Page 1 of 1
GCI to "revamp" the Coney Island Cyclone
Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 8:59 am
by Sam
GCI to Revamp Coney Island Cyclone
By John on February 2, 2012 in News
Great Coasters International will repair and slightly rework the classic wooden Cyclone coaster at Coney Island in New York. GCI was carefully chosen by Central Amusement International, the group overseeing the revitalization of Coney Island.
The Amusement Today article states:
“Amusement Today spoke with Valerio Ferrari, president of CAI, about the work taking place on the grand old ride and why GCII was selected for the project. “We are very excited for the improvements that have been and will be made to The Cyclone. This ride is rich in history, and being able to preserve it for future generations to enjoy is something that CAI is very proud to be part of,” said Ferrari. “CAI chose GCII to renovate the Cyclone mainly for two reasons. First and most importantly, they are an industry leader with a proven track record on renovating existing coasters while maintaining each coasters’ ‘identity’. Second, they demonstrated a very strong desire to put their thumbprint on such a prestigious and iconic ride.”
Small changes will be made to the iconic coaster’s structure in an attempt to make the ride experience more enjoyable. The trains will be either refurbished or replaced. The project will be broken into phases so that downtime is kept to a minimum. The overall project is expected to take between four and five years, although the coaster is expected to open on April 1st, 2012.
If all goes as planned and the weather cooperates, CAI officials feel the Cyclone will be ready to open on Palm Sunday, April 1, 2012.
http://www.coaster101.com/2012/02/02/gc ... d-cyclone/
This worries me a bit, about how extensive the refurb will be. Though I admit, I'd be jumping for joy if we heard that GCI had been hired to sort out the Nash!
Re: GCI to "revamp" the Coney Island Cyclone
Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 1:23 pm
by Rob L
I could have sworn that I'd seen it was Zamperla doing the work on it!
Definitely better that GCI do though, hopefully they will do a good job.
Re: GCI to "revamp" the Coney Island Cyclone
Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 1:28 pm
by Bear
Rob wrote:
I could have sworn that I'd seen it was Zamperla doing the work on it!
Definitely better that GCI do though, hopefully they will do a good job.
I think Zamperla own the place these days!
Re: GCI to "revamp" the Coney Island Cyclone
Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 7:22 pm
by Sam
Zamperla own the park, but I doubt they know anything about refurbishing wooden rollercoasters.
I've only heard bad things about this as a ride experience, but obviously it's the most famous rollercoaster in the world, so it must be kept. I'll be interested to see what GCI do with it! I'd like to see it given a bit of a spruce-up and a more classy image tbh!
Re: GCI to "revamp" the Coney Island Cyclone
Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 8:26 pm
by Mattmash
Very interesting! Lets hope that GCI can work the kind of wonders they did with the mighty Boulder Dash
Re: GCI to "revamp" the Coney Island Cyclone
Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2012 2:24 pm
by Sam
Work has already begun! As it said above, it seems to be happening in stages over the next few years, making sure the coaster is always open during the summer.
The first drop suddenly looks very GCI.
Comparison:
2003:
2012:
Re: GCI to "revamp" the Coney Island Cyclone
Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 7:49 am
by seanyboyuk
Wow it looks more steeper for sure! I have watched a couple of POV of this ride and it is a bit on the slow side so the slight tweak on the first drop will give it a little more speed.
Re: GCI to "revamp" the Coney Island Cyclone
Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 3:26 pm
by BigAl
Just seen this
video comparison of the Cyclone before and after the revamp (two mounted pov's side-by-side) and thought I'd share it.
Re: GCI to "revamp" the Coney Island Cyclone
Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 3:52 pm
by Blaze
That's a lot faster, but it's still good and bumpy and rough. Excellent!
Re: GCI to "revamp" the Coney Island Cyclone
Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 4:27 pm
by BigAl
They seem to have changed the track path in a few places and that's made a few people unhappy, but the extra speed is nice.