One of the world's top 10 roller coasters has a new name.
Kings Dominion revealed this morning that its 2010 Intamin Giga Coaster will now be known as Pantherian. The coaster opened as Intimidator 305 before being renamed Project 305 last year after the license for its Dale Earnhardt-inspired name expired.
The new name reflects a new backstory as "a mystical steel contraption built by the ancients," according to the park's website.
"Anyone who dares to ride Pantherian will temporarily take on the panther’s most defining characteristics: speed, agility and raw power," the story says.
The former Project 305 ranked number eight last year in our Theme Park Insider reader survey determing the world's best roller coasters. Standing 305 feet tall (well, yeah...), the coaster reaches a top speed of 90 mph following an 85-degree drop on its 5,100 feet of track. Here is Russell Meyer's review and on-ride video from the park's media preview day back in 2010: Intimidator 305 debuts at Kings Dominion.
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I often suspect that companies selecting confusing brand names, such as Pantherian vs. Pantheon, do so intentionally, trying to trade in on the goodwill felt toward their competitors.
So now we have "Pantherian," an orange roller coaster, right next to "Reptilian" another orange roller coaster, and in the same state as "Pantheon," another major roller coaster at their closest competitors park. Not sure what orange has to do with a Panther but I guess we're supposed to suspend our disbelief on this one.
What a dreadful name. Although it fits the Jungle -X theming, they could have done better. So sorry that the Intimidator license expired because one of the highlights of the ride for me was hearing "Gentlemen, start your engines."
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The panther theming makes sense with the overarching Jungle-X land, but someone at Six Flags has to know there's a coaster less than 90 minutes away called "Pantheon". While the themes of the 2 coasters are very different, the names are definitely close enough to create confusion among guests who aren't close followers of the theme park business (or big coaster fans).
I do like the expansion of the Jungle-X theming, but by extending it all the way to I-305, it leaves 2 major attractions/coasters in the area now with theming that doesn't match (Stunt Coaster and Flight of Fear). I would expect that those rides will eventually be rethemed to fit Jungle-X, but it's odd that they felt the need to retheme I-305 now in a year when they're going to open Rapterra, when it would make more sense to hold that work until the following year and do all 3 coasters at the same time. Ultimately, it seems like an unnecessary expense that would get Six Flags more bang for their buck if they just waited until 2026.
I do hope that this retheme will include added foliage along the coaster track and more than just pasting over the old NASCAR logos and race theming.