Zamperla

Zamperla

Zamperla

Italian-based steel coaster and flat rides manufacturer


Antonio Zamperla S.p.A. is an Italian design and manufacturing company founded in 1966. It is best known for creating family rides, thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The company also makes smaller coin-operated rides commonly found inside shopping malls.

Quick Facts Company type, Industry ...
SpinSpider (operated since 2009) one giant frisbee from Zamperla (Giant Discovery) at TusenFryd, Norway.
Video of Lilla Lots at Liseberg, Gothenburg, Sweden. Lilla Lots is a version of Rockin' Tug.

Zamperla builds roller coasters, like the powered Dragon Coaster, Mini Mouse, Zig Zag, and Volare. In 2006, Zamperla announced Motocoaster, a motorcycle-themed roller coaster. Rights to some of S.D.C.'s rides were handed to Zamperla (along with S&C and S&MC) after the company went bankrupt in 1993.[3]

In 2005, the founder of the company, Mr. Antonio Zamperla, became the first Italian to be inducted into the IAAPA Hall of Fame by virtue of his significant contribution to the entire industry, joining other pioneers such as Walt Disney, George Ferris and Walter Knott.[4]

Unlike companies such as Intamin, Vekoma, or Bolliger & Mabillard that concentrate on larger and faster roller coasters, Zamperla focuses on more family-friendly roller coasters that can be easily mass-produced, taken down, and transported to different locations. They are also a major manufacturer of flat rides with such names as: Balloon Race, Bumper cars, Disk'O, Ferris wheel, Water Flume Ride, Galleon/Swinging Ship, Sky Drop, Discovery, Windshear, Tornado, Energy Storm, Z-Force, Mixer, Rotoshake, Turbo Force, Power Surge, Mini Jet, and Air Race.

Company structure

The company is organized in different departments, the Art Department[5] that works on the study and creation of different themings of the rides, the Technical Department[6] that designs the engineering of the attractions, the Production Department that handles their realization, the Sales Department,[7][8] the Customer Care and the Park Development Department that works on the design and creation of an amusement park.

Projects

In 2010 Antonio Zamperla S.p.A. was selected by CAI (Central Amusement International) to restore and renovate the Coney Island area in New York City. The company managed Coney Island's Luna Park and installed only Zamperla rides, representing a perfect test bed for new attractions before to launch them.[9][10]

From 2003 to 2019, Zamperla transformed the Trump Organization's Wollman Rink, within New York City's Central Park, into Victorian Gardens, a traditional-style amusement park with rides like the "Family Swinger", "Samba Balloon", "Aeromax", "Convoy", "Rocking Tug", "Kite Flyer".[11] The park closed in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]

Another famous Zamperla project is Kernwasser, north of Düsseldorf, a former nuclear power station that was turned into an amusement park called Wunderland Kalkar.[13]


In August 2023, it was announced that Zamperla was hired to redesign the former Top Thrill Dragster roller coaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Top Thrill 2 will open sometime in 2024 as the tallest and fastest triple-launch coaster in the world, with a vertical spike and top hat both reaching 420 feet and a top speed of 120 miles per hour. This will be the largest project taken on by Zamperla.

List of roller coasters


As of 2022, Zamperla has built 368 roller coasters around the world.[14]

More information Name, Model ...

List of other attractions

More information Ride name, Park ...

References

  1. "Il giostraio del mondo è finalmente in Italia: Zamperla apre a Bologna". January 2020.
  2. "Zamperla: "Che sballo le mie giostre piacciono a Disney e Kim Jong-un"". Repubblica.it. 14 March 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  3. "Europa Park: due nuove attrazioni in Inghilterra". Parksmania. 9 January 2008. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  4. "La giostra gira dentro lo schermo". Il Sole 24 ORE. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  5. Klan.IT. "Fondazione Italia CinaAntonio Zamperla Spa e Investindustrial Advisors SpA: nuovi soci". Fondazione Italia Cina. Archived from the original on 2016-04-26. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  6. "Sales Department". Zamperla. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  7. "Corporate - Luna Park in Coney Island". Luna Park in Coney Island. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  8. Povoledo, Elisabetta (April 23, 2010). "Coney Island Gets an Italian Face-Lift". The New York Times. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  9. "Victorian Gardens at Wollman Rink in Central Park | Amusement Park | About Us". www.victoriangardensnyc.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  10. "centralpark.com". 8 October 2021.
  11. "Zamperla to Turn Trash to Treasure in Venice - Entertainment Designer". Entertainment Designer. Archived from the original on 2016-05-05. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  12. Marden, Duane. "Canal Peak  (Fancy City)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  13. Marden, Duane. "Storm  (Magic Kass)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  14. Marden, Duane. "Big Red Boat  (Dreamworld)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  15. Marden, Duane. "Eat My Dust  (Walibi Holland)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  16. Marden, Duane. "Eel Racing Coaster  (SeaWorld Abu Dhabi)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  17. Marden, Duane. "Wild Mouse  (Cedar Point)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  18. Marden, Duane. "Lightning Coaster  (Dinosaur DreamWorks)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  19. Marden, Duane. "ThunderVolt  (Playland)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  20. Marden, Duane. "Top Thrill 2  (Cedar Point)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  21. Coney Island Top Drop is an exact replica of the ride listed directly below it, the Coney Tower. Both rides opened in the same year, and were possibly produced at the same time.
  22. "The Future of Dreamworld". Dreamworld. Retrieved 1 January 2024.

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