It’s only January, but Universal Orlando has already announced a major attraction coming to its Studios park for the following year: Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift. Among the scant details released is that the new roller coaster will include a 170-foot vertical spike–so it will be a major, kick-ass, thrill ride (as is Universal’s wont). Like the same-named counterpart that will be opening this year at Universal Studios Hollywood, the attraction will be themed to Universal Studios’ wildly popular “Fast & Furious” franchise (obviously).
Universal Studios Florida has already been capitalizing on the Vin Diesel series with Fast & Furious – Supercharged. As in Hollywood, which featured a similar immersion tunnel attraction as the finale of its Studio Tour, the Florida ride will close down in anticipation of the new coaster. Which is just as well. Supercharged on both coasts was decidedly meh. As I wrote in a recent review of the Fast & Furious ride, a coaster–especially a high-thrill one–would make a heckuva lot more sense to showcase Dom Toretto and his “family’s” world of auto racing.
As for the high thrills, in-the-know rcdb.com claims Florida’s Hollywood Drift will rev up to 72 mph, which is the same speed as the California coaster. That would make it the fastest and tallest coaster at Universal Orlando–but not in the theme park capital of the world. Mako at SeaWorld Orlando hits 73 mph, and the even more furious Iron Gwazi at Busch Gardens Tampa accelerates to 76 mph. In terms of height, Florida thrill machines Iron Gwazi, Mako, and the 200-foot-tall SheiKra at Busch Gardens Tampa will all tower over the new Fast & Furious ride.
While it will share the same name as the California coaster, it’s unclear what else the Florida ride will share. It will almost surely feature the same 360-degree spinning capability to simulate the car-crazy family’s penchant for souped-up “drifting” autos. (The coaster is called Hollywood Drift after all.) It will also likely be manufactured by Intamin, the European company responsible for the West Coast version of the ride as well as Universal Orlando standouts, Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure and VelociCoaster.
The announced 170-foot spike pretty much guarantees that the Florida coaster will include magnetic launch motors. Hollywood Drift won’t be the first coaster at Universal Orlando to include a spike. The less intense Hagrid’s ride features a 65-foot dead-end spike; the new coaster will climb nearly three times as high. Passengers on SeaWorld Orlando’s Ice Breaker brave a 93-foot spike. There are plenty of spikes out there in coasterdom, including a 420-foot doozie on Cedar Point’s Top Thrill 2. Of course, what goes up must come down, so Hollywood Drift will include at least some backwards-facing action when its trains plummet down the spike and continue in reverse.
By the way, Universal says that the spike element will be located adjacent to CityWalk. Fast & Furious will occupy the plot vacated by the recently demolished Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit. That ride’s route circled around a spot adjacent to CityWalk’s Hard Rock Cafe, which is probably where the new spike will send passengers soaring up and down. California’s Fast & Furious coaster does not include a spike. Its continuous circuit navigates the extreme elevation changes at the studios, which is located near the Hollywood Hills. The land at Universal Orlando (like most of Florida), however, is relatively flat.
There had been rumors about a “Ghostbusters” or “Back to the Future” coaster taking the place of Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit. What do you think about Universal opting for another Fast & Furious coaster instead? Are you sorry to see Supercharged go?
I was not surprised by this announcement. I was 95% sure it was going to be this. But, I am happy about it as I visit Florida at lot more than I visit California, so I will be able to try this newish type of coaster sooner rather than later.