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Cop Car Chase (Movie Park Germany)
Intamin started construction on a duelling roller coaster in 1995. This new ride was meant to give
an impulse to the bankrupt Bavaria Filmpark Bottrop. This park closed its doors in 1993 after
disappointing attendance figures.
Warner Bros. Movies Inc. started construction of Warner Bros. MovieWorld
Germany in 1994. An ambitious project to revive the old Bavaria Filmpark under their own
flag. There have been a lot of problems with the old park, especially on the marketing side of
business. But Warner Brothers had good hopes of attracting more visitors to this park by using
their famous characters.
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| Cop Car Chase doesn't look really impressive untill the weather starts to get nasty. |
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Characters such as Bugs Bunny, Silvester and Tweety moved into the new MovieWorld in 1996. The
expectations were grand, management was hoping for no less then three million visitors a year; a goal
that would never be achieved. To reach these large visitor targets a huge investment had been made
and many new rides were constructed. A short list of some new rides:
- Lethal Weapon Pursuit
- Looney Tunes Adventure
- Never Ending Story
- Police Academy Stunt Show
- Bermuda Triangle
- Gremlins Invasion
- Looney Tunes Land
- Roxy Theatre 4D
This is just a small selection of the many rides that were added to the park by the Warner Brothers
corporation. It can be guaranteed that you could not recognize a single bit of the Bavaria Filmpark
in the current park. In this article we will focus on the Lethal Weapon Pursuit roller coaster. An
Intamin creation which still frequently experiences difficulties these days. But it is a roller
coaster that still manages to amuse and thrill the visitors as well.
In the mean while, the park has changed names once more, just as the roller coaster we are
discussing. At the Movie Park Germany, this Intamin ride is currently referred to as
Cop Car Chase.
When one speaks of a roller coaster of 1250 metres, most people assume that it must be built on a
large surface. But looks can deceive. The entire track of Cop Car Chase is built on a surface of
only 110 by 50 metres. And it isn't even all that tall; after only 12 metres the train has reached
the highest point of the ride.
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| Fans enjoy their exclusive ride time at the
European
FanDay 2005. |
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| Are the fences part of the theming as well?! |
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So what is it that makes this ride special?
Is it the duelling effect? No, not really. Of course it is special, but because of the many technical
difficulties with this particular ride it is nearly impossible to operate it with two tracks at
once. There are some problems with the trains, and because of this there usually aren't enough
trains operational to run both courses. Nowadays it has become common that only the right course is
in operation.
Is it the indoor part of the ride? No, not really. It is kind of peculiar though, and dark, but it
doesn't really make this ride special... It is exciting, a looping in the dark is significantly
different from an outdoor looping. The turns following the loop are quite out of the ordinary as
well. The G-forces seem more intense and the speed seems to be a bit higher. Well, to be honest,
the speed is a bit higher indoor, because the floor of the building is located at up to two metres
below the ground, so that the loops would fit into the building. But still, that isn't the element
of this ride that makes it really special.
Is it the appearance of the ride? Perhaps. The ride looks nice. You can see from the outside that the
lay-out is very compact. The turns at the back of the buildings are located very close to one
another, en the buildings themselves are relatively small and low. Even the trains are decorated
very nicely, and the majority of the Lethal Weapon theming is still in place. And that is very
pleasing to the eye, and might make this ride special. Might.
The most probable answer is that all of the above answers contribute to the special character of this
ride. It is compact, fast, duelling and part of its course is indoor. En this coaster has a
history...
Even though the ride is only nine years old, it has already had two different names, and a plethora
of technical problems. Synchronisation has proven to be a problem, and the neighbours aren't too
fond of this ride either. Let's face it, Cop Car Chase makes quite a bit of noise. But the worst
problems are those with the trains. Thankfully for future visitors Movie Park Germany is working
really hard to fix these problems, and the park is very confident that it will have both courses up
and running in the near future.
All in all Cop Car Chase is a unique concept which has been realized in a professional and pleasing
manner, and the ride even provides quite the experience. This makes Cop Car Chase without a doubt one
of the crowd-pullers of Movie Park Germany. And that is exactly what this ride will remain for quite
a few years from now. Especially if both courses will be up and running again in the near future, and
hopefully will remain that way for years and years to come.
-René Tuithof; translated by Frank Cornelissen
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