Universal Studios Hollywood is set to open its newest attraction, "Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift," this summer, featuring a tribute to the late actor Paul Walker and his character, Brian O'Conner. The roller coaster will include ride vehicles designed to replicate two of O'Conner's memorable cars from the film franchise: a blue 2002 Nissan Skyline GT-R and an orange 1994 Toyota Supra.
The other two ride vehicles on the coaster are modeled after cars driven by Vin Diesel's character, Dominic Toretto, and Sung Kang's character, Han Seoul-oh. Walker, who died in a car crash in 2013, was a central figure in the "Fast and the Furious" series.
Park officials described the ride as having a high level of intensity, reaching speeds of up to 72 mph with multiple inversions over 4,100 feet of track. A Universal executive noted that the ride aims to provide a smooth experience, designed to feel natural for a car.
"It’s a high level of intensity, absolutely, for sure," said park executive Jon Corfino. "But if you look at what we tried to achieve here, it’s that you’re in a [car] vehicle. It’s very smooth. It’s not something that would be not natural for a car, if that makes sense."
Corfino also mentioned that considerable effort was put into making the cars as realistic as possible, including the addition of fake odometers and realistic sound effects. "The truth is I was really laboring," Corfino said. "They all have realistic sound effects, and when you hit the bottom, the big launch, I wanted to hear the NOS kick in. But you’re going so fast, at 72 mph, and with the wind, you’re not hearing anything. Quite frankly, your vision is even kind of shaky because you’re going so fast."
The opening date for "Fast and Furious: Hollywood Drift" was initially listed as June 26 on the Universal Studios Hollywood website but has since been corrected. A statement from the park indicated that the official opening date will be announced soon, apologizing for any confusion caused by the incorrect posting. Recent tests of the ride have been observed, but it remained closed to the public as of Saturday.