Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, an upcoming 2027 roller coaster at Universal Studios Florida, has seen incredibly fast progress. And, thanks to its placement right next to Universal CityWalk, it is easy to follow along. A major milestone has been met, the topping off ceremony with the 170 foot tall vertical spike towering over the nearby structures. We knew it would be tall, but it is so much bigger in person.
“Replacing the former Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster, Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift will put guests in the driver seat of the high-speed thrills of Universal Pictures’ Fast & Furious universe like never before,” shares Universal Experiences & Destinations, “Riders will experience the exhilarating sensation of 360-degree drifting as they speed through jaw-dropping maneuvers – including a 170-foot vertical ‘spike’ that will send riders nearly 17 stories in the air over the outskirts of Universal CityWalk.”
This roller coaster will join Universal Orlando’s iconic lineup of thrills, from the dueling ride on Stardust Racers to the award-winning maneuvers of VelociCoaster. From what we can already see, this Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift coaster is aiming to join the coveted spot alongside these two major coasters.
Universal Studios Hollywood is ALSO getting a Hollywood Drift coaster
Over on the west coast, Universal Studios Hollywood has already begun Team Member testing for their versions of the Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift coaster. It is expected to open sometime this summer. While both coasts will have a similar ride name and theme, the track layout is wildly different. That is thanks to Florida being totally flat and the Hollywood park only offering the edge of a cliff as a building location.
Fans have become enamored at the views and “aura” of the Universal Studios Hollywood version of the ride. From the backdrop of the Hollywood Hills to the revving of the muscle car themed ride vehicles, this coaster is sure to be a fan favorite. Now we wait in Florida for our testing to begin. But we have a lot more track to install before we see testing begin.
Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift roller coaster construction
The topping off of the vertical spike is a big moment, but it doesn’t mean this coaster is complete. Far from it, in fact. Even in this CityWalk viewable area there are numerous track pieces that need to be connected. Plus the coaster is still soaring through the park and heading back towards the New York area. It will probably be a few more months before we can expect to see this track in one piece and plenty of time after that for full testing.
For theme park land construction we use trees as a visual identifier to know when major work is done. Thankfully with a roller coaster you can just follow the curved steel to see how much is left. This spike shows that a launch, a wide-open view and one big drop is on the way. Are you a thrill junkie? Let us know in the comments below if this is your type of ride or if you prefer to take it slower with dark rides and shows.
