| Designed by Werner Stengel and built by the Roller Coaster Corporation of America, Son of Beast opened at Paramount's King's Island on May 26, 2000. Made of 1.65 million board feet of southern yellow pine, it is the world's only looping wooden roller coaster. It was the single largest investment in the history of the park.
When it opened, Son of Beast immediately won a number of superlatives and secured spots in several top ten lists. With a top speed of 78.382mph, it is the fastest wooden coaster in the world - and the sixth fastest of any type in the United States, and ninth fastest in the world. Its first lifthill is 218 feet high - more than 21 stories - making it the tallest wooden coaster in the world, seventh tallest of any type in the U.S., and the tenth tallest in the world. The first drop, which is 214.01 feet at a 55.7 degree angle, is the greatest drop on a wooden coaster, the eighth greatest drop on any type of coaster in the United States, and the tenth greatest drop in the world. (The second drop, 164.11 feet at a 43.4 degree angle, is the second greatest drop on a wooden coaster anywhere in the world.) Its 7,032-foot track (about 1.3 miles!) makes it the second longest wooden coaster in the world...it is topped only by The Beast but still manages to be the fifth longest coaster of any type in the world.
The most attractive feature for many riders, though, is the 103-foot vertical loop; the steel superstructure supporting the wooden looping track is 118 feet high. Other features of the ride include two 540-degree helices, both with hills, valleys, and a maximum banking of 68.9 degrees. The ride crosses over and under itself twelve times, and riders feel a maximum g-force of 4.5Gs. The three six-car trains, built by Premier Rides, seat 36 riders each. With a ride duration of two minutes and twenty seconds, the coaster can handle 1600 riders per hour.
Source: http://www.rcdb.com/installationdetail584.htm and related documents | 
