Universal Studios has spent months building one of the most ambitious attractions in the park’s history, and guests finally know when they can experience it for themselves.After watching the enormous attraction take shape, guests won’t have much longer to wait. Universal has promised speed, unusual ride technology, and an experience unlike anything currently operating at the Hollywood resort.Now, the waiting game finally has an endpoint.Universal has officially announced when Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift will welcome everyday park guests, putting the finishing touches on a project that will bring a completely different kind of thrill ride to Universal Studios Hollywood.Universal Is Taking the Franchise in a Very Different DirectionFast & Furious: Hollywood Drift isn’t simply another attraction based on the long-running movie franchise. Universal has designed the coaster to make speed and drifting the main event.The outdoor coaster will reach speeds of up to 72 mph, making it the fastest roller coaster in the Universal Destinations & Experiences portfolio when it opens.That speed is only part of the story.Individual ride vehicles can rotate 360 degrees as they travel along the track, creating the sensation that the cars are drifting through turns rather than simply following the rails. Guests will travel along roughly 4,100 feet of track while experiencing four launches and forces of up to 3.6 Gs.The layout includes an inverted dive loop, twisted pretzel loop, inverted stall, and several other elements spread across the park’s terrain. Portions of the coaster will even travel over and under portions of the Starway escalators connecting Universal Studios Hollywood’s Upper and Lower Lots.Universal has also incorporated sound-reduction technology into the track, an important feature considering the coaster’s size and its location within an active movie studio and theme park.After watching the enormous attraction take shape, guests won’t have much longer to wait.Credit: Inside the MagicThe Countdown Is Finally OfficialFast & Furious: Hollywood Drift officially opens at Universal Studios Hollywood on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.The new coaster will operate from an expansive red brick, garage-inspired structure on the Upper Lot. Before guests even enter the queue, they’ll encounter two stationary replica cars positioned outside as photo opportunities.From there, the experience moves deeper into the world of Fast & Furious.Universal has filled the queue with recreated props and details inspired by the Fast Saga movies. Part of the coaster track also travels through a transparent enclosed section of the queue, allowing waiting guests to watch trains speed past before they board.Riders will eventually climb into vehicles modeled after four recognizable cars: the Dodge Charger, Mazda RX-7, Nissan Skyline GT-R, and Toyota Supra.Guests should also expect a strict loose-articles policy.Lockers will be required, and riders must store loose belongings before boarding. Universal will use scanners to ensure items such as cell phones, wallets, merchandise, and other unsecured objects aren’t carried onto the coaster.Considering the ride’s launches, inversions, rotating vehicles, and 72-mph top speed, Universal clearly isn’t taking chances with loose objects.And Hollywood won’t be the only Universal destination getting this coaster concept.Credit: UniversalOrlando Is Already Preparing for Its TurnAcross the country, Universal Studios Florida is building its own version of Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift.Universal plans to open the Orlando coaster in 2027, although an exact opening date hasn’t been announced.The Florida version won’t simply duplicate Hollywood’s layout. One of its biggest features will be a towering vertical spike rising nearly 17 stories above Universal Studios Florida and extending toward Universal CityWalk.Its ride vehicles will also use 360-degree rotation to recreate the drifting sensation that defines the Hollywood coaster.Construction has already made major progress, with another significant addition for Universal Orlando Resort set to open after Epic Universe in May 2025.The arrival of Hollywood Drift also represents a major reset for how Universal uses Fast & Furious inside its parks. That’s especially clear now that the franchise’s previous attraction has reached the end of the road.Credit: UniversalUniversal Has Already Said Goodbye to the Previous RideFast & Furious: Supercharged is now permanently closed at both Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Florida.The Hollywood experience, which operated as part of the Studio Tour, closed permanently in 2025. Orlando’s standalone version followed in 2026, with its final operating day coming on August 16.Universal originally planned to keep the Florida attraction around until 2027, but moved its closure forward.Neither of the former Fast & Furious: Supercharged locations has a confirmed replacement.Universal has not announced what will replace the former Studio Tour experience in Hollywood or the now-closed attraction at Universal Studios Florida.That hasn’t stopped speculation in Orlando. Fans have floated Ghostbusters, Twisters, Back to the Future, and other franchises as possibilities, but Universal has confirmed none of them.With Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift already coming to another part of Universal Studios Florida in 2027, the former Supercharged space could eventually house something completely different.Credit: UniversalA New Era Is About to BeginFor now, attention turns back to California.Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift will finally put guests behind the wheel beginning September 16, bringing a 72-mph coaster, rotating vehicles, multiple launches, inversions, and a sprawling outdoor layout to Universal Studios Hollywood.It’s a dramatic change from Supercharged and a much more literal interpretation of what many guests expect from the Fast & Furious name.And with another version racing toward a 2027 opening in Orlando, Universal is clearly betting that the future of this franchise inside its theme parks should feel a whole lot faster.The post Universal Studios Officially Unleashes Launch Date for 72-MPH ‘Fast & Furious’ Coaster appeared first on Inside the Magic.