Surprise! Universal's 'fast & Furious' Coaster Is Open, Unofficially

Universal Studios Hollywood surprise-opened its flashy caller high-speed roller coaster Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift connected Monday. After overmuch hype and anticipation — and even immoderate unfounded rumors that nan coaster would not deed its promised summertime motorboat — Hollywood Drift is astatine past fresh for its close-up.

Billed arsenic 1 of nan astir aggravated roller coasters successful Universal Studios’ world thrust portfolio, Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift tin scope speeds of 72 mph while taking guests done aggregate inversions successful vehicles that tin rotate 360 degrees. It is nan fastest coaster that Universal Creative, nan section of nan institution responsible for taxable parkland experiences, has designed.

There is immoderate good print.

Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift has still not announced its charismatic expansive opening. The thrust is operating successful what Universal is calling “technical rehearsals.” Think of this arsenic a soft opening.

What that means: Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift is not guaranteed to beryllium moving if you sojourn nan park. It’s still, for each intents and purposes, successful a testing phase, and tin beryllium closed down astatine immoderate time. If you’re reasoning astir rushing to nan parkland to beryllium 1 of its first riders, proceed pinch caution. Until Universal gives nan coaster a due opening — and expect immoderate benignant of gala to spell pinch it — Hollywood Drift whitethorn not beryllium afloat operational.

Technical rehearsals thief guarantee that erstwhile a thrust does person a general opening, it tin operate, successful theory, without immoderate issues aliases prolonged downtime. My advice: Visiting a taxable parkland is an investment, and if experiencing Hollywood Drift is captious to your time astatine Universal Studios, it would beryllium safest to hold until nan coaster gets its date. At this point, it should beryllium a matter of weeks, if not days.

A position of Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift erstwhile it was still successful testing mode.

(Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times)

But I surely understand that taxable parkland FOMO.

Hollywood Drift has agelong been circled arsenic nan astir important taxable parkland attraction opening successful North America successful 2026. The thrust has been astir 10 years successful nan making, and has galore unsocial attributes. Not nan slightest of which is its location, arsenic nan coaster is built connected a steep elevation betwixt nan park’s precocious and little lots, meaning astatine times it will spell complete and nether its famed escalators.

“It wouldn’t beryllium your first choice,” says Jon Corfino, Universal Studios Hollywood’s lead creative, of nan topography. “But successful a way, it makes it much move that we were capable to do it.”

Meanwhile, nan thrust has besides raised eyebrows among nan organization surrounding Universal Studios Hollywood. The park’s neighbors successful nan adjacent Toluca Lake vicinity person been none excessively pleased with immoderate of nan rider screams that emanated from nan coaster connected a time of testing earlier this summer. I talked to respective residents arsenic good arsenic Universal and representatives from Los Angeles County for a communicative published past week, “Fast & Furious’ coaster screams rattle quiet neighborhood: ‘Like personification is getting murdered.” Whether those concerns fade, aliases really that rumor is yet resolved, will beryllium but 1 of nan storylines that will travel nan attraction.

Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift connected a test-run. The coaster has been nan astir anticipated taxable parkland opening of 2026.

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

Yet astir guests will simply beryllium concerned pinch really it rides. While other coasters tin rotate 360 degrees, they don’t do it astatine this velocity and done this galore twists, turns and loops. And past there’s nan design. Hollywood Drift puts riders successful mini cars, each 1 heavy detailed and pinch unsocial motor and breaking noises. Of course, nan thrust whitethorn simply move excessively accelerated to salary attraction to each that.

“It’s a precocious level of intensity, absolutely, for sure,” Corfino says.

Stay tuned to Mr. Todd’s Wild Ride for elaborate impressions of Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift.

This week successful SoCal taxable parks

A solid descent from nan Medusa image successful Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion is going up for auction.

(Matt Roppolo / HA.com)

• Bid connected a portion of Disneyland history. I person mixed feelings connected auctions involving Disneyland artifacts. And by mixed, I mean mostly negative, arsenic they thin to inflate prices for nan fans who attraction astir nan items most, and galore of these treasures beryllium successful a depository alternatively than someone’s backstage collection. But if you’ve ever wanted a mummy prop from Indiana Jones Adventure, aliases — gasp — an original solid descent from nan Haunted Mansion’s changing Medusa portrait, now’s your chance. The Disney Experiences Auction — Rare and Remarkable Finds is portion of adjacent month’s all-things Disney instrumentality normal D23, and is hosted by Heritage Auctions. The unrecorded auction is Aug. 16, but online bidding is open.
  
• A Halloween Horror Nights original. Spooky play is now conscionable a fewer weeks away, and Universal Studios Hollywood’s lineup for Halloween Horror Nights is mostly set. The latest summation to nan event, which originates Sept. 3, is an breathtaking one, arsenic it’s a marque caller haunted location not based connected immoderate existing movie aliases tv properties. The maze, Dead, Deader, Deadest, is group successful a ceremonial home, based connected a crippled involving a “miracle drug” that tin reconstruct nan features of nan deceased without embalming. Halloween Horror Nights mastermind John Murdy revealed connected socials that it connects to past original haunted houses astatine nan park, for those heavy into Halloween Horror Nights lore.
  
• Hope you for illustration Kraft Mac & Cheese, Disney fans. Times Business writer Samantha Masunaga reports connected a woody between nan Walt Disney Co. and Kraft Heinz. As portion of nan agreement, much Kraft Heinz products will beryllium disposable successful Walt Disney Co.’s U.S.-based taxable parks and connected cruise ships, including Heinz, Philadelphia pick food and Kraft Mac & Cheese.
  

Tell america your stories. Ask america your questions.

Have a taxable parkland communicative to share? Whether it was a bully time aliases less-than-perfect day, I would emotion to perceive astir it. Have a question? A tip? A nosy photograph from nan parks to share? Email maine astatine todd.martens@latimes.com. I whitethorn characteristic your statement successful an upcoming newsletter.

Ride on,

Todd Martens