Full Throttle: The Ultimate Guide to Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift

Start your engines and grip the lap bar tight, because Universal Studios Hollywood is about to shift into high gear. For years, the Fast & Furious franchise has dominated the box office with physics-defying stunts and high-octane family drama.

Now, that same adrenaline is coming to the rails with Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, a cutting-edge roller coaster set to open in 2026. This isn’t just another loop-the-loop; it is a technological marvel designed to simulate the chaotic, tire-smoking art of drifting.

Let’s pop the hood and break down the history, the tech, and the experience of Hollywood’s most anticipated thrill ride.

The Road to Development

The journey to Hollywood Drift began with a mixture of rumors and demolition. In early 2023, Universal closed two long-standing attractions on the Upper Lot: the Animal Actors on Location! show and the Special Effects Stage. For months, coaster enthusiasts speculated about what would replace them, especially given the difficult terrain and strict noise ordinances of the Hollywood Hills.

In May 2024, Universal officially confirmed the project, revealing a ride that would not only hug the famous hillside but also utilize the steep geography between the Upper and Lower Lots. However, building a 70-mph screamer next to a residential neighborhood required some serious engineering wizardry. To combat noise complaints before they even started, Universal Creative and manufacturer Intamin developed a "low rumble" track system. The steel spine of the track is actually filled with pea gravel to dampen vibration and acoustics. Additionally, massive sound shields—some resembling half-pipes—have been integrated into the layout to deflect screams back into the park and away from the neighbors.

The Tech: A Coaster Geek’s Dream

This is where the "geek out" really begins. Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift is manufactured by Intamin, a Swiss company legendary for pushing the boundaries of coaster forces. The ride is classified as a LSM (Linear Synchronous Motor) Launched Spinning Coaster. But unlike a standard spinning mouse ride where the car spins freely based on weight distribution, these cars feature controlled rotation.

Think of it as the older, more aggressive brother of Epcot’s Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. The ride vehicles—modeled after iconic cars from the films, like Dom Toretto’s 1970 Dodge Charger—can rotate 360 degrees on a programmable axis. This allows the ride designers to point you exactly where they want you to look or, more importantly, turn the car sideways during a launch to simulate a drift.

The Stats:

Length: Over 4,100 feet (1,200+ meters), making it one of the longest rides in the park.
Speed: Top speeds of 72 mph (116 km/h), crowning it as the fastest coaster in Universal’s current global portfolio.
Inversions: The layout includes four inversions. Because the cars can rotate, traversing a corkscrew while facing sideways or backwards creates a disorienting, "out-of-control" sensation.

The Ride Experience

Riders will queue up in a large, red-brick garage structure on the Upper Lot, immersed in the street racing culture of the franchise. Once strapped in, the trains will likely utilize a magnetic launch to blast out of the station.

The layout is a terrain coaster, meaning it uses the natural topography of the land. One of the most visually spectacular elements involves the coaster diving down the hillside and looping around the famous Starway escalators that connect the park's two lots. Imagine riding the escalator down to Super Nintendo World and seeing a drift car screaming past you at 70 mph, riders facing sideways as they negotiate a banked turn.

The "drift" mechanic is key here. As the train hits high-speed curves, the cars will rotate in sync with the track banking, creating the sensation of the rear tires kicking out. It’s a purposeful fight between the forward momentum of the train and the rotational force of the car, mimicking the physical forces of street drifting.

The Finish Line

With track work largely completed and testing phases ramping up, Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift is on schedule for a grand opening in 2026. It represents a major shift for Universal Studios Hollywood, transforming it from a park known primarily for dark rides and simulators into a legitimate destination for high-thrill coaster enthusiasts. For fans of the franchise, it’s a chance to finally join the "Family"—not just by watching a movie, but by living the drift.

Backgrounder Notes

As an expert researcher and library scientist, I have analyzed the article on Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift and identified several specialized concepts that merit further technical or historical context.

Here are the backgrounders for the key facts and concepts:

Intamin (Manufacturer)

Intamin is a Swiss-based engineering firm and a world leader in the amusement ride industry, known for pioneering record-breaking attractions like Kingda Ka and Expedition GeForce. They are specifically recognized for their innovation in magnetic launch systems and complex track geometries that push the limits of physical forces.

LSM (Linear Synchronous Motor) Launch

LSM technology uses powerful electromagnets to propel a coaster train along the track, utilizing the principles of magnetic attraction and repulsion rather than traditional chain lifts. This allows for rapid, smooth acceleration and the ability to launch a train from a standstill or boost its speed mid-course.

Controlled Rotation vs. Free-Spinning

While traditional spinning coasters rely on passenger weight distribution and centrifugal force to spin the car randomly, controlled rotation uses an on-board motor to dictate the car's orientation. This "Omnicoaster" technology allows ride designers to program specific viewpoints, such as facing a screen or mimicking the sideways slide of a car.

Drifting (Motorsport)

Drifting is a specialized driving technique where the driver intentionally oversteers to cause a loss of traction in the rear wheels while maintaining control through a corner. Originating in Japan, it emphasizes car control and "slip angle" rather than just raw speed, which this coaster simulates through its rotating chassis.

Acoustic Dampening (Pea Gravel Filling)

In coaster engineering, hollow steel track spines can act like a resonator, amplifying the "roar" of the train’s wheels; filling these spines with pea gravel or sand absorbs the vibrations and significantly reduces the decibel level. This is a critical mitigation strategy for theme parks located in "urban interface" zones near residential neighborhoods.

Terrain Coaster

A terrain coaster is a category of roller coaster designed specifically to follow the natural elevation and contours of the land it occupies. Unlike "parking lot" coasters built on flat pads, terrain coasters often stay low to the ground and utilize hillsides to create a sense of speed and unique "near-miss" encounters with the landscape.

Inversions

An inversion is a section of roller coaster track that turns riders upside down and then returns them to an upright position. Common types include vertical loops, corkscrews, and "heartline rolls," where the train rotates around its center of gravity.

The "Starway"

The Starway is a massive, multi-stage escalator system at Universal Studios Hollywood that serves as the primary artery between the park's "Upper Lot" and "Lower Lot." Because of the park's unique location on a steep grade, this transit system is an iconic architectural feature that the new coaster will physically interact with.