal Studios Hollywood announces its first-ever, high-speed outdoor roller coaster “Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift” will join the theme park family in 2026.
The dynamic new thrill ride, themed to Universal Pictures’ blockbuster film saga, Fast & Furious, will elevate the guest experience with innovative and technological achievements never previously employed in a roller coaster.
The state-of-the-art ride system is being uniquely designed to immerse guests within the high-speed Fast & Furious universe. Highlights will include groundbreaking 360-degree rotation of the individual ride vehicles as they rocket along an elaborate track meticulously constructed with sound reduction technology for a breathtaking, superior experience. These attributions will create a seamless sensation of drifting cars as guests spin in motion at furiously fast speeds.
“As a premier entertainment theme park destination with a rich history in immersing guests in incredible rides based on today’s most inspiring movie, television and gaming properties, we are excited to introduce our very first, high-speed outdoor roller coaster,” said Scott Strobl, Executive Vice President & General Manager, Universal Studios Hollywood. “As Universal Studios Hollywood continues to evolve, the arrival of ‘Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift’ will be a powerful game changer that will infuse a new level of thrill into our already dynamic theme park, and we look forward to welcoming guests when it races onto the scene in 2026.”
“Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift” will be located on the Upper Lot of Universal Studios Hollywood. Guests will queue up within a large, red brick, garage-style structure before settling into the ride vehicles, modeled after several authentic cars featured in the films, and catapulting along an aerial track that winds its way over parts of the theme park.
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I wonder if by "spinning" they mean controlled like Guardians. I thought maybe that was Disney proprietary, but if not, perhaps Vekoma had a short exclusivity clause before they could make others.
Jeff - Editor - CoasterBuzz.com - My Blog
I was under the impression that it would be a controlled motion that simulates drifting, aka, kicking the rear end out at an angle. I was thinking more of a glorified Whip type sensation, but on a high speed coaster.
But now I'm not sure. I do not care for spinning coasters. (I have not ridden Guardians or Time Traveler with their "controlled" spins.) The layout of this looks great, but the unofficial POV looks potentially nauseating.
I'd love it if they offered one stationary car.
Another way Universal plans to limit noise from traveling to nearby communities is through the ride vehicles themselves, which can aim thrill-seekers away from neighbors. These ride vehicles can rotate 360 degrees, the website said, “providing the ability to turn and program vehicles away from the community at key scream moments.”
Chat GPT will never replace Marketing as long as they continue to come up with gems such as "key scream moments."
Isn’t this the Intamin MDC (Multi-Dimensional Coaster) with controlled (motorized) spinning?
and why aren’t we talking about the 2026 timeline???
Tommytheduck:
(I have not ridden Guardians or Time Traveler with their "controlled" spins.)
I know Guardians is fully controlled. I thought Time Traveller was free spinning with a few kicks here and there.
Hobbes: "What's the point of attaching a number to everything you do?"
Calvin: "If your numbers go up, it means you're having more fun."
CreditWh0re:
why aren’t we talking about the 2026 timeline?
They are building on a challenging hillside in an earthquake prone area so I am not surprised.
eightdotthree:
They are building on a challenging hillside in an earthquake prone area
> Rip Ride Rockit
I get that it's a challenging location, full of geotechnical concerns. But vertical construction began at least as far back as October of 2023 along with work on that hillside. They're pouring footers now for supports and that's a climate that allows for year round construction.
This just seems like a VERY long construction schedule.
Jeff:
I wonder if by "spinning" they mean controlled like Guardians. I thought maybe that was Disney proprietary, but if not, perhaps Vekoma had a short exclusivity clause before they could make others.
Disney has a patent on the specific method used for powering the spinning on Guardians, but controlled spinning coasters have been around since at least 1997 (Euro Mir). Hopefully Intamin has come up with something that both doesn't infringe on Disney's patent and doesn't result in the trains catching fire.
CreditWh0re:
This just seems like a VERY long construction schedule.
Patience. They build their ride a quarter mile at a time.
Universal learned the hard way with Hagrids that Intamin coasters need a ton of “rehearsal” time to squash all the bugs.
PhantomTails:
All parks learn the hard way with their new Intamins that Intamin coasters need a ton of “rehearsal” time to squash all the bugs and even then they will still oftentimes be unreliable.
Fixed that for you.
*Velocicoaster not included
CreditWh0re:
This just seems like a VERY long construction schedule.
It don’t matter whether you construct by an inch or a mile.
Tommytheduck:
I was under the impression that it would be a controlled motion that simulates drifting, aka, kicking the rear end out at an angle. I was thinking more of a glorified Whip type sensation, but on a high speed coaster.
I'm really trying to summon the member berries here, but weren't Italian Job Stunt Coaster trains supposed to do this, but it never came to be?
MF Crew 2006
Magnum's 3rd hill is the best airtime hill out of all the coasters in the world!
I have no idea, that was a long time ago.
But...
Those were Mini Coopers loaded down with gold. Yeah, they souped them up and all, but I still don't remember any drifting in that movie. Mainly because I don't really remember the details of the chase scenes. I actually really like the movie, just not down to the details of whether they drift or not.
I honestly am surprised that more parks don't consider Zierer as an option. Verbolten has two launches, a drop track, and runs all year long, and I've almost never seen it go down, let alone have major downtime.
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