Three. Two. One. Go. Few coasters anywhere compress as much violence into as little time as Stealth. Thorpe Park’s Intamin Accelerator hurls riders from a standstill to 80 mph in roughly 1.9 seconds, rockets 205 feet over a top hat, and has the train back in the station well under a minute after it left. Opened in 2006, it remains one of the fastest-accelerating roller coasters on the planet.
Key Stats
| Height | 205 ft (62.5 m) |
| Top speed | 80 mph (129 km/h) |
| Launch | 0–80 mph in about 1.9 seconds (hydraulic) |
| Length | 1,312 ft (400 m) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Max g-force | approx. 4.7 g |
| Manufacturer / model | Intamin Accelerator Coaster |
| Cost | £12 million |
| Opened | 2006 |
| Park | Thorpe Park — Chertsey, Surrey, UK |
The Launch Is the Ride
Stealth uses Intamin’s hydraulic catapult system — the same technology behind the legendary Kingda Ka and Top Thrill Dragster — in which a winch driven by hydraulic motors yanks the train down the launch track like a jet off an aircraft carrier. The acceleration is so sharp that it pins riders’ heads back before the brain has processed the countdown. That punch has kept Stealth on lists of the fastest roller coasters in the world for two decades, and its launch remains the most intense in the UK.
The Layout: Short, Sharp, Perfect
The circuit itself is minimalist: launch, a 90-degree climb up the 205-foot top hat, a twisting vertical descent, and one airtime bunny hop before the brakes. At just 400 meters, it’s one of the shortest major coasters anywhere — but that’s the point. Like a drag race, Stealth is engineered around a single overwhelming moment, and the brevity makes re-rides irresistible.
Records and Context
When it opened in 2006 at a cost of £12 million, Stealth became the fastest roller coaster in the United Kingdom — a title it held for 18 years until its own neighbor, Hyperia, edged past it at 81 mph in 2024. Stealth still owns the UK’s hardest launch, and its top hat silhouette remains one of the most recognizable structures in British theme parks. It also anchors Thorpe Park’s Amity area, themed as a 1950s American lakeside town.
FAQ
How fast does Stealth accelerate?
Stealth launches from 0 to 80 mph (129 km/h) in about 1.9 seconds using a hydraulic launch system.
Is Stealth still the fastest coaster in the UK?
Not quite — Hyperia (81 mph), which opened at Thorpe Park in 2024, now holds the UK speed record. Stealth remains the UK’s fastest-accelerating coaster.
How long does Stealth last?
The full circuit is only 1,312 feet (400 meters) long — the ride is over in well under a minute, with the launch and 205-foot top hat as its centerpiece.
Photo: ThorpePark1000 via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
