Spinball Whizzer vs The Swarm

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 Swarm takes it 5–1, and the 1 Spinball Whizzer does win is the whole of its case.

Spinball Whizzer is a steel Spinning Coaster (pinball theme) coaster at Alton Towers, GB, built by Maurer Rides. The Swarm is a steel Wing Coaster coaster at Thorpe Park, GB, built by Bolliger & Mabillard.

Both are in GB, which puts them in the same conversation for anyone planning a trip there.

Both are steel-track, so nothing here is the usual steel-versus-wood argument in disguise.

Stat by stat

• Height goes to The Swarm at 127 ft against 56 ft — more than double.
• Speed goes to The Swarm at 59 mph against 37 mph — a long way clear.
• The Swarm inverts 4 times against nothing at all from Spinball Whizzer — the widest kind of gap there is on this stat.
• Throughput goes to The Swarm at 1,600 rph against 950 rph — nearly double.
• Build Cost goes to The Swarm at 31.8 $m against 6.4 $m — in another class entirely.
• Vintage is reversed, so Spinball Whizzer's 2004 takes it from The Swarm's 2012 — 8 years in it.