Construction on Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift at Universal Studios Florida has hit a significant milestone: a test car has arrived on the track. Covered in a tarp and fitted with a testing frame, the vehicle appears to be modeled after Dom's iconic 1970 Dodge Charger from the film franchise — the same car that leads the coaster trains at Universal Studios Hollywood, which opened just last week.
Right now the car sits at the end of the first launch section, facing backwards. Crews are using it for pull testing, physically drawing it along the track with a crane to verify proper alignment. The frame around it also serves envelope testing purposes, confirming there's adequate clearance for riders' heads and arms once guests are seated.
Theming elements are advancing quickly alongside the mechanical work. Horizontal steel beams have been added to the ride's entrance facade, which sits next to the Ghostbusters firehouse at the end of the park's New York area thoroughfare. Inside the loading station, a new wall features Barricade building wrap. Outside, green corrugated paneling has gone up behind the Peterbilt-style semi-truck installed earlier this season, forming the shell of a faux shipping container designed to look like a jackknifed truck's haul stretched horizontally across the track. Riders will appear to be on a collision course with the trailer before the cars dive beneath it via a ramp.
Additional fake shipping containers are being used to create immersive walls leading up to the truck scene, while the return track passes above. It's also worth noting that Fast & Furious: Supercharged closed last month, and some props from its queue may find a second life in Hollywood Drift.
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Photos credited to photographer bioreconstruct on X; original reporting by WDWNT.
