How much did it cost to build the Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point?

(This was something of a Cedar Point tradition. Top Thrill Dragster was the fourth coaster in the park's history to claim those two feats.) Built by roller coaster manufacturer Intamin, Top Thrill Dragster cost $25 million (about $42 million in today's currency).



The original Top Thrill Dragster, which debuted in 2003, cost approximately $25 million to construct. At the time, it set three world records for height (420 feet), drop, and speed (120 mph), making it one of the most expensive and technologically ambitious projects in the park's history. Following a long closure, the coaster underwent a massive transformation into Top Thrill 2, which opened in 2024. This revamp, designed by Zamperla, added a 420-foot vertical spike and a new triple-launch system. The cost of this 2024 renovation was also roughly $25 million, meaning that between the original 2003 build and the 2024 reconstruction, Cedar Point has invested a total of approximately $50 million into this specific skyline-defining attraction as of early 2026.

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The Top Thrill 2 will be the worlds fastest triple-launch strata coaster. It will feature two 420-foot-tall towers and launch riders three times at 74 miles per hour, 101 mph and finally 120 mph. The total track length will be 3,422 feet and take some two minutes from start to finish.

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Cedar Point announces new coaster replacing Dragster, the Top Thrill 2. SANDUSKY, Ohio (FOX 2) - Top Thrill 2, a 420-foot-tall coaster with two towers, will replace the Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point, the theme park revealed Tuesday.

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In April 2015, a lever malfunction caused Fury 325 riders to become stuck.

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The ride was closed after a viral video recorded at the amusement park and posted to social media showed a huge crack in one of the coaster's support beams. Workers began the process of removing and replacing the cracked support beam in mid-July.

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Record-breaking Top Thrill Dragster is being retired a year after the roller coaster seriously injured a woman waiting in line, Cedar Point announced yesterday.

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Cedar Point retires Top Thrill Dragster coaster after 19 years — and many problems. The Top Thrill Dragster, which at one time was the fastest and tallest roller coaster in the world, is being scrapped — in its current form, anyway.

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Kingda Ka is quite simply the tallest coaster in the world and fastest roller coaster in North America. Is that impressive enough to warrant royalty? You bet it is. This upside down U-shaped track bolts up 45 stories in the sky—that's 456 feet high!

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As of January 2023, the oldest running roller coaster in the world was Leap the Dips, located in Lakemont Park, Pennsylvania (USA), which was opened in 1902. Meanwhile, the world's second oldest coaster, Scenic Railway, opened 10 years later in Melbourne, Australia.

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The Dragster only had one tower, and in addition to adding a second tower, the new coaster will have three launches, an upgrade from The Dragster's one. One of the three is a backward launch, which will reach 101 mph. Top Thrill 2 will be the boldest and most advanced roller coaster Cedar Point has ever introduced.

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Though the top speed (120mph) and maximum height (420') of Top Thrill Dragster will carry over to Top Thrill 2, the addition of the spike will push the total coaster length well over 3,000' (originally 2,800'). The ride experience will last 2:00. Each of the coaster's trains will still carry 20 passengers at one time.

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Cedar Point announces its 'reimagined' Top Thrill Dragster will not open until 2024. Roller coaster fans will have to wait another year to ride what was once the tallest roller coaster in the world. Cedar Point announced Monday that its famed Top Thrill Dragster will not reopen until 2024.

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