Universal Studios Hollywood is about to shift into a new gear with the opening of Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, the theme park’s first outdoor, high-speed roller coaster, on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.
Inspired by Universal Pictures’ blockbuster Fast & Furious franchise, the new attraction is being positioned as one of the most intense rides in the park’s history. It will also be the fastest roller coaster in the Universal Destinations & Experiences portfolio, bringing a new level of adrenaline to Universal Studios Hollywood’s already stacked lineup of movie-inspired attractions.
The timing is fitting. The Fast & Furious franchise celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, with the saga continuing to be one of Universal’s biggest global brands. The next film, Fast Forever, is set to race into theaters in March 2028.
Universal Studios Hollywood’s First Outdoor High-Speed Coaster
Located on the Upper Lot, Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift is built around a massive red brick garage-style structure that sets the tone before guests even board the ride. Two stationary photo-op prop car reproductions will welcome visitors outside the attraction, giving fans an early taste of the franchise’s street racing energy.
The queue will also feature a technological first for the attraction, with a portion of the ride track racing through a transparent encased section of the line. That means guests waiting to ride will see the coaster speeding around them before they experience it for themselves.
Once onboard, riders will be launched into a high-speed journey across a unique dual-launching, split-ride track. The coaster will send guests over and under portions of the multilevel Starway escalator, through four launches, an inverted dive loop, a twisted pretzel loop, an inverted stall, and other elements.
The numbers are big: up to 72 MPH, up to 3.6 Gs, and 4,100 feet of aerial track constructed with sound-reduction technology.
Drifting in Fast Saga Ride Vehicles
One of the biggest hooks of Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift is its ride vehicle technology.
Guests will ride in one of four iconic Fast Saga vehicles: the Dodge Charger, Mazda RX-7, Nissan Skyline GT-R, or Toyota Supra. Each vehicle is modeled after cars driven by fan-favorite characters across the film franchise.
The ride vehicles are fully rotational and independently programmed to drift in motion along the track, giving the coaster its signature 360-degree drifting element. Because each vehicle is programmed differently, guests can experience variations depending on which car they board.
Each ride vehicle will also feature a fully independent audio system with engine sounds and effects unique to that car, adding another layer of immersion for fans who know how important the sound of a car is to the Fast & Furious experience.
Tristan Eaton Murals Bring the Franchise Into the Queue
The attraction will also feature original artwork from world-renowned artist Tristan Eaton.
The arrival platform will be anchored by a large-scale mural depicting the finale street racing scene from 2001’s The Fast and the Furious, featuring the Dodge Charger and Toyota Supra racing against a speeding train. Another Eaton mural inside the queue will serve as a tribute to the full film franchise.
It is a smart creative choice for a ride built around memory, speed, and franchise iconography. The original Fast and Furious film helped define a generation of car culture on screen, and the new attraction appears designed to make that history part of the ride experience.
Props, Backlot Club, and Behind-the-Scenes Details
The queue will also include recreated props and displays inspired by the Fast Saga films. Select displays will feature QR codes that guests can scan for additional behind-the-scenes context through Universal Studios’ fan engagement site, the Backlot Club.
Featured props and displays will include the Car Cannon from Fast & Furious 6, the Roll Cage and Winch featuring Dom Toretto’s 2010 Dodge Charger SRT8 from Fast 5, the Vault Truck from Fast 5, Letty Ortiz’s motorcycle from F9, a recreated NOS system and Dodge Charger engine, Owen Shaw’s Ramp Car from Fast & Furious 6, the Rolling Bomb from Fast X, and a recreation of the rollover stunt rigging system used in the films.
That queue detail matters because Fast & Furious has always been about more than speed. The franchise is built on practical stunt energy, car identity, family loyalty, and the kind of oversized action sequences that fans remember years later.
A New Thrill Ride Built Into the Hollywood Hillside
Because Universal Studios Hollywood has limited space, the coaster uses the park’s hillside terrain as part of its design. Universal Creative transformed the natural contours of the property into the backbone of the ride, with the coaster taking advantage of panoramic views of the San Fernando Valley, the working Universal Studios backlot, and the theme park.
That makes Hollywood Drift more than just a new coaster. It is also a rare expansion of Universal Studios Hollywood’s thrill lineup, adding a large-scale outdoor ride to a park known for blending studio history with franchise-driven attractions.
Due to the dynamics of the coaster, guests will be required to place all belongings in complimentary lockers located within the queue area. Riders will also pass through metal detection before entering the ride platform to make sure loose items, including mobile phones, are securely stored.
Fast & Furious Joins Universal’s Major Attraction Lineup
Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift joins a Universal Studios Hollywood lineup that already includes SUPER NINTENDO WORLD and Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Jurassic World: The Ride, The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, The Simpsons Ride, TRANSFORMERS: The Ride-3D, Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride, and the park’s signature Studio Tour.
With its outdoor track, rotating drift vehicles, high-speed launches, franchise props, and direct ties to one of Universal’s biggest film brands, Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift looks set to become one of the park’s biggest new draws.
The ride officially opens Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at Universal Studios Hollywood.
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