Evolution (ride)

Last updated
A Fabbri evolution in action FabbrGroup Evolution.jpg
A Fabbri evolution in action

Evolution is a large thrill ride manufactured by FarFabbri in Italy.

Contents

It consists of four inclined pillars which support a revolving arm. On one end of the arm are some counterweights and on the other is a rotating hub which holds 10 cars. The minimum height requirement is 48 inches (120 cm) or taller. Portable Fabbri units break down on to two trailers. Set up requires around 5–6 hours for the ride's assembly. The original ride was manufactured in 1992 by Nauta Bussink (now Ronald Bussink). Bussink built only three Evolutions. Evolution was in Mirabilandia before it was sold to Six Flags Great Adventure in 1999 and relocated to Six Flags St. Louis during the 2002 off-season. The second one, dubbed Imperator, was sold to a showman in China. The third is in storage in the Netherlands.

As of right now only three Fabbri Evolutions travel in the U.S. One is owned by independent carnival operator Bishop Amusement Rides of San Antonio, Texas and travels with Ray Cammack Shows. The second Evolution is owned by Butler Amusements of Fairfield, California, and the third Evolution is Owned by Fantasilandia in Santiago, Chile.

The cars

The cars are able to tip back 90 degrees so that passengers are lying on their backs looking up. The arm makes a 360 degree rotation around its axis spinning the cars upside down to a height of 20 meters (66 feet). There are 10 riders per each car. The restraint is an over the head harness. Fabbri Versions have 10 cars seating 40 riders and Bussink models have 16 cars seating 64 people.

Variations

There are two manufacturers of the Evolution, Far Fabbri and Nauta Bussink make Evolution rides however both versions are quite different. The Fabbri ride is much smaller than the Bussink version which is some times referred to as the Giant Evolution. It has capacity for 64 passengers per ride whilst Fabbri's only seats 40 riders. When the wheel is spinning in the air, the Fabbri model will either hold the seats upside-down or face down (depending on the controls) and the Bussink model will actually hold riders right-side up when the wheel is at the top.

Rotations

Bussink Evolutions will normally only circuit once around like the Xcalibur at Six Flags St. Louis made by Bussink, while Fabbri versions will circuit around multiple times depending on the operator.

Incidents

On March 14, 2003, an Evolution ride owned by Jerry Payne, collapsed at a Fair at the Regency Square Mall in Jacksonville, Florida. 3 people suffered only minor injuries. A police spokesman says the ride appeared to give way at its base as it was coming to a stop.

In May 2006, an Evolution ride at Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach was stuck upside down for seven minutes.

In August 2011 a 12-year-old boy fell 30 feet from the ride (named Excaliber 2) at Camelot Theme Park in Lancashire, UK. [1] He survived after hospital treatment. The park is now closed but the ride has been resurrected at Pleasureland Southport.

Names

Other names for the Fabbri Versions include Discovery, Excalibur, Excalibur 2, Terroriser, Obliterator, Superman (at Ulten castle) and Circulator. The Bussink version has also been named Xcalibur, Evolution and Imperator. The Bussink version is a pretty rare attraction as there are only three produced. Xcalibur is located at Six Flags St. Louis (formerly operated at Six Flags Great Adventure and prior to that traveled throughout Europe before being rethemed and sent to its current location). Imperator was the second model produced. It started out traveling the fairs in Europe until it found a permanent home in Vienna's Prater Park, until 2003 when it was dismantled and sent to travel the fairs again for the next few seasons. Imperator is now sold to China and has not yet been spotted anywhere. The third model is the most mysterious as it is the least known model of the three. It is believed that the third model is in storage somewhere in the Netherlands. The Fabbri version is far more common and can be found at parks and fairs around the world.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vekoma</span> Dutch amusement ride manufacturer

Vekoma Rides Manufacturing is a Dutch amusement ride manufacturer. Vekoma is a syllabic abbreviation of Veld Koning Machinefabriek which was established in 1926 by Hendrik op het Veld.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pirate ship (ride)</span> Amusement ride

A pirate ship is a type of amusement ride based on pirate ships, consisting of an open, seated gondola which swings back and forth, subjecting the rider to various levels of angular momentum. A variant where the riders must pull on ropes to swing the ride is known as a swing boat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swing ride</span> Type of amusement ride

The swing ride or chair swing ride is an amusement ride that is a variation on the carousel in which the seats are suspended from the rotating top of the carousel. On some versions, particularly on the Wave Swingers, the rotating top of the carousel also tilts for additional variations of motion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zipper (ride)</span> Amusement ride invented by Joseph Brown

The Zipper is an amusement ride designed by Joseph Brown under Chance Rides in 1968. Popular at carnivals and fairs in the United States, Canada, Australia, Mexico and New Zealand, it features strong vertical G-forces, numerous spins, and a noted sense of unpredictability. Chance Rides had manufactured the ride continuously from 1968 to 2001. In 2015, Chance built a Zipper for Skinner's Amusements. Since its debut, 222 models were produced. Only one of these was specifically designed for an amusement park, Galaxyland, at the West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. However, it was eventually removed due to frequent breakdowns as this ride was not designed for full-time operation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breakdance (ride)</span> Amusement ride

Breakdance is an amusement ride designed by Huss Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frisbee (ride)</span> Type of pendulum amusement ride

The Frisbee is a type of pendulum amusement ride featuring a circular gondola that rotates as it swings back and forth. Riders are seated on the gondola facing inward or outward, depending on the model. On some models, the entire pendulum makes a full 360 degree swing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xcalibur (ride)</span>

Xcalibur was a spinning thrill ride located in Britannia at Six Flags St. Louis in Eureka, Missouri. The ride was manufactured by Ronald Bussink, and opened in the spring of 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monster (ride)</span> Amusement ride

The Monster is an amusement ride manufactured by Eyerly Aircraft Company. The ride spins while moving up and down at a slow pace. Each car spins while giant arms move up and down in a circular motion. Riders may experience the feeling of weightlessness when going in the air and coming back down to ground level.

