Grand National vs Icon
card comparison
| Stat | Grand National | Icon | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Height | 62 ft | 89 ft | |
| Speed | 45 mph | 53 mph | |
| Inversions | 0 | 1 | |
| Throughputest. | 720 rph | 1000 rph | |
| Build Costest. | 0.2 $m | 21.6 $m | |
| Vintage | 1935 | 2018 |
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
Icon takes it 5–1, and the 1 Grand National does win is the whole of its case.
Grand National is a wooden Möbius-loop racing wooden coaster coaster at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, GB, built by Charlie Paige (in-house). Icon is a steel Double Launch Coaster coaster at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, GB, built by Mack Rides.
Both live at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, so this is a comparison you can settle on foot in an afternoon — and one the park itself has to answer every time someone asks which to queue for first.
Stat by stat
- Height goes to Icon at 89 ft against 62 ft — a long way clear.
- Speed goes to Icon at 53 mph against 45 mph — well clear.
- Icon turns upside down once; Grand National never does, so Inversions is a shut-out.
- Throughput goes to Icon at 1,000 rph against 720 rph — a long way clear.
- Build Cost goes to Icon at 21.6 $m against 0.2 $m — in another class entirely.
- Grand National predates Icon by 83 years — 1935 against 2018 — and on the one stat where old beats new, that is decisive.