Uploaded September 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
The Scorpion has had its final sting at Busch Gardens Tampa after over 44 years of operation. This classic Schwarzkopf was the first coaster in Florida with a vertical loop and was the second oldest coaster in the state behind Space Mountain until its closure on September 8, 2024. This was a rare Schwarzkopf Silver Arrow, an evolution of their original portable looping star that added a double helix finale and in a smaller footprint. This was the only in park model, debuting with the whole land of Timbuktu in 1980 and remaining through the retheming of Pantopia in 2014. Despite the clunky sound, the track and trains ran incredibly well until the very end, in an amazing display of German coaster engineering from Anton Schwarzkopf. The tiny compact coaster will be greatly missed and served an amazing legacy at the park.
The Scorpion has had its final sting at Busch Gardens Tampa after over 44 years of operation. This classic Schwarzkopf was the first coaster in Florida with a vertical loop and was the second oldest coaster in the state behind Space Mountain until its closure on September 8, 2024. This was a rare Schwarzkopf Silver Arrow, an evolution of their original portable looping star that added a double helix finale and in a smaller footprint. This was the only in park model, debuting with the whole land of Timbuktu in 1980 and remaining through the retheming of Pantopia in 2014. Despite the clunky sound, the track and trains ran incredibly well until the very end, in an amazing display of German coaster engineering from Anton Schwarzkopf. The tiny compact coaster will be greatly missed and served an amazing legacy at the park.
