There are many coasters that have been the first of their kind. They introduce the world to something new and pave the way for coaster manufacturers to come up with their own versions.

From the first hyper-coaster to the first hybrid, these coasters open the door to a new realm of possibilities and become icons. One of these icons was the world’s first fourth-dimension coaster, X or as it has come to be known, X2.

Into the Fourth Dimension

X originally opened at Six Flags Magic Mountain in early 2002 after many delays. The coaster cost an estimated 45 million dollars to build and would be unlike any coaster that had come before. It was the very first 4D coaster. This meant that the ride seats could rotate back and forth 360 degrees. Specifically, they would turn at specific intervals regardless of where riders sat on the trains.

Alan Schilke and Arrow Dynamics manufactured the massive coaster. They used a patented 4-rail track system. Two of the rails are the normal rails for the trains to travel along. However, the second set of rails controls the spin of the ride vehicles. The spins are based on the proximity of the rails.

X debuted with a (rather hideous) pink and yellow paint scheme and a massive 215 ft drop at 88.5 degrees. Upon descending the hill, riders are rotated so that they are plummeting headfirst toward the ground. Throughout the ride, riders are flipped at designated times through two inversions and over 3,600 feet of track. Unfortunately, around the time of the coaster’s opening, Arrow Dynamics filed for bankruptcy due to losses attributed to the construction of X. They would be shuttered entirely, and their assets bought by another company, S&S.

A Coaster's Rebirth

The first several years of X’s operation were plagued with downtime and issues. The coaster closed temporarily in 2007 for a massive 10-million-dollar refurbishment. During this time the coaster received new trains from S&S that were much lighter and would reduce wear and tear.

Additionally, these new trains included new restraint mechanisms that would be pneumatic rather than mechanical. The trains were not the only new addition. The coaster also received a much-needed paint job. Gone was the pink and yellow, replaced with a much sharper red and dark grey look. There were also new pyrotechnic effects and an on-ride sound system added.

Finally, the transformation wouldn’t be complete without a new name, for this was no longer the X that riders remembered. The coaster had evolved and become X2.

How did this lead to the creation of other 4D Coasters?