The “Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift” roller coaster at Universal Studios Hollywood is set to officially open on September 16th.
According to reports from the city’s news agency, this outdoor roller coaster is themed after Universal Pictures’ “Fast & Furious” film series, reaching a top speed of 72 miles per hour, making it the fastest roller coaster under Universal Studios.
The train design is based on 4 cars from the film series, including the Dodge Charger, Mazda RX-7, Nissan Skyline GT-R, and Toyota Supra. The track is 4,100 feet long with 4 acceleration launches, capable of generating up to 3.6G of gravitational acceleration. The cars can rotate 360 degrees to simulate the drifting sensation in racing.
This attraction is located in the Upper Lot of the park, with the train passing through sections above and below the multi-level Starway escalator. Universal Studios mentioned that noise reduction technology was utilized during the construction of this roller coaster.
Earlier this summer, testing of the ride began, and noise issues arose as passengers experienced it. Residents near Toluca Lake complained about the ongoing noise disturbance caused by the screams of passengers. City councilor Adrin Nazarian stated in mid-August that Universal Studios planned to add two soundproof barriers to reduce the noise. He mentioned that recent noise test results met the park’s requirements, but the additional sound barriers are expected to be completed by early September.
Various noise reduction measures implemented by Universal Studios include laying down “low-noise tracks” (filling the steel structure inside the coaster track with pea gravel to reduce the vibration and mechanical noise produced by the vehicles), soundproof walls exceeding 900 feet in length, and two semi-cylindrical soundproof canopies installed outside certain sections of the track.
The queue area of this roller coaster will showcase replica props from the “Fast & Furious” movies and feature murals created by artist Tristan Eaton. Part of the roller coaster track will pass through a transparent enclosed space within the queue area.
The “Fast & Furious” film series celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.