Top Thrill 2 is a launched roller coaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. The ride originally opened as Top Thrill Dragster in 2003, becoming the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world, as well as the first ever strata coaster. The original was an Accelerator Coaster model from Intamin designed by Werner Stengel, featuring a height of 420 feet (130 m) and a drop distance of 400 feet (120 m). It could accelerate from 0 to 120 mph (190 km/h) in 3.8 seconds and was themed to Top Fuel drag racing, with a launch track designed to resemble a dragstrip. Although its height and speed records were surpassed by Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in 2005, the ride consistently ranked as one of the world's top steel coasters.
Following a serious incident on August 15, 2021, in which a guest was struck by a metal object that detached from the ride while they were standing in line, Top Thrill Dragster was indefinitely closed by Cedar Point pending an investigation and assessment of the ride's future. In 2023, the park announced that Italian ride manufacturer Zamperla would be redesigning the roller coaster. The updated version, renamed Top Thrill 2, features a second 420-foot (130 m) vertical spike tower and replaces the original hydraulic launch system designed by Intamin with a linear synchronous motor (LSM) launch system. Although the LSM launch generates less instantaneous power than the original hydraulic system, it uses a triple-launch sequence—forward, backward, and forward again—to accelerate the train to its original top speed of 120 mph (190 km/h).
The coaster reemerged as Top Thrill 2 on May 4, 2024, featuring a new, longer ride experience. However, its inaugural season was cut short after only a week of operation due to issues with the trains, which required modifications. The ride reopened for the 2025 season and reclaimed the title of tallest roller coaster in the world following the permanent closure of Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure.
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