originally posted on 3/11/2022
All photos copyright Liu Lin & Zachary Zhang. View full-sized image.
For coaster fans, it is not easy to get to all the far-flung locations around the world no matter wherever one’s home might be. Those who have been fortunate enough to travel to Germany might have experienced the magnificent Phantasialand (Brühl) and its 2016 marvel, Taron. Built by Intamin, the dual-launch coaster was a thematic masterpiece surrounded by the architecture and basalt rock of the mythic village Klugheim. It was met with immediate fanfare when it opened.
As recently reported in ACE News, another Intamin coaster, Light of Revenge at Happy Valley (Qixia, Nanjing, China), was a re-creation of Cheetah Hunt at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (Florida). Now Taron has a similar cousin, All Speeds at Sunac Land Chengdu (Dujiangyan, China).
While theming is different, the layout of All Speeds is near identical to Taron.
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While the track and topography are sure to have slight differences, All Speeds is pretty much a move-for-move duplication of Taron. That’s by no means a bad thing. Taron is immensely popular for good reason — it’s a blast! The bursts of speed, slithering curves and close clearances are executed perfectly. It would be no surprise for another park to want its own version.
Coaster connoisseurs — and count ACE members among them — appreciate signature attractions. Since the creation of roller coaster designs, there have been so-called clones. Production models weren’t received as well by hardcore fans because they didn’t necessarily offer anything they hadn’t done before. The Arrow Corkscrew, the Vekoma Boomerang, the S&S 4D Freespin or the Schwarzkopf shuttle loop — all very fun rides! — had fans seeking out attractions that were more a signature piece for each park. But even fans know, the general public gets to only a handful of parks in their lifetime, so a great ride is going to market well for the region it is in. Case in point, Taron and All Speeds are on different continents. (Unfortunately, both are very far away for Americans.)
What is very wonderful, however, is that each has its own theming package to set it apart. These aren’t rides just erected in parking lots. The front of the first car on the train features a bull’s head. Whereas Taron had its jutting basalt rock (see RollerCoaster! issue 140), All Speeds is surrounded by temples, ruins, sculptures and craggy rockwork. It carries its own thematic clout. A fantastic layout coupled with fantastic theming is a win-win.
All Speeds has a striking theming package.
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A description of the ride is futile, but one can take a ride here:
Snappy, curving directional changes are the ride’s strength. If there is a slight criticism one could strain to make, it is the lack of a very tall drop — which leads to one final observation. Intamin has produced many train styles. The carriages on Taron were an instant home run. Flooring was flush with the station. The lap bar offered great freedom with nothing around the rider’s head. Seating was exceptionally comfortable. Once Intamin determined it got that right, thrill seekers can now enjoy the likes of such engineered work on the new Jurassic World VelociCoaster at Universal’s Islands of Adventure (Orlando, Florida). And that installation has the exhilarating drop that seemed to be missing.
The front car of the trains feature a bull’s head.
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The sign at the entrance reads “All Speeds.” A note pointed out by RollerCoasterDataBase (rcdb.com), suggests that a more correct translation might be “Extreme Speed.” Regardless of translation, it makes coaster fans long to get to this distant park and also serves to remind enthusiasts: if a ride has a good layout, it will still be a great ride if it is duplicated in another location.
Tim Baldwin, ACE News Editor
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