Midway Directory · Ride and game manufacturers
Who is Antonio Zamperla S.p.A., and which rides did it make?
Antonio Zamperla S.p.A. is an Italian amusement-ride maker based in Altavilla Vicentina, founded in 1966. Its catalogue covers flat rides, roller coasters, water rides and towers. It introduced Air Race and Thunderbolt at Luna Park in Coney Island, and designed ThunderVolt, a Lightning launch coaster that opened at Playland in Vancouver in July 2024.
Active Facts checked on against 8 sources.
Quick facts
Every line comes from a source listed at the bottom of the page. The small numbers point to it.
| Official name | Antonio Zamperla S.p.A.13 |
|---|---|
| Listed as | Ride or game manufacturer |
| Based in | Altavilla Vicentina, Italy13 |
| Founded | Company established in 19662 |
| Official website | zamperla.com/ |
Notable rides and products
- Lightning Launch
- Lightning Launch is a launched roller coaster with open seats and lap bars, offered in layouts of about 458 m and 1,074 m of track with a listed top speed of 90 km/h.4
- Air Race
- Air Race 6.2 is a flat ride where six two-seat planes spin while banking and looping to mimic stunt flying, and the first Air Race was introduced at Coney Island's Luna Park in 2010.52
- Disk'O 24
- The first Disk'O 24 went into service at Victorian Garden in New York's Central Park in 2003.2
- Thunderbolt
- Zamperla introduced the Thunderbolt coaster at Luna Park in Coney Island in 2014.2
- Family and Twister coasters
- The coaster range also lists smaller models such as the Family Coaster, Junior Coaster and Twister Coaster.6
History
- In 1976 the company moved into North America, opening a branch in Montreal plus an office and warehouse in New Jersey.2
- By 1979 it had built a production plant of 2,000 square metres and employed 50 people.2
- In 1992 it supplied seven of the twelve attractions for Disneyland Paris.2
- In 2010 Zamperla reopened the historic Luna Park at Coney Island, New York.2
Where they operate
- Italy: Head office and production are in Altavilla Vicentina; in 2007 the group took over the Minitalia Leolandia park.12
- United States: Entered the American market in 1976 with an office and warehouse in New Jersey.2
- Canada: A branch in Montreal was opened in 1976; ThunderVolt at the PNE in Vancouver followed in 2024.27
- Philippines: Zamperla Asia Pacific was set up in Manila in 1996.2
- United Arab Emirates: An office opened in Dubai in 2002.2
- China: Offices opened in China in 2006.2
Linked places have a page in the directory.
Linked in the directory
- Built a ride here: Playland Amusement Park. Zamperla designed ThunderVolt, a launch coaster using its Lightning trains, which opened at Playland at the PNE in July 2024 beside the park's wooden coaster.387
- Built a ride here: Playland Amusement Park. Playland's Gryphon, a prototype Zamperla ride, made its debut in 2022.8
What we worked out
Not stated outright by any one source. This is our arithmetic or reading of the sources cited.
- Founded in 1966, the company marks 60 years in 2026.2
What we couldn't confirm
- The Lightning Launch product page gives a top speed of 90 km/h in its spec tables but 100 km/h or more in its highlights text; we used the table figure.
- Trade coverage from November 2023 gives ThunderVolt about 380 m of track and an 18 m peak; the Lightning product page lists larger generic layouts, so ThunderVolt's exact specs were not confirmed on an official Zamperla or PNE page.
- A claim that ThunderVolt reuses track from an earlier coaster at a closed Italian park appears only on Wikipedia; not confirmed on a citable page.
- No pne.ca page or PNE news release about ThunderVolt could be fetched; the PNE tie rests on Zamperla's own pages and trade news.
- No source found tying Zamperla to rides at the PNE Fair midway or at K-Days in Edmonton.
- Whether the Montreal, New Jersey, Manila, Dubai and China offices listed in the company timeline are still open today was not confirmed.
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Sources
Official sources first. We paraphrase; nothing is copied. We use no logos or photos.
- Antonio Zamperla S.p.A.: Zamperla home page. Read on · official
- Antonio Zamperla S.p.A.: Zamperla Group: the amusement company since 1966. Read on · official
- Antonio Zamperla S.p.A.: ThunderVolt Opens At Playland At The PNE. Read on · official
- Antonio Zamperla S.p.A.: Lightning Launch. Read on · official
- Antonio Zamperla S.p.A.: Air Race 6.2. Read on · official
- Antonio Zamperla S.p.A.: Roller Coaster products. Read on · official
- Antonio Zamperla S.p.A.: All references. Read on · official
- Blooloop: Zamperla marks opening of Canadian launch coaster at Playland. Read on · news