Viper

Viper was a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey. Manufactured by TOGO at an estimated cost of $4 million, the ride opened to the public in June 1995. It replaced another steel coaster manufactured by TOGO, Ultra Twister, which was removed in 1989. Viper stood nearly tall and reached a maximum speed of . It featured two inversions, including a heartline roll and a unique dive loop element developed specifically for this ride. Following years of maintenance issues, extensive downtime, and low ridership due to roughness, Viper was permanently closed after the 2004 season and demolished the following year. A record-breaking wooden coaster called El Toro opened in its place in 2006. History Following Time Warner's purchase of Six Flags in 1992, the decision was made to enhance theming within the amusement park. A new section called Frontier Adventures was among the changes, which combined the "Best of the West" and "Hernando's Hideaway" areas. Prior to the change, this section of the park previously housed Ultra Twister, the first pipeline roller coaster to open in the United States, which was removed in 1989 and relocated to Six Flags AstroWorld. Ultra Twister's manufacturer, TOGO, took the extraordinary step of building a full-scale prototype of a new coaster model and premiering it at their testing facility in Ohio. The prototype model introduced a new element that TOGO called the "dive loop", which contained a unique inline twist maneuver at the top of a vertical loop. Six Flags Great Adventure bought into the concept and hired TOGO to build one in the former location of Ultra Twister. Time Warner originally wanted the new ride to be based on the 1992 Clint Eastwood film Unforgiven, but the theme didn't perform well during market research. Six Flags ultimately chose the name Viper to pair its snake-like branding with the western-themed Frontiers Adventures. During construction, which began near the end of the 1994 season, officials asked TOGO to install additional steel rings on the lift hill and first drop to enhance its snake-like appearance. Throughout the queue, aged western props and other western-themed elements were added to give it a ghost town appearance. A steel structure left behind from the removal of Ultra Twister was covered with a rustic wood frame and placed near Viper's entrance. Viper opened to the public on June 2, 1995, and cost an estimated $4 million to construct.