Layout After accelerating from in three seconds, out of the
station, the
train enters into a three-story "
parking garage" shell, passing through two upwards helixes meant to mirror the ascension of a car through a true parking garage. The train then drops from the top of the helixes into a "street" lined with highway signs and three police cars, with sirens and lights flashing. Riders then swerve between the police cars. Riders then go through an
overbanked turn at 88 degrees, followed by a dip, and then travel down a set of "subway stairs". The train then comes to a halt in front of a tunnel. A helicopter rises to the train's left, shooting simulated gunfire. Under Paramount's operation, the gunfire cracked pipes and barrels, which sprayed "gasoline" (truly, water) all around riders. Though that effect has since been removed, the second round of gunfire still ignites where the gasoline would've splashed, catching two barrels on fire before a gas tank explodes. The train is then launched again into a tunnel, twisting and dropping before coming out of the "broken billboard", splashing down in an
L.A. Aqueduct, and turning left into the ride's station.
Trains Backlot Stunt Coaster has three trains, each with three cars. Each car can sit four people in two rows of two. Under its original name and theme, the ride featured unique cars that resembled ¾ scale
MINI Coopers. Paramount worked closely with BMW to design the cars. The cars had headlight stickers on the front and working doors on the side. Sound effects were also built into the cars. Each train was arranged the same, with the first car being painted blue, the second car being painted red, and the third car being painted white. Before the 2010 season, the trains were simplified and removed of any resemblance to the MINI Cooper as Cedar Fair no longer held the license to use the MINI Coopers. The arrangement of the car colors on the trains was also changed: One train is all blue, the second is all red and the third is all white.
Theme All three had similar themes revolving around the climatic chase scene at the end of the 2003 film,
The Italian Job. Special effects were incorporated throughout the ride such as a helicopter that attacks riders with a simulated machine gun sound,
pyrotechnics and water effects. Sound recordings of "Action!" and "Cut!" were also heard during launch and final brake run, respectively. The last drop portraying the Mini Coopers jumping out of a sewer featured spraying water jets to simulate a splashdown effect. ==References==