The History of King Kobra

Removed from Kings Dominion in the mid-1980s. Operated 1977 to the mid-1980s. Still running today in Brazil.

Kings Dominion's first launched coaster did not so much retire as go on tour. King Kobra opened in 1977, ran for nine seasons, and then left Virginia to run on three continents. It is still operating today, on the other side of the world.

The park's first launch

King Kobra opened in 1977 as the park's fourth coaster and its first launched one, a Schwarzkopf shuttle loop. Rather than a motor, it used a massive dropped counterweight to fling the train through a single loop and up a tall spike, then let it fall back and run the whole course in reverse. It was the first ride of its kind ever built.

A ride that traveled the world

After nine seasons, King Kobra was removed, and its old plot eventually became part of Anaconda. But the ride itself kept going. It was rebuilt in Ocean City, Maryland, then shipped to Alton Towers in England, where it ran as Thunderlooper, and finally to Hopi Hari in Brazil, where it still operates today as Katapul. Four parks, three continents: few coasters have traveled farther.

Sister coasters

King Kobra was the very first Schwarzkopf shuttle loop, and two more opened the same year, White Lightnin' at Carowinds and Tidal Wave at a California park. The design went on to become one of the most widely produced launched coasters of its era.

One thing to know

The ride still operates today in Brazil, after earlier stops in Maryland and at Alton Towers in England.

King Kobra is one chapter in the fifty-year history of Kings Dominion.

King Kobra at a glance