Hollywood Drift Opened in California at 72 MPH and 3.6 Gs, and Universal Says Orlando's 2027 Version Will Be a Different Ride

Universal Studios Hollywood announced the coaster in May 2024 and spent much of the twenty-eight months since on renderings, test launches, a Vin Diesel television spot and a ride-vehicle reveal. Guests have been riding it on and off since July 27, when the park opened it for technical rehearsals, a stretch in which WDW News Today notes the ride can open or close at any time. September 16 is the day Universal made it official, and the opening-day release carries the full spec sheet, the same one Universal put out on August 31 when it set the date.

Universal had promised summer twice in its own words, in the February 5 release that launched the Vin Diesel campaign and again in the headline of its March 4 ride vehicle release. WDW News Today, in the August 31 story announcing the date, said the ride had been delayed because of "ongoing noise concerns and more sound barriers needed to be added." The same outlet had reported back in July that people living in nearby Toluca Lake could hear screaming from the ride carrying into their neighborhood. Universal has promoted sound-reduction track on this coaster since the 2024 announcement, and WDWNT notes its sound testing had met the park's requirements beforehand. We covered a separate rehearsal-period complaint, about riders turned away at 6 foot 4, in August.

The Orlando version is still coming in 2027. What opened this week is in California. The two share a name and, per Universal's Orlando announcement, the same 360-degree drifting, so the California spec sheet is the closest thing Orlando has to a preview. Beyond that, Attractions Magazine, writing about the Florida ride, calls the California one "an altogether different roller coaster."

Universal's announcement art for the Orlando version, which is still dated 2027. Image: Universal Orlando Resort

The numbers

Straight from Universal's release, all describing the California ride. The 360-degree drifting vehicles and the sound-reduction track have been public since the May 2024 announcement, and the 72 MPH and the 4,100 feet since a June 2025 update. The G force, the launch count and the named elements arrived with the August 31 release that set the opening date, and the opening-day release repeats them:

• Speeds of up to 72 MPH
• A force of up to 3.6 Gs
• 4,100 feet of aerial track, built with what Universal calls sound-reduction technology
• Four launches on a "unique dual-launching, split-ride track" that "alternates trains from dispatch"
• An inverted dive loop, a twisted pretzel loop and an inverted stall, among other elements
• Ride vehicles that drift at 360 degrees

Universal calls the California coaster "the fastest in the Universal Destinations & Experiences portfolio."

Four cars, four different rides in California

The part most likely to carry over to Orlando is how the vehicles behave. In California, riders are locked under lap bars in one of four Fast Saga cars: a Dodge Charger, a Mazda RX-7, a Nissan Skyline GT-R and a Toyota Supra. Each has its own independent audio system with engine sounds specific to that car.

And each car rotates on its own. Universal's wording: because every vehicle "is fully rotational and independently programmed to drift in motion along each train, guests can enjoy four varying experiences depending on which vehicle they are seated." In other words, which car you get changes the ride, not just the paint.

The ride train at Universal Studios Hollywood, led by the Dodge Charger. Image: Universal Studios Hollywood

What Orlando's version does differently

Universal has said the two coasters are not copies of each other. Universal Orlando revealed the Florida coaster on January 20, 2026, in a release that promised Universal Studios Hollywood "will also debut its own, one-of-a-kind" version later that year. Attractions Magazine, in a piece first published that day and updated on July 15, read that as Universal assuring that "Florida and California's versions of the attraction will each be 'one of a kind.'"

The clearest difference so far is a 170-foot spike element on the Orlando layout, which Attractions Magazine says would make it the tallest coaster at the Orlando resort. For scale, the outlet puts Jurassic World VelociCoaster's top hat at 155 feet, Stardust Racers at 133 feet, and the departed Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit at 167 feet.

Orlando's coaster is going up on the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit site. That coaster stopped running in August 2025 and its track is gone. Fast & Furious - Supercharged, the simulator elsewhere in Universal Studios Florida, ran its final day on August 16, 2026. California's own Supercharged, a Studio Tour segment, closed back on March 10, 2025. Attractions Magazine is clear that the simulator's site "does not overlap with the placement of the roller coaster," so the coaster is not being built where Supercharged stood. The outlet's read is that Universal did not want the same franchise anchoring two attractions.

Where Orlando construction actually stands

Track installation on the Orlando coaster finished in August 2026, according to WDW News Today. The 170-foot spike sits near the CityWalk lagoon, and boarding will be near Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon. Unlike Rip Ride Rockit, the new coaster does not thread through the Ghostbusters firehouse facade.

We looked at the shipping-container walls and jackknifed truck theming going up along the Orlando coaster's launch on Wednesday. Universal has not announced an opening date beyond 2027.

What the executive said

Scott Strobl, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Universal Studios Hollywood, in the release: "The debut of this first-of-it-kind roller coaster is a literal game changer for Universal Studios Hollywood, and we look forward to sharing this thrilling experience with fans of the Fast Saga and our guests visiting from around the world." ("first-of-it-kind" is Universal's own wording.)

The September 16 opening ceremony at Universal Studios Hollywood. Image: Universal Studios Hollywood

Two details Orlando should watch: California's queue runs part of the ride track through what Universal calls a transparent encased section, which the release says builds anticipation while guests wait, and all belongings have to go into complimentary lockers, with everyone clearing metal detection before reaching the ride platform. None of that has been confirmed for Orlando.

Universal also notes the franchise is marking its 25th anniversary this year, with an all-new film, Fast Forever, due in theaters in March 2028.

Sources

• Universal Destinations & Experiences press room, "FAST & FURIOUS: HOLLYWOOD DRIFT" IS NOW OPEN! (September 16, 2026)
• Universal Destinations & Experiences press room, the May 3, 2024 Hollywood announcement release
• Universal Destinations & Experiences press room, the June 12, 2025 specs release
• Universal Destinations & Experiences press room, the February 5, 2026 release setting a summer opening
• Universal Destinations & Experiences press room, the March 4, 2026 ride vehicle line-up release
• Universal Destinations & Experiences press room, the August 31, 2026 opening-date release
• Universal Destinations & Experiences press room, the January 20, 2026 Universal Orlando reveal
• Attractions Magazine, 'Fast & Furious' roller coaster at Universal Orlando details; Supercharged closing in August 2026
• WDW News Today, VIDEO & PHOTOS: Fast and Furious: Hollywood Drift Full Ride POV at Universal Studios Hollywood (July 28, 2026)
• WDW News Today, BREAKING: Fast and Furious: Hollywood Drift Finally Has an Opening Date (August 31, 2026)
• WDW News Today, Shipping Container Theming, Entrance Facade Under Construction for Fast and Furious: Hollywood Drift at Universal Studios Florida
• Parks Magic, September 16, 2026 story on the Orlando entrance theming

Image credits: Orlando announcement art, Universal Orlando Resort. Ride vehicle and opening ceremony photos, Universal Studios Hollywood.