Viper (Six Flags Great Adventure)
Encyclopedia
Viper was a TOGO
mega heartline roller coaster
at Six Flags Great Adventure
. Viper was closed at the end of 2004 and was demolished in June 2005 for several reasons and was replaced with El Toro
.
Viper stood 89 feet (27.1 m) tall and reached a top speed of 48 mi/h. It had two inversions; a dive loop after the first drop, and then a heartline roll.
The ride ran three trains with four cars per train. Riders were seated two across and each train seated a total of 16 passengers. The trains resembled a snake
, and were colored light green and orange.
was fairly popular, that TOGO
would be recruited to design and build a similar coaster to occupy the site that Ultra Twister once stood on.
Construction began in the fall of 1994 and in June 1995, Viper finally opened after several delays. Initially, lines were long. But due to the rough restraints, popularity faded by 1997.
By 1998, the ride was not operating for a majority of the season because its manufacturer, TOGO
, was troubled financially and went out of business, making replacement parts difficult to obtain. In 2001, the coaster did not operate at all and was considered "Standing but not operating". Viper was not even listed on the 2001 park guides or the 2001 park map. Six Flags planned to remove Viper that year, but it was canceled because Six Flags failed to find a replacement attraction to fit the land occupied by Viper.
In 2002, after some modifications on the restraints and track, Viper reopened. The ride continued to be rough and the coaster was frequently experiencing problems. In 2004, Viper only ran one train when open, and on Labor Day the ride was shut forever.
In 2005, Six Flags demolished Viper in June for multiple reasons. They include the frequent performance issues with the ride, the massive amounts of down-time, and because the ride's popularity was completely faded due to the rough and overall painful ride. Other rides were removed as well this year, such as the nearby Rodeo Stampede and Taz Twister to make room for El Toro
, the coaster to replace Viper.
TOGO
TOGO was a Japanese roller coaster design company, famous for inventing the stand-up roller coaster. TOGO went bankrupt in the early 2000s due to a lawsuit by Knott's Berry Farm for problems with their Windjammer roller coaster. TOGO is also credited with creating the first working pipeline roller...
mega heartline roller coaster
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
at Six Flags Great Adventure
Six Flags Great Adventure
Six Flags Great Adventure is a theme park in Jackson Township, New Jersey, owned by Six Flags Entertainment Corp., the world's largest amusement park corporation...
. Viper was closed at the end of 2004 and was demolished in June 2005 for several reasons and was replaced with El Toro
El Toro
El Toro, Spanish for "the bull", may refer to:* El Toro , a wooden roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, USA* El Toro , a class of sailing dinghy* El Toro , the highest hill in Minorca, Spain...
.
Viper stood 89 feet (27.1 m) tall and reached a top speed of 48 mi/h. It had two inversions; a dive loop after the first drop, and then a heartline roll.
The ride ran three trains with four cars per train. Riders were seated two across and each train seated a total of 16 passengers. The trains resembled a snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
, and were colored light green and orange.
History
At one point in 1990, Six Flags Great Adventure had 5 roller coasters. But due to ride rotation programs and the purchase of Batman the Ride, the park was down to only three by the end of 1992. Batman's opening brought the park up to four coasters in 1993. At that point a decision was made to buy a new coaster for the park. It was decided that due to the fact Ultra TwisterUltra Twister
Ultra Twister was a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Adventure from 1986 to 1990 and then at Six Flags AstroWorld from 1991 until that park was closed and demolished by the Six Flags Corporation in 2005...
was fairly popular, that TOGO
TOGO
TOGO was a Japanese roller coaster design company, famous for inventing the stand-up roller coaster. TOGO went bankrupt in the early 2000s due to a lawsuit by Knott's Berry Farm for problems with their Windjammer roller coaster. TOGO is also credited with creating the first working pipeline roller...
would be recruited to design and build a similar coaster to occupy the site that Ultra Twister once stood on.
Construction began in the fall of 1994 and in June 1995, Viper finally opened after several delays. Initially, lines were long. But due to the rough restraints, popularity faded by 1997.
By 1998, the ride was not operating for a majority of the season because its manufacturer, TOGO
TOGO
TOGO was a Japanese roller coaster design company, famous for inventing the stand-up roller coaster. TOGO went bankrupt in the early 2000s due to a lawsuit by Knott's Berry Farm for problems with their Windjammer roller coaster. TOGO is also credited with creating the first working pipeline roller...
, was troubled financially and went out of business, making replacement parts difficult to obtain. In 2001, the coaster did not operate at all and was considered "Standing but not operating". Viper was not even listed on the 2001 park guides or the 2001 park map. Six Flags planned to remove Viper that year, but it was canceled because Six Flags failed to find a replacement attraction to fit the land occupied by Viper.
In 2002, after some modifications on the restraints and track, Viper reopened. The ride continued to be rough and the coaster was frequently experiencing problems. In 2004, Viper only ran one train when open, and on Labor Day the ride was shut forever.
In 2005, Six Flags demolished Viper in June for multiple reasons. They include the frequent performance issues with the ride, the massive amounts of down-time, and because the ride's popularity was completely faded due to the rough and overall painful ride. Other rides were removed as well this year, such as the nearby Rodeo Stampede and Taz Twister to make room for El Toro
El Toro (roller coaster)
El Toro, meaning The Bull in Spanish, is a wooden roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure. It opened to the public on June 11, 2006. It was designed by Intamin of Switzerland. It had the steepest drop of any wooden roller coaster in the world, at 76 degrees, until this record was broken by T...
, the coaster to replace Viper.