Buildings Rise at Universal Studios Florida as Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift Takes Shape

Published March 24, 2026 at 3:19 PM EDT

It's really happening. After years of rumors, a 2025 demolition of the beloved Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, and months of groundwork, Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift at Universal Studios Florida is visibly rising from the ground — and new construction photos this week show the project accelerating in a big way.

What's New This Week

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit at Universal Studios Florida

The Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, now demolished, was a Universal Studios Florida landmark for 15 years. Photo by Benoît Prieur, CC0 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

WDW News Today reported this week that concrete blockwork has begun on a building within the Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift construction site — likely a backstage service or maintenance structure. Separately, aerial and ground-level photography confirms that large concrete footers are now in place throughout much of the new coaster's layout, with particularly massive forms recently poured in the area behind Despicable Me Minion Mayhem that are believed to be the base for the ride's signature element: a 170-foot vertical spike.

That spike — the coaster's dramatic centerpiece — will sit in close proximity to Universal CityWalk, making it highly visible to guests arriving at the resort. If the Hollywood version is any guide, it's going to be hard to miss.

What We Know About the Ride

Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift isn't a rumor anymore — it's officially confirmed, actively under construction, and coming to Universal Studios Florida in 2027. Here's what we know about the attraction:

Height: 170 feet — making it the tallest roller coaster at Universal Orlando, surpassing the 167-foot Rip Ride Rockit it replaces by three feet.
Track length: Approximately 4,100 feet of track, based on the Hollywood installation.
Speed: Up to 72 mph, making it the fastest coaster in the Universal Destinations & Experiences portfolio.
Ride system: A high-speed spinning coaster with 360-degree rotating vehicles designed to simulate the sensation of drifting — a direct nod to the franchise's iconic street racing sequences.
Manufacturer: Intamin, the Swiss ride engineering firm also responsible for Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure and VelociCoaster at Islands of Adventure.
Theme: Fast & Furious, with the coaster vehicles styled to resemble high-performance street racers.

The ride is the Orlando version of the coaster currently under construction at Universal Studios Hollywood, where it's scheduled to open in summer 2026. The Florida installation adds the 170-foot vertical spike element that the Hollywood version lacks, giving Orlando guests a uniquely taller and presumably more intense experience.

Farewell, Rip Ride Rockit

It's worth pausing to acknowledge what came before. Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit operated at Universal Studios Florida from 2009 until its closure and demolition in summer 2025 — fifteen years as one of Universal's most visible and talked-about coasters. Its non-inverting vertical loop and in-car music selection system were genuinely innovative at the time of its debut, and despite a reputation for a rough ride in its later years, it drew devoted fans who will always associate its towering red track with the Universal Studios skyline.

The replacement is a worthy successor. A smoother, faster, taller, spinning coaster themed to one of the most globally popular film franchises of the last two decades. The genes are good.

What's Next

With footers progressing and vertical construction underway, the pace of work suggests Universal is on track for a 2027 opening. Steel coaster track pieces have already been spotted staged near the site — once those start going up, the ride's full layout will become visible.

We'll be watching closely. In the meantime, if you're visiting Universal Studios Florida in 2026, the construction walls themselves are worth a peek — and knowing what's coming on the other side makes it all the more exciting.

Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift is targeted to open at Universal Studios Florida in 2027. Universal has not confirmed a specific opening date.

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