West Midlands Safari Park - The Cobra

[NaughtyVicar]

My favourite place during the mid 80's was West Midlands Safari Park. Every holiday I would beg and plead for a visit. As well as the animals which I loved, was the fair ground. Unlike trips to Coney Beach in Porthcawl, this fair ground was free (in my mind) and I could go on as many rides as I could squeeze into the day.

My favourite was a roller coaster called 'The Cobra' it was the biggest coaster I had ever seen, and went forward and backwards. Unfortunately it is no longer there as the park sold it off but I still have fond memories of it's bumpy ride. They had a promotional video around the park of the ride, with Geoff Capes sat in the front seat trying to lower the harness. In the next shot he was replaced with someone else.....I guess he didn't fit.



I found this pic on the net, and a link to some more.

Did anyone else ride this old monster? or have any pics or history of what happened to the ride.

Here are a few more.

http://www.coaster2coaster.com/coast...ark/album.html

[darren]

Re: West Midlands Safari Park - The Cobra

hi NV


GEOFF was a big lad mate.


it really looks great fun.
would have loved it myaself.

does any of the original rides etc still exist there.
when did you first go here and when was the last time as a kid.

[Heather74]

Re: West Midlands Safari Park - The Cobra

I've never visited a Safari Park. I remember us asking as children but always been told it was to far to drive!
I remember passing sign posts sat in the back of the car fingers crossed ,eye's closed saying in my head
'please take us,please say it's a surprise', but alas all my wishing and hoping never paid off.

Now as an adult I have a husband who also claims the same, to far to drive...sigh ;-(

[Powdered toast man]

Re: West Midlands Safari Park - The Cobra

Coney beach in Portcawl. The place nightmares are made of!

[NaughtyVicar]

Re: West Midlands Safari Park - The Cobra

hi NV


GEOFF was a big lad mate.


it really looks great fun.
would have loved it myaself.

does any of the original rides etc still exist there.
when did you first go here and when was the last time as a kid.

He sure was mate, and I remember my dad pointing it out on the video they were trying to make the restraint click. He must have thought bugger this I'm off LOL

Have not been there for years. We were at my parents digging through some old photos on the weekend and there is one of me at WMSP from 83/84. I remember going for my 8th Birthday in 1987 with my one friend I could pick, and we were just big enough to ride the Cobra, and we rode it 28 times. I remember as we were counting and got to 20, and I insisted on riding until it ended with 8. We were just walking on and off it as it was a quiet day.

Looking at the website, the park now seems to have a couple of rides there, nothing of that size though. Will give my daughter a couple of years and then we'll be visiting

[NaughtyVicar]

Re: West Midlands Safari Park - The Cobra

I've never visited a Safari Park. I remember us asking as children but always been told it was to far to drive!
I remember passing sign posts sat in the back of the car fingers crossed ,eye's closed saying in my head
'please take us,please say it's a surprise', but alas all my wishing and hoping never paid off.

Now as an adult I have a husband who also claims the same, to far to drive...sigh ;-(

Awwww Huggie where are you? Mars???

Get in the car and go go go! You can come with us when we go next

[NaughtyVicar]

Re: West Midlands Safari Park - The Cobra

Coney beach in Portcawl. The place nightmares are made of!

These days maybe lol

I loved the place in the 80's. My Nan, Aunt and Uncle lived in Pyle just down the road. My Uncle would take us to the fair and spoil us rotten. I remember it used to be a major holiday destination, as we were living in a rural area at the time, so seeing Mohawked punks was like WOW!

Used to love the Waterchute (prior to it killing people) and the Waltzers. My Uncle worked with the bloke who worked the Enterprise in the evenings so we would get free rides. He nipped off for a pee one night, and stopped for a smoke and chat when the ride was running, it went for about 10 minutes and my cousin was sick. Happy days

[NaughtyVicar]

Re: West Midlands Safari Park - The Cobra

Been doing some reading and The Cobra was sold back to the manufacturer and it is now in the Philippines in a theme park called The enchanted Kingdom. Little chance of one last ride on it then

[NaughtyVicar]

Re: West Midlands Safari Park - The Cobra

Finally found a video of it at home in WMSP 6:45 in

[darren]

Re: West Midlands Safari Park - The Cobra

Great stuff but there will be no cobra for your daughter to ride on.
poor girl she will trow up.

what 28 times in the same day you and your mate where on it.HEHE
you seem to be obsesssed with the number eight.LOL

good to see the park still exists and has rides.

He sure was mate, and I remember my dad pointing it out on the video they were trying to make the restraint click. He must have thought bugger this I'm off LOL

Have not been there for years. We were at my parents digging through some old photos on the weekend and there is one of me at WMSP from 83/84. I remember going for my 8th Birthday in 1987 with my one friend I could pick, and we were just big enough to ride the Cobra, and we rode it 28 times. I remember as we were counting and got to 20, and I insisted on riding until it ended with 8. We were just walking on and off it as it was a quiet day.

Looking at the website, the park now seems to have a couple of rides there, nothing of that size though. Will give my daughter a couple of years and then we'll be visiting

[Doraemond]

My favourite place during the mid 80's was West Midlands Safari Park. Every holiday I would beg and plead for a visit. As well as the animals which I loved, was the fair ground. Unlike trips to Coney Beach in Porthcawl, this fair ground was free (in my mind) and I could go on as many rides as I could squeeze into the day.

My favourite was a roller coaster called 'The Cobra' it was the biggest coaster I had ever seen, and went forward and backwards. Unfortunately it is no longer there as the park sold it off but I still have fond memories of it's bumpy ride. They had a promotional video around the park of the ride, with Geoff Capes sat in the front seat trying to lower the harness. In the next shot he was replaced with someone else.....I guess he didn't fit.



I found this pic on the net, and a link to some more.

Did anyone else ride this old monster? or have any pics or history of what happened to the ride.

Here are a few more.

http://www.coaster2coaster.com/coast...ark/album.html

THE COBRA IS STILL ALIVE!

The Cobra now lives here at the Enchanted Kingdom in the Philippines, an amusement park some 23 miles south of Manila. Quick back story:

When the Cobra closed in 1991, it was sold back to Vekoma, the ride manufacturer. Coincidentally, there were no large scale theme parks in the Philippines yet during that time. A Filipino family decided to build the first and only world-class theme park in the Philippines in 1994 and they patterned it after Disneyland. The Cobra, among with other rides, were shipped to the Philippines, and the park opened on 19 October 1995. The Cobra was rebranded as Space Shuttle, and it became the main attraction of the space/future-themed section of the park.

As of January 2022, the Cobra (now Space Shuttle) still operates and is a crowd favourite. It also looks good, thanks to the occasional Coke and Pepsi sponsorship.

The Cobra is my favourite ride, too, and it's nice to find people who used to share the same childhood. Different countries, same playground. I'll be riding it again when I visit EK this 2022 and I'll tell the Cobra you all said hi!