It’s only been eight years since Universal Orlando Resort opened its Fast & Furious: Supercharged ride to major fanfare. Vin Diesel and members of the family were present. A Paul Walker Easter egg could be found on the ride. However, despite the flashy entrance, fans were never overly fond of the actual ride experience. So, when the new Fast & Furious coaster was announced, the other ride was fast tracked to the junkyard. I just didn’t realize how quickly Universal would erase its presence.
Fast & Furious: Supercharged closed at Universal Studios Florida at the end of the weekend on August 16th. A TikTok user popped over to Universal Orlando the next day and passed by the ride formerly known as Supercharged. If you take a look, you’ll notice the sign was already painted over and it simply looks like a random building on the backlot.
@explore_orlando ♬ Walking Around - Eldar Kedem
I suppose this shouldn’t have come as a huge surprise. Last month we learned Supercharged was closing even earlier than we initially expected. When a lot of attractions close at Universal, theme parkgoers commemorate them and jump onto them one last time for the nostalgia factor, and this "saying goodbye" phase tends to last for weeks and weeks.
This doesn’t really seem to have been the case with this Fast ride. Though if you were particularly fond of the ride, the final riders did seem to give it that rowdy factor which I would have expected (for most rides) to see more of in the weeks leading up to the end.
Yeah, that’s a "family chant." Still within hours (and likely overnight), the building got a fresh coat of paint and Universal Studios Florida has officially moved on. Universal’s official website has also already cut out all evidence of the ride. Even the official Universal account seems amused by the quick work on this, and used it as an opportunity to send out a funny PSA, which I honestly didn't see coming.
The timing's really weird, because the Fast family was together over the weekend celebrating the film franchise's 25th anniversary.
The good news?
Fast & Furious Hollywood Drift Is Coming Together
Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift hasn’t had its Grand Opening yet at Universal Studios Hollywood as the coaster navigates some issues that aren't "a scream," but it has been taking riders on a high-octane journey for a while now. The coaster is also coming together very quickly at Universal Orlando, so the “family” will have another way to show their love for the franchise, and soon. A full rendering has been released by the theme park, if you haven't checked it out yet.
One thing I did always appreciate about Fast & Furious: Supercharged was the queue. Universal's queues are frequently a blast, and it was always especially fun to see the cars and the franchise Easter eggs as I walked through. The pre-show was also worth checking out. Hopefully, the new coaster will be a similarly positive experience. We shouldn’t have too much longer to wait, as the Florida attraction is expected to open up in 2027.
