Following in a long line of Secret Weapon projects, including SW3 (Nemesis), SW4 (Oblivion), SW5 (Air) and SW6 (Thirteen), comes SW7 a new roller coaster at Alton Towers for 2013.

The ride is being built on the former Black Hole site within the X-Sector, it will feature a vertical lift hill and a new world first of 14 inversions within a very compact circuit, with more track per square metre than any other ride in the world.

The Smiler: Ride Plans, Stats & Facts, The Marmaliser, 14 Inversions

The new roller coaster has been manufactured by Gerstlauer, who are also responsible for SAW - The Ride at Thorpe Park. The ride reaches a maximum height of 22.15m (72.7 ft) twice. There will be 13 inversions in the outdoor section of the ride and there is also an indoor section which contains 1 more. A key feature of the ride will be a large spider-like structure with a height of up to 15m. ‘The Marmaliser’ as it will be called, will have 5 legs each with a distinct function to manipulate riders into smiling. The roller coaster itself will be intertwined with the structure, which will interact with the riders to enhance the thrill experience.

View the plans in full here. 

• Inversions: 14
• Investment: £18m
• Passengers per ride train: 16 (4 rows of 4)
• Ride time: 165 seconds
• Length of track: 1170m / 3840ft
  
• Opening: May 2013