Silver Bullet
Silver Bullet is a Bolliger & Mabillard-designed steel inverted roller coaster situated at Knott’s Berry Farm, an amusement park in Buena Park, California. On December 1, 2003, the $16 million roller coaster was unveiled, and it launched on December 7, 2004. There was also a first rider auction, where anyone could bid for seats to be the first riders. The track is about 3,125 feet (952 meters) long, and the lift hill is around 146 feet (45 meters) steep. The ride lasts two minutes and thirty seconds and includes six inversions: a vertical loop, a cobra roll, a zero-g roll, and two corkscrews.
Cedar Fair, the park’s proprietors, registered a trademark for the name “Silver Bullet” on May 28, 2003. Work on the new roller coaster began in September 2003, when The Church of Reflections was relocated. On December 1, 2003, Silver Bullet was announced to the public as part of a $85 million investment in all Cedar Fair parks. On September 30, 2004, the final section of track was installed.
On November 5, 2004, Knott’s Berry Farm launched a “First Rider Auction,” in which people from all over the world competed to be the first public riders on Silver Bullet on December 7, 2004. Despite the fact that sixty seats were made available, only 13 received bids. The highest bid was $200 (US), and a total of $1643 was obtained, with all proceeds benefiting the Speech & Language Development Center of Buena Park. After construction and testing were done, the roller coaster debuted to the media first, then to the public on December 7, 2004, despite the fact that it was originally intended to open on Christmas Eve of 2004. Silver Bullet is one of four western-themed attractions that premiered at Knott’s Berry Farm the same year.
The ride entrance is located in Knott’s Berry Farm’s Ghost Town portion.
The layout of Silver Bullet takes you through three of the park’s themed areas: Ghost Town, Fiesta Village, and Indian Trails.
After leaving the station, the train performs a 90-degree right bend before commencing to ascend the 146-foot (45-meter) lift hill. After reaching the top, the train enters a pre-drop before starting the 109-foot (33-meter) downward right drop. When the train reaches the bottom, it enters a 105-foot (32-meter) vertical loop. The train exits the loop with a banked left bend that leads to a cobra roll. Almost immediately afterwards, the train experiences a zero-gravity roll, followed by a descending left helix. The train next reaches the first of two corkscrews separated by a banked left bend. The train then climbs an upward left helix (the beginning of which is near water) before entering the brake run. The train then turns right into a second, shorter brake run that returns it to the station. A cycle lasts about two minutes and thirty seconds.
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