Universal Studios Hollywood’s first outdoor high-speed roller coaster is open. Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift sits on the Upper Lot inside an expansive red brick garage-like structure, and it tops out at 72 MPH, making it the fastest coaster in the Universal Destinations & Experiences portfolio.
The layout earns that number. A dual-launching, split track alternates trains out of the station and sends them spiraling over and under parts of the multilevel Starway escalator, through four launches, an inverted dive loop, a twisted pretzel loop and an inverted stall. All of it runs along 4,100 feet of aerial track built with sound-reduction technology, pulling up to 3.6 Gs while the vehicles drift a full 360 degrees.
Which Fast Saga car do you ride?
Riders are lap-bar harnessed into one of four cars modeled after vehicles driven by Fast characters: the Dodge Charger, Mazda RX-7, Nissan Skyline GT-R and Toyota Supra. Each one has its own fully independent audio system with engine and sound effects true to that car.
Every vehicle is also fully rotational and independently programmed to drift along the train. That’s four different rides depending on where you sit.
What’s in the queue?
Two stationary photo op prop car reproductions greet guests outside the entry archway. Inside, a portion of the ride track races through a transparent encased section of the queue, so the coaster flies past while you wait.
The rest of the line is filled with recreated props from the films, including the Car Cannon with Brian O’Conner’s car from Fast & Furious 6 and the Vault Truck from Fast 5. Select displays carry QR codes that open Universal Studios’ fan site, the Backlot Club, where guests can log in or create an account for behind-the-scenes context. The arrival platform is anchored by an original large-scale mural from artist Tristan Eaton, depicting the finale street race from 2001’s The Fast and the Furious, with the airborne Charger and Supra running against a speeding train. A second Eaton mural hangs in the queue.
Can you bring your phone on the ride?
No. Because of the coaster’s dynamics, all belongings go into complimentary lockers in the queue area, and guests pass through metal detection before reaching the ride platform. Phones and other loose articles have to be locked up.
Universal Creative built the coaster into the hillside terrain, using its natural contours as both the structural base and a design element. The payoff is panoramic views of the San Fernando Valley, the movie studio and the park itself.
The 11-film, $7 billion franchise turns 25 this year, and the coaster joins a park slate that already includes SUPER NINTENDO WORLD and the signature Studio Tour. A new film in the saga, Fast Forever, races into theaters in March 2028.
Source: Kwek, Lindsay (UDX)
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