Cobra vs The Smiler
card comparison
| Stat | Cobra | The Smiler | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Height | 56 ft | 98 ft | |
| Speed | 31 mph | 53 mph | |
| Inversions | 0 | 14 | |
| Throughputest. | 400 rph | 1050 rph | |
| Build Costest. | 4.6 $m | 28.1 $m | |
| Vintage | 2006 | 2013 |
Vintage is the reversed stat — the older ride wins. Every number here is the same one printed on the card; see /methodology for how Build Cost and Throughput are sourced.
The verdict
The Smiler takes it 5–1, and the 1 Cobra does win is the whole of its case.
Cobra is a steel Bobsled Coaster coaster at Paultons Park, GB, built by Gerstlauer. The Smiler is a steel Infinity Coaster coaster at Alton Towers, GB, built by Gerstlauer.
Both are in GB, which puts them in the same conversation for anyone planning a trip there.
They come from the same drawing office: Gerstlauer. That makes the gaps below a question of brief and budget rather than engineering house style.
Both are steel-track, so nothing here is the usual steel-versus-wood argument in disguise.
Stat by stat
- Height goes to The Smiler at 98 ft against 56 ft — nearly double.
- Speed goes to The Smiler at 53 mph against 31 mph — nearly double.
- The Smiler inverts 14 times against nothing at all from Cobra — the widest kind of gap there is on this stat.
- Throughput goes to The Smiler at 1,050 rph against 400 rph — more than double.
- Build Cost goes to The Smiler at 28.1 $m against 4.6 $m — in another class entirely.
- Vintage is reversed, so Cobra's 2006 takes it from The Smiler's 2013 — 7 years in it.