AceShowbiz - Universal Studios Hollywood is gearing up to unleash a new level of adrenaline with the debut of Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, the theme park's first outdoor, high-speed roller coaster, opening on Wednesday, September 16. The ride, inspired by the blockbuster Fast & Furious franchise, promises to deliver an unprecedented surge of excitement and a new level of intensity to the destination.

With its striking visual design and state-of-the-art ride technology, this all-new roller coaster is the fastest in the Universal Destinations & Experiences portfolio. It is set to redefine the thrill ride experience and further enrich Universal Studios Hollywood, renowned for creating world-class rides and attractions inspired by today's most iconic entertainment properties.

The coaster celebrates the Fast & Furious franchise, which marks its 25th anniversary this year. The saga, which has grossed $7 billion at the global box office, serves as the driving force behind the new attraction. An all-new film in the series, Fast Forever, is slated to race into theaters in March 2028.

Located on the Upper Lot of Universal Studios Hollywood, Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift is housed within an expansive red brick-garage-like structure. Two stationary, photo-op prop car reproductions welcome guests just outside the ride as they make their way through the entry archway toward the queue. In a technological first, a portion of the ride track will race through a transparent encased section of the queue, building anticipation as guests wait to ride.

The ride features a unique dual-launching, split-ride track that alternates trains from dispatch, propelling guests on an epic adventure that takes them over and under portions of the multilevel Starway escalator. Thrill seekers will experience four spectacular launches, an exciting inverted dive loop, twisted pretzel loop, and inverted stall, at speeds of up to 72 MPH and forces of up to 3.6 Gs along 4,100 feet of elaborate aerial track constructed with sound-reduction technology while drifting at 360 degrees in their individual ride vehicles.

Guests will begin their journey lap-bar harnessed into one of four iconic Fast Saga ride vehicles—the Dodge Charger, Mazda RX-7, Nissan Skyline GT-R, and the Toyota Supra—each modeled after the cars driven by favorite characters in the film series. The arrival platform will be anchored by an all-original, large-scale mural created by world-renowned artist Tristan Eaton, which depicts the finale street racing action scene from the very first Fast film, 2001's The Fast and the Furious, with a montage of the aerial-bound Dodge Charger and Toyota Supra vehicles racing against a speeding train. Another inspirational Eaton mural will be featured within the queue in tribute to the entire film franchise.

Equipped with a fully independent audio system, each ride vehicle will surround guests with true-to-type engine and sound effects unique to the car they are riding in. Because each ride vehicle is fully rotational and independently programmed to drift in motion along each train, guests can enjoy four varying experiences depending on which vehicle they are seated.

With real estate at a premium at the Hollywood theme park destination, the visionaries at Universal Creative had the foresight to transform the hillside terrain into the backbone of the coaster, using its natural contours and vista as both the structural base and a defining element of the ride's imaginative design. The end result delivers breathtaking panoramic views of the San Fernando Valley, the Universal Studio movie studio, and the theme park.

Designed to advance the storyline while keeping guests entertained, the queue guides guests through an environment filled with recreated props from the Fast Saga films. Select displays will feature QR codes that guests can scan for additional behind-the-scenes insights and context about the displays. The QR code opens to Universal Studios' fan engagement site, the "Backlot Club," where guests can create a new account or log in to enjoy the behind-the-scenes information.

Highlights of the props include the Car Cannon, featuring the car driven by Brian O'Conner in Fast & Furious 6; the Roll Cage and Winch, featuring the 2010 Dodge Charger SRT8 driven by Dom Toretto in Fast 5; the Vault Truck as featured in Fast 5; the Motorcycle as featured in F9, driven by Letty Ortiz; the NOS System and Dodge Charger Engine, a recreation of the internal NOS operating system for the modified Fast & Furious ride vehicles; the Ramp Car driven by Owen Shaw in Fast & Furious 6; the Rolling Bomb as featured in Fast X; and the Rollover Stunt Rig, a recreation of the rollover stunt rigging system used in the films.

Due to the dynamics of the roller coaster, guests will be required to place all belongings in complimentary lockers located within the queue area. They will also be required to pass through metal detection before entering the ride platform to ensure all loose articles, including mobile phones, are placed securely in the lockers.

This ambitious roller coaster benefits from Universal Destinations & Experiences' decades-long expertise in revolutionizing the development of contemporary roller coasters across its global theme parks. Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift joins Universal Studios Hollywood's slate of groundbreaking attractions, including the interactive land Super Nintendo World, featuring the critically acclaimed "Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge" ride; "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" with Hogsmeade village, "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey" and "Flight of the Hippogriff" rides; "Jurassic World—The Ride"; Illumination's award-winning "The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash" and "Despicable Me Minion Mayhem"; Springfield, U.S.A. and "The Simpsons Ride"; "TRANSFORMERS: The Ride-3D" and "Revenge of the Mummy—The Ride," as well as the theme park's signature, behind-the-scenes Studio Tour attraction.