On the former Black Hole site, Alton Towers prepared its seventh “Secret Weapon” project with the care due to a new Staffordshire landmark. Plans were submitted in December 2011, permission followed on 15 March 2012, and Gerstlauer hardware began arriving later that year. en.wikipedia.org· coasterpedia.net

By January 2013, the name The Smiler had been made public, and the park’s £18 million undertaking was described as the largest ride investment in its history. The published scheme promised 1,170 metres of track, a 30 metre height, and trains for sixteen passengers at a time. newsparcs.com

After spring delays and testing difficulties, the ride opened to visitors on 31 May 2013. Its claim was an audacious one: fourteen inversions in a single course, certified by Guinness World Records and set among the rolling grounds of Alton Towers. en.wikipedia.org· guinnessworldrecords.com

The ride’s history also includes the serious collision of 2 June 2015. The Health and Safety Executive later reported no fault with the track, cars, or control system, but found failures in the arrangements for safety-critical decisions; The Smiler reopened on 19 March 2016, and Merlin Attractions Operations was fined £5 million. wired-gov.net· itv.com· resources.hse.gov.uk