A roller coaster inversion is a roller coaster element in which the track turns riders upside-down and then returns them to an upright position. Early forms of inversions were circular in nature and date back to 1848 on the Centrifugal railway in Paris. These vertical loops produced massive g-force that was often dangerous to riders. As a result, the element eventually became non-existent with the last rides to feature the looping inversions being dismantled during the Great Depression. In 1975, designers from Arrow Development created the corkscrew, reviving interest in the inversion during the modern age of steel roller coasters. Elements have since evolved from simple corkscrews and vertical loops to more complex inversions such as Immelmann loops and cobra rolls. The Smiler at Alton Towers holds the world record for the number of inversions on a roller coaster with 14.
Dragon Khan is a steel sit-down roller coaster in the PortAventura Park theme park in Salou and Vilaseca (Tarragona), Catalonia, Spain. It has eight inversions, which was a world record until the opening of the ten-inversion Colossus in Thorpe Park, United Kingdom in 2002.
Corkscrew is a steel roller coaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. Built by Arrow Development and designed by Ron Toomer, it opened to the public on May 15, 1976. The coaster features Arrow's first vertical loop and was built during the same time period as The New Revolution at Magic Mountain. Revolution, which opened seven days prior, is credited as the first modern-day coaster to feature a vertical loop, while Corkscrew is credited as the first roller coaster in the world with three inversions.
Patriot is an inverted roller coaster located at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, the inverted coaster opened to the public on April 8, 2006. It features four inversions, a height of 149 feet (45 m), and a track length of 3,081 feet (939 m).
Colossus is a steel roller coaster at Thorpe Park in Surrey, England, and the park's first major attraction. It was built by Lichtenstein-based manufacturers Intamin and designed by Werner Stengel as an adaptation of Monte Makaya in Brazil. Colossus was the world's first roller coaster with ten inversions; an exact replica, called the 10 Inversion Roller Coaster, was later built at Chimelong Paradise in Guangzhou, China. It retained its title of having the most inversions on any other roller coaster in the world until The Smiler at Alton Towers took the record in 2013.
Georgia Scorcher, or simply Scorcher, is a stand-up roller coaster located at Six Flags Over Georgia located in Austell, Georgia, United States. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, Georgia Scorcher opened on May 8, 1999, and was the last stand-up coaster installation ever built for almost 24 years until 2023 when SeaWorld Orlando opened Pipeline: The Surf Coaster. Georgia Scorcher is 107 feet (33 m) tall and reaches a maximum speed of 54 mph (87 km/h). The attraction was marketed with the tagline, "Put your feet to the fire."
Viper is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Darien Lake amusement park in Darien, New York, United States. Built by the newly-formed Arrow Huss, the ride opened in 1982 as the first roller coaster in the world to feature five inversions, surpassing Carolina Cyclone at Carowinds which featured four. Viper retained the inversions record until Vortex opened at Kings Island in 1987.
Katun is a steel inverted roller coaster at the Mirabilandia amusement park, Savio, outside Ravenna, Italy. It is the longest inverted roller coaster in Europe. The coaster stands 164 feet (50 m) tall, has a track length of 3,937 feet (1,200 m), a top speed of 65 mph (105 km/h) and six inversions:
The Wave is a family sit down looping roller coaster, located at Drayton Manor Resort in Tamworth in the United Kingdom. It has the same track layout as The Shockwave, but now uses sit-down lap bar restraints.
Monte Makaya was a steel, looping roller coaster manufactured by Intamin and located at Terra Encantada in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. When it opened in 1998, Monte Makaya's eight inversions tied the world record previously set by Dragon Khan. It was located in the Terra Africana section near the rear of Terra Encantada in the northwest corner prior to the park's closure. Its location is now in the newly relocated Mirabilandia amusement park under construction in Paulista, Pernambuco, Brazil as of 2017.
Anaconda is a steel roller coaster located at Kings Dominion, in the Jungle X-Pedition section of the park. Built by Arrow Dynamics and designed by Ron Toomer, Anaconda opened in 1991 as the first looping roller coaster to feature an underwater tunnel and the first at Kings Dominion with more than one inversion.
Silver Bullet is a western-themed steel inverted roller coaster designed by Bolliger & Mabillard located at Knott's Berry Farm, an amusement park in Buena Park, California. The $16 million roller coaster was announced on December 1, 2003 and opened on December 7, 2004. A first rider auction was also held where people would bid on seats to be the first riders. The track is approximately 3,125 feet (952 m) long and the lift hill is about 146 feet (45 m) tall. The ride lasts two minutes and thirty seconds and features six inversions including a vertical loop, cobra roll, zero-g roll, and two corkscrews.
Fahrenheit is a steel roller coaster at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States. Located in the Pioneer Frontier section of the park, the roller coaster was manufactured by Intamin and opened on May 24, 2008. It features six inversions and became the steepest roller coaster in the world when it opened with its first drop of 97 degrees. Fahrenheit briefly held the record until Steel Hawg at Indiana Beach, which featured a 111-degree drop, opened several weeks later on July 5. Fahrenheit is also one of the only coasters in the world to feature a Norwegian Loop.
Pyrenees is a steel inverted roller coaster at Shima Spain Village in Shima, Mie, Japan. It opened in 1997 and was manufactured by Swiss company Bolliger & Mabillard. This roller coaster is inspired by the Pyrenees mountain range, being the natural border between Andorra, France and Spain.
Carolina Cyclone is an Arrow Dynamics roller coaster located at Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina. The coaster is located in the Carolina Boardwalk area of the park. Built in 1980 by world-renowned coaster manufacturer Arrow Dynamics, it was the first roller coaster to have four inversions, two loops and two corkscrews.
Roller Coaster is a steel roller coaster located at Đại Nam Văn Hiến in Bình Dương, Vietnam. The ride was built in late 2008. Prior to 2017, it was the tallest coaster in Vietnam. Prior to that, it was also the fastest roller coaster, and the one with the most inversions, in Vietnam.
Parrot Coaster is a steel Wing Coaster at Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in Zhuhai, Guangdong, China. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, upon its opening in 2014, it became the first Wing Coaster in Asia and also features the first splashdown on a Wing Coaster. With a height of 164.1 feet (50.0 m), it is also the third tallest of its kind, behind Wild Eagle at Dollywood and GateKeeper at Cedar Point. The roller coaster is the longest Wing Coaster in the world, at 4,192.9 feet (1,278.0 m) in length and reaching a top speed of 67.1 miles per hour (108.0 km/h). The ride was named Flying Over the Rainforest for the first two months of it operating before being renamed at the end of March, 2014.
The Flying Dinosaur is a steel flying roller coaster at Universal Studios Japan. Designed by Swiss firm Bolliger & Mabillard, Flying Dinosaur restrains riders in the prone position. This attraction opened on March 18, 2016, and is currently the world's second longest flying roller coaster, as the track length has been surpassed by F.L.Y. in Phantasialand, which opened in September 17, 2020.
Batman: The Ride is a steel inverted coaster at Six Flags Mexico that has been operating since 2000. It is a standard Vekoma Suspended Looping Coaster model themed to the famed Batman franchise, and was part of Premier Park's massive renovation in 2000.
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