Las Vegas Roller Coaster For Sale

Dreaming of owning a roller coaster? Well, Las Vegas Speed – The Ride, is up for grabs as parts of the ride is on the auction block.

The ride is currently in storage at what was supposed to be Akita Plaza, a project that never saw the light. Before it went into storage the coaster entertained rides in the Las Vegas Strip’s Sahara Hotel and Casino, operating between April 2000 to May 2011. It was first introduced as part of Sahara’s remodelling in 1999, installed as part of the NASCAR Cafe. In 2008 the ride was shut down before reopening later in 2009. The ride finally closed down with the closure of the Sahara. The roller coaster was destined to reopen at Akita Plaza but that never happened. 

Running along with the NASCAR theme the ride accelerated from 0-45 mph in two seconds. The coaster dropped into an underground tunnel in front of the resort and then passed through a 92 vertical loop. In the second part of the ride, the coaster accelerated from 45-70 mph in three seconds, snaking and turning before climbing a huge vertical tower and falling back through the entire course backwards. When it was first built, Speed – The Ride was considered one of the tallest and longest shuttle coasters in the world. The amusement ride was manufactured by Premier Rides, who also developed Flight of Fear, High Roller, and Stratosphere. 

Is Speed ever coming back?

It’s been 8 years since the Sahara ride closed down and now that it’s being auctioned many are not sure if the ride will be revived or not. Some believe that the ride will be sold for metal scrap and others speculate that it will be up and running once purchased by a new owner. The owners of the Sahara “confirmed that bringing the coaster back is not part of their plans. While the owner is bringing back the Sahara name, the old ‘Arabian Nights’ theme will not return. Instead, you will find elements of the old Sahara ‘return in spirit’, such as the return of the Casbar Lounge. This is a bit of an odd rumour, but according to Park Journey, Las Vegas Expert (RD)

“there is a rumour going around claiming that Speed – The Ride could not only return… but return to run back at the Sahara. A new sign has gone up at the former Saraha casino once again renaming it as the Sahara which was nice to see.”

Will Speed roller coaster ever come back? We will just have to wait and see after the auction since the person who buys it needs to rebuild it somewhere else. Journey believes “that despite the ride sitting out in the Vegas sun since 2011 it is in excellent condition. And while it would need some “TLC”, it wouldn’t take much.”

Will Speed roller coaster ever come back? We will just have to wait and see after the auction since the person who buys it needs to rebuild it somewhere else.  Journey believes “that despite the ride sitting out in the Vegas sun since 2011 it is in excellent condition. And while it would need some “TLC”, it wouldn’t take much.”