Great Coasters International
Great Coasters International, Inc. is a Sunbury, Pennsylvania-based roller coaster manufacturer which has created several award-winning rides since its formation in 1994. Starting in 2006 with Thunderbird at PowerPark in Finland, the company expanded beyond the United States and began building coasters in Europe and Asia. Günter Engelhardt GmbH handles the company's marketing rights in Europe. In addition to designing and building new roller coasters, GCI also refurbishes and re-tracks existing roller coasters, regardless of manufacturer.
GCI designed roller coasters are known for their often curved drops, twisted layouts, and perception of high speed. Exciting elements such as the station fly-by and station fly-through have been incorporated in many of their layouts.
Many GCI designed roller coasters also contain an on-ride camera midway through or towards the end of the ride.
History
GCI was founded in 1994 by Mike Boodley and Clair Hain, Jr. Boodley was a coaster designer previously with Custom Coasters International and Hain had gained a reputation throughout the industry as a master coaster builder. In 1996, the firm opened Wildcat at Hershey Park which contained many of the signature elements the firm would soon become known for: tight sweeping curves, reminiscent of designs from the turn of the century by such noted coaster designers as Fred Church and Harry Traver. In 2005, Boodley retired and assigned Jeff Pike with the responsibility as lead designer for the firm. The first coaster that Pike is credited with is the Kentucky Rumbler at Beech Bend Park near Bowling Green, Kentucky. Though GCI is capable of re-tracking roller coasters, they haven't re-tracked many. One of their most notable re-tracking was in 2016, for the GhostRider at Knott's Berry Farm. The roller coaster was in need of a refurb. Originally planned to be retracked by Rocky Mountain Construction, Cedar Fair ultimately decided to work with GCI instead. In November 2019 at an after party during the IAAPA convention, the company revealed a steel track prototype.Millennium Flyer trains
Most GCI-designed roller coasters run with in-house–designed articulated Millennium Flyer trains. The only exception is Roar at Six Flags America, which runs with Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters–designed trains. Gwazi at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and GCI's first roller coaster, Wildcat at Hersheypark, also operated with PTC trains when they first opened, but both coasters were later modified to run with the Millennium Flyer trains. In 2017, Wildcat at Lake Compounce also received Millennium Flyer trains even though the coaster was made by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters or PTC.These trains are known for their cushioned seats, allowing riders to be comfortable during rides. These trains also contain individual lap bars which automatically lower and lock into a position to accommodate the rider, allowing quicker dispatch times. With their easily identified open, gate-like fronts, usually customized with the logo for the respective ride on which they are running, Millennium Flyer trains are styled similarly to trains seen during the golden age of rollercoasters.
List of roller coasters
As of 2019, Great Coasters International has built 29 roller coasters around the world.| Name | Model | Park | Country | Opened | Status | Ref |
| Wildcat | Wood Support Structure | Hersheypark |  United States | 1996 | ||
| Roar | Wood Support Structure | Six Flags America | United States | 1998 | ||
| Roar | Wood Support Structure | Six Flags Discovery Kingdom | United States | 1999 | Now known as The Joker | |
| Gwazi | Wood Support Structure | Busch Gardens Tampa | United States | 1999 | Now known as Iron Gwazi | |
| Lightning Racer | Wood Support Structure | Hersheypark | United States | 2000 | ||
| Ozark Wildcat | Wood Support Structure | Celebration City | United States | 2003 | ||
| Thunderhead | Wood Support Structure | Dollywood | United States | 2004 | ||
| Thunderbird | Wood Support Structure | PowerLand |  Finland | 2006 | ||
| Kentucky Rumbler | Wood Support Structure | Beech Bend | United States | 2006 | ||
| Renegade | Wood Support Structure | Valleyfair | United States | 2007 | ||
| Troy | Wood Support Structure | Toverland |  Netherlands | 2007 | ||
| American Thunder Formerly Evel Knievel | Wood Support Structure | Six Flags St. Louis | United States | 2008 | ||
| El Toro | Wood Support Structure | Freizeitpark Plohn |  Germany | 2009 | ||
| Prowler | Wood Support Structure | Worlds of Fun | United States | 2009 | ||
| Apocalypse The Ride Formerly Terminator Salvation: The Ride | Wood Support Structure | Six Flags Magic Mountain | United States | 2009 | ||
| Joris en de Draak | Wood Support Structure | Efteling | Netherlands | 2010 | ||
| Wood Coaster | Wood Support Structure | Knight Valley |  China | 2011 | ||
| Wodan Timbur Coaster | Wood Support Structure | Europa Park | Germany | 2012 | ||
| White Lightning | Steel Support Structure | Fun Spot America Orlando | United States | 2013 | ||
| Gold Striker | Wood Support Structure | California's Great America | United States | 2013 | ||
| Python in Bamboo Forest | Wood Support Structure | Nanchang Sunac Land | China | 2016 | ||
| Jungle Dragon | Wood Support Structure | Happy Valley Chongqing | China | 2017 | ||
| Wood Support Structure | Plopsaland De Panne |  Belgium | 2017 | |||
| InvadR | Steel Support Structure | Busch Gardens Williamsburg | United States | 2017 | ||
| Mystic Timbers | Wood Support Structure | Kings Island | United States | 2017 | ||
| Great Desert-Rally | Wood Support Structure | Happy Valley Chengdu | China | 2017 | ||
| Wicker Man | Wood Support Structure | Alton Towers |  United Kingdom | 2018 | ||
| Wilkołak | Wood Support Structure | Majaland Kownaty |  Poland | 2019 | ||
| Texas Stingray | Steel Support Structure | SeaWorld San Antonio | United States | 2020 |