Coney Island's Thunderbolt Roller Coaster Gets Rebooted!
Roshow | Wednesday, March 12, 2014 at 12:00PM
Quick, name a Coney Island roller coaster that isn’t the Cyclone! You probably said Thunderbolt because it’s in the headline of this post. No one really remembers the Thunderbolt but, like everything that’s ever existed, it’s being rebooted this summer at Luna Park in Coney Island.
The original Thunderbolt roller coaster operated from 1925 to 1982 and met its end, by way of demolition, in 2000. While not mentioned by name (because it was standing in for the Cyclone, I’m assuming), this Thunderbolt made a brief appearance in Annie Hall. All good reason to try and give it a fresh do-over in 2014 and, hopefully, get it right this time.
Parks Commissioner Kevin Jeffrey broke ground on the new Thunderbolt, the first coaster in the area with an upside-down vertical loop since 1910. Which, you know, seems like about time. The new coaster will also feature a “unique heartline dive,” that, unlike the other featured elements (vertical loop, zero-g roll, over-banked turn, corkscrew, and several airtime hills), isn’t even listed in Wikipedia’s entry on roller coaster elements.
“This attraction promises to be an ‘electrifying’ boost to the local economy, all while delighting the young and young at heart,” declared Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.
The 2014 Thunderbolt roller coaster plans to do justice to the original, while making the experience more thrilling and family friendly. Construction has begun for its grand opening this May.
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