Ride Profile
parkworld-online.com
The first custom coaster to appear for over 80 years at Coney Island, New York City, has opened at Luna Park courtesy of Zamperla. The
fast-paced Thunderbolt is not to be missed
“ 44 Zamperla
has built quite a few coasters, but nothing this large and intense. Thunderbolt is the first Coney Island rollercoaster since 1910 to send riders upside-down in a vertical loop
”
coaster. Made famous by the Woody Allen movie Annie Hall, it thrilled riders from the 1920s through until the 1980s but was unceremoniously demolished in 2000. Now, 14 years later, the new ride stands 115ft (35m) tall and features 2,233ft (681m) of track. Built by Zamperla, it reaches up to 55 mph (89km/h) – one mile of speed for every second of the ride. After climbing to the top of the lift tower, the experience begins with a jaw-dropping 90° vertical drop, followed by a 100ft (30.5 m) vertical loop, an 80ft (24m) zero- g roll, a 112° over-banked turn, a unique heartline dive, a corkscrew and several airtime hills. The coaster joins Luna Park’s assortment of other rides including the legendary Cyclone coaster, Boardwalk Flight, Air Race, Water Mania and many more, including several Zamperla favourites. “Luna Park in Coney Island is reaching even greater heights with the addition of the powerful rollercoaster,” believes Alberto Zamperla, president and CEO of
THUNDERBOLT! T
New coaster strikes Coney Island
his new $10 million out-and-back vertical lift steel coaster occupies the same site and takes its name from the original wooden Thunderbolt
Zamperla SpA. “We are thrilled to welcome this exhilarating new attraction to our repertoire of rides. The Thunderbolt’s many twists and turns and vertical loop will thrill visitors from near and far.”
Intense challenge
Zamperla has built quite a few coasters in recent years, but nothing this large and intense. The Coney Island Development Corporation, a New York City municipal entity, assumes ultimate control of Coney Island's amusement facilities. It needed an attraction to occupy a lot about 40ft (12m) wide and 800ft (244m) long – a very challenging space. Located near the historic B&B Carrousel (sic) and new Steeplechase Plaza, the Thunderbolt is the first rollercoaster here since 1910 to send riders upside-down in a vertical loop. “Originally, Coney Island was the epicentre of amusements and attractions,” recalls Valerio Ferrari, president of Luna Park operator Central Amusement International (CAI). “The area needed to return to its roots as the birthplace of new ideas and new attractions. Once a request for proposal went out for the lot, we knew that now was the time for a custom
JULY 2014
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