Colossus (Thorpe Park)

Colossus is a steel roller coaster at Thorpe Park in Surrey, England, and the park's first major attraction. It was built by Liechtenstein-based manufacturers Intamin and designed by Werner Stengel as an adaptation of Monte Makaya in Brazil. Colossus is well known for being the world's first roller coaster with ten inversions; an exact replica, called the 10 Inversion Roller Coaster, was later built at Chimelong Paradise in Guangzhou, China.^[1] It retained its title of having the most inversions on any other roller coaster in the world until The Smiler at Alton Towers took the record in 2013.^[2]

Colossus
View of Colossus
Thorpe Park
Location	Thorpe Park
Park section	Lost City
Coordinates	51.403243°N 0.512959°W / 51.403243; -0.512959
Status	Operating
Opening date	22 March 2002
Cost	£13,500,000
General statistics
Type	Steel
Manufacturer	Intamin
Designer	Werner Stengel
Model	Multi Inversion Coaster
Track layout	10 Inversion Revision A
Lift/launch system	Chain lift hill
Height	98 ft (30 m)
Drop	97 ft (30 m)
Length	2,789 ft (850 m)
Speed	45 mph (72 km/h)
Inversions	10
Duration	1:32
G-force	4.2
Height restriction	140–196 cm (4 ft 7 in – 6 ft 5 in)
Trains	2 trains with 7 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 28 riders per train.
Restraints	Over the shoulder restraints
Fastrack available
Wheelchair accessible
Colossus at RCDB

Manufacturer Intamin used a similar train style to their Mega Coaster models, which are exposed by removing the sides of the train. This caused problems as riders could lift their legs outside of the train whilst it was in motion.^[3] For a brief period in 2002 and 2003 the ride was equipped with metal bars on the sides of the train to prevent this. During 2003 the trains were fitted with new style restraints to prevent riders from doing this and the metal plates were removed.^{[citation needed]}

The roller coaster is located in the Lost City area, in the south-east of the park. The ride is formed of a vertical loop, a cobra roll, two corkscrews and five heartline rolls. The ride's rough theme is the ruins of a recently unearthed Atlantean civilization. The music for the ride and surrounding area was composed by Ian Habgood. During planning and construction, Colossus was known as Project Odyssey.

During the 2023-24 off-season, Colossus was partially repainted as part of the Sparkle Project.^[4]

Ride experience

Inversions

No.	Inversion
1	Vertical loop
2 and 3	Cobra roll
4 and 5	Corkscrew
6 to 9	Clockwise heartline roll
10	Anticlockwise heartline roll

The ride

The train is dispatched from the station and immediately begins to ascend the chain lift hill, bringing riders to a maximum height of 30 m (98 ft). After disengaging from the chain, the train follows a 180 degree turn to the left into a drop - and passes through a vertical loop. The train then briefly traverses an elongated airtime hill that drops beneath the ride exit and gift shop creating a "head-chopper effect", before pulling sharply upwards into a cobra roll situated in a partially flooded pit (so as to allow other guests to observe the element and generate a more engaging visual spectacle to surround the attraction).

Upon exiting the cobra roll, the second phase of the circuit begins: snaking slightly to the left, the train is quickly pulled through two corkscrew elements; the first inverting riders over the airtime hill and the second encompassing a pathway leading to the ride entrance. Riders' photographs are taken as the train levels after the second corkscrew. Here, the speed of the train decreases rapidly. Riders then experience four consecutive clockwise heartline rolls that pass only 3 m (10 ft) above the area's pathway. A final bend round to the left is completed as the train slowly approaches the station, before an unexpected final inversion (a counter-clockwise heartline roll). The train then slows into the final brake run, stopping for a moment before the exit.