4. Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts

When it comes to telling the stories of coaster manufacturers, fans tend to jump right to competition, trying to eke out who's the best or who got the job over anyone else. But that's not always the case. Look no further than one of the most complex roller coasters on the planet, disguised as something much simpler: Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts at Universal Orlando.

Okay, okay, one of the chief complaints about this headlining ride in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley is that Gringotts isn't "enough" of any one thing. It has some coaster elements, some dark ride elements, and some simulator elements, but that – especially in the wake of Islands of Adventure's technologically-groundbreaking Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey – Gringotts doesn't feel very jaw-dropping. But consider just how much work went into bringing this hybrid coaster to life.

Noted coaster manufacturer Intamin reportedly developed the ride's track and propulsion system; fellow manufacturer Premier Rides (creators of Revenge of the Mummy) are thought to have developed its unique ride vehicles, which undergo controlled rotation during the ride; and Disney's go-to coaster manufacturer, Vekoma, reportedly provided Gringotts' three special track sections. Along the ride, guests park on a track section that physically disconnects to lean riders forward, one that "see-saws" guests from side to side, and of course, the opening "tilt track" that dangles guests face-down until it connects with and releases them down a hidden drop. (Kuka – the manufacturers of Forbidden Journey's robotic arms – also have a role on Gringotts, by way of a pull-away screen that's lifted out of the ride's path just before it launches straight into it.)

Just think of the communication it takes to ensure that work from these four leading ride manufacturers all works together seamlessly to create the experience on Escape from Gringotts... Not to mention the communication that would've been needed during the ride's design, development, manufacturing, and installation to ensure that every piece of the attraction "speaks the same language" as the rest, fitting together perfectly... Talk about a mutant coaster!

5. Thunderbolt 

Believe it or not, a second Kennywood coaster makes our list of mutant, hybrid rides. It makes sense. Not only has Kennywood itself been around a very long time (1899), but it's also a park that massively celebrates its history... and it's got a lot of it. In addition to having the oldest operating dark ride in the world (1901's The Old Mill), Kennywood includes three of the surviving eight coasters designed by the legendary designer John Miller.

Well... kinda. The legendary "Pippin" opened in 1924. Using the very same ravine that would one day house Phantom's big dive, the Pippin was unique in that the ride's station was built right on the cliff's edge! So instead of being dragged up a chain lift, the train merely exited the station and dipped into the first drop! Yep, the image above was the view from the ride's loading platform!

In 1967, the park's maintenance supervisor, Andy Vettel, oversaw a major expansion of the Pippin. Though the initial drop into the ravine and the return dip toward the park remained, Vettel's reimagined ride gained a whole new middle act: a chain carries the ride up to the top of a brand new (well, as of 1967) lift hill, with a new drop, a double-lap race along the midway. Only then does the ride reconnect to the original "Pippin" and head back for the ravine, where the last drop – yes, the last drop – is the coaster's largest!

The result is that Vettel took an existing classic and basically inserted a whole new ride right in the middle of it. Today, that ride – "The Thunderbolt" – is considered a classic in its own right... so much so that most riders probably don't even realize it's a mutation of the original Pippin! 

6. Top Thrill 2

It's the story everyone in the coaster community has been talking about, and it's soon to be the most well-known "Mutant Coaster" on Earth... Top Thrill 2. 

A ride that could only have come about in the flurry of the Coaster Wars, the Lost Legend: Top Thrill Dragster opened in 2003 as the tallest and fastest roller coaster in history, manufactured by the only company who'd be bold enough to attempt to make such an out-of-this-world concept real: Intamin. The incredibly complex ride was the apex of Intamin's "Accelerator" model, using a hydraulically-powered winch to accelerate trains from 0 to 120 miles per hour in four seconds, rocketing vertically up a 420-foot tall tower, then racing back to Earth in 17 seconds of adrenaline-soaked bliss.

But like many of Intamin's boundary-pushing creations, Top Thrill Dragster was riddled with operational issues. The final straw occurred in August 2021 when a piece of hardware physically separated from a launching train, striking a waiting guest in the head and allegedly causing life-altering medical issues. Many assumed that nearly 20 years after its opening, the troublesome, expensive-to-operate, and aging "stratacoaster" would be removed for good – a costly and problematic nuisance whose time had finally come.

Instead, after months of growing hints and mounting speculation, August 2023 saw the answer revealed. Top Thrill 2 will do away with the former ride's problematic hydraulic, cable-based launch system in favor of a much less troublesome (and much less powerful) electromagnetic LSM launch system. And given Cedar Fair's understandable distaste for Intamin, it's lesser-known manufacturer Zamperla who'll tackle the reinvention of the stratacoaster. In addition to the new launch system and trains, Zamperla's new track will replace the entire launch and brake segments of the ride (as well as adding a new, 420-foot tall spike to the ride's rear), while Intamin's initial supports and track will remain on the iconic 420-foot tall top hat itself. 

Will the fusion of these two manufacturers' work successfully revive Cedar Point's iconic coaster? We'll find out in 2024... Until then, it's wild to think that this landmark ride will now join our list of "Mutant Coasters," serving a true hybrid of old and new...