Wolverine Wildcat is a wooden roller coaster at Michigan's Adventure, an amusement park near Muskegon, Michigan. It first opened in 1988 before Cedar Fair purchased the park. It is located in Timbertown, near the Timbertown Railway Station. It was the commonly referred to as the most thrilling ride at Michigan's Adventure until Shivering Timbers was built in 1998. The ride has a double out and back layout that is loosely based on the former Wildcat at Coney Island. Wolverine Wildcat celebrated its 30th year at Michigan's Adventure in 2018, which was also Shivering Timbers' 20th anniversary and Thunderhawk's 10th anniversary.
| Wolverine Wildcat | |
|---|---|
 Wolverine Wildcat viewed from near Rip Cord | |
| Michigan's Adventure | |
| Location | Michigan's Adventure |
| Park section | Timbertown |
| Coordinates | 43°20′37″N 86°16′39″W / 43.34361°N 86.27750°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | May 18, 1988 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Wood |
| Manufacturer | Dinn Corporation |
| Designer | Curtis D. Summers |
| Model | Sit Down |
| Track layout | Double Out and Back |
| Lift/launch system | Chain Lift |
| Height | 85 ft (26 m) |
| Drop | 78 ft (24 m) |
| Length | 3,000 ft (910 m) |
| Speed | 55 mph (89 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 2:00 |
| Max vertical angle | 50° |
| Capacity | 700 riders per hour |
| Height restriction | 48 in (122 cm) |
| Trains | Single train with 4 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 3 rows for a total of 24 riders per train. |
 Fast Lane available | |
| Wolverine Wildcat at RCDB | |
Although various amusement rides and other coasters had been added to the park, the introduction of this coaster signaled a move into the big leagues along with a name change from Deer Park Funland to Michigan's Adventure. The coaster was designed by Curtis D. Summers and built by the Dinn Corporation. It was the first new project for the duo Dinn & Summers, who would go on to build an additional nine coasters over the next four years.
The coaster is now mainly worked on by Martin & Vleminckx[1] through multiple reconstruction and retracking projects in order to smoothen it out and give a better total ride experience.
Wolverine Wildcat is one of only two roller coasters at Michigan's Adventure with manual brakes. Brakes must be opened and closed with buttons. The only other roller coaster with manual brakes is Zach's Zoomer.
References
edit- ^ "Roller Coaster Repair and Refurbishment". Martin & Vleminckx. Martin & Vleminckx. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
External links
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