A Kamikaze is a pendulum amusement ride, usually found as a traveling ride, with some examples found at amusement parks. The ride is manufactured by FarFabbri & Sartori, and first made its debut in 1984. Since then, over 150 Kamikazes have been sold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Octopus (ride)</span> Amusement ride shaped like an octopus

The Octopus is a type of amusement ride in the shape of an octopus. Six to eight arms attached to a central axis of rotation and move up and down in a wavelike motion via a counter rotating eccentric, while cars at the end of the arms, either attached directly to the arm or fixed on spinning crosses, spin freely or stay in place, depending on the exact type of ride. Each Octopus ride has the arms attached the middle of the ride. The middle or centric of the ride will move somehow. Most octopus rides require guests to be at least 42 inches to ride without an adult; smaller children must have an adult with them. This is a regular at the annual AGS and AHS fairs in Ateneo de Manila University

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enterprise (ride)</span> Amusement ride model

The Enterprise is an amusement ride, manufactured primarily by HUSS Park Attractions and Anton Schwarzkopf beginning in 1972. The HUSS ride was an adaptation and improvement of a design produced earlier that year by Schwarzkopf, with an increased passenger capacity. Despite not owning the original incarnation of the ride, HUSS was issued the patent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scrambler (ride)</span> Type of amusement ride

The Scrambler, Twist, Twister, Cha Cha, Sizzler, or Merry Mixer, is an amusement ride in which suspended riders spinning in cars experience centrifugal force, while spinning along two separate axes. Riders are seated in small carriages clustered together and connected by beams at the top to a central point. The clustered vehicles are spun in one direction, while the ride as a whole spins in the opposite direction. There are a number of variations of the design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock-O-Plane</span> Amusement park ride

The Rock-O-Plane is an amusement park ride designed by Lee Eyerly in 1948 and manufactured by the Eyerly Aircraft Company of Salem, Oregon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pendulum ride</span> Type of amusement ride

Pendulum rides are amusement rides based on the motion of a fixed pendulum. The Ali Baba, Looping Starship, and Pirate Ship are some examples.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wipeout (ride)</span> Newer form of the Trabant

The Wipeout and Trabant are models of amusement rides manufactured by Chance Rides. Often seen at fairs and traveling carnivals, their design consists of a giant wheel which tilts at a steep angle, fluctuates in a wavelike manner, and spins at various speeds. There is a motor underneath the ride that makes both of these rides raise up and down.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Power Surge (ride)</span> High-impact thrill ride

Power Surge is a high-impact thrill ride designed by Italian ride manufacturer Zamperla. The Power Surge was first operated in 1999, and is produced in both trailer-mounted and park versions. Zamperla recommends that riders be 48 inches (122 cm) or taller; however, 52 inches (132 cm) is more common.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superman: Tower of Power</span> Drop tower at Six Flags parks

Superman: Tower of Power is a drop tower ride currently located at two Six Flags parks, and two former installments at Kentucky Kingdom and Six Flags St. Louis. Two of the four drop towers were manufactured by Intamin, while the Six Flags Over Georgia version was made by Zamperla, and the Six Flags Over Texas version was made by S&S. The installment at Kentucky Kingdom was demolished after an accident that severed a 13-year-old girl's feet. At Six Flags St. Louis, the ride was removed from the park's website in early 2021. Three additional drop towers of the same model by S&S are installed at other Six Flags parks Six Flags New England and Six Flags Fiesta Texas, each known as Scream and one more built at Six Flags Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor known as Sasquatch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Booster (HUSS ride)</span> Amusement ride

The Booster is an amusement park ride made originally by HUSS Maschinenfabrik starting in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronald Bussink</span>

Ronald A. Bussink has been a leading designer of giant Ferris wheels and similar structures for over 25 years. Bussink entered the amusement industry market in 1985 and designed, manufactured, and delivered more than 60 giant observation wheels between 1990 and 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Baron (ride)</span> Amusement ride

Red Baron is an amusement ride that is primarily intended for small children. It's a common kiddie ride at many amusement parks, carnivals, and fairs. The rider can move the gondola up and down manually. Many ride manufacturers make this type of ride; the Zamperla's "Mini Jet" is a common model of this ride. The "Mini Jet" ride comes in various themes such as bees, dragons, elephants, airplanes, helicopters, spaceships, etc. Some of the Red Baron kiddie rides are restricted to only children under 54 inches tall, such as the ones in Cedar Point Amusement Park and in Kings Island Amusement Park, or the one in Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, California. In quite a few other "Red Baron" type kiddie rides, adults and parents are allowed to ride on the rides, such as "The Busy Bees" and "Amazing Flying Elephants" at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, or at the Red Baron Ride at Funderland in Sacramento, California. Another place where adults can ride on a Red Baron type ride is at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, where Dumbo the Flying Elephant has been a perennial favorite of not only toddlers, preschoolers and young children, but teenagers, adults and seniors as well, for many years.

References

  1. "Boy falls from Camelot theme park ride Excalibur 2". BBC. BBC. Retrieved 23 December 2023.