Pantherian
Previously known as Intimidator 305 (2010–2023) and Project 305 (2024)
Pantherian as seen from theEiffel Tower in 2011
Kings Dominion
Location	Kings Dominion
Park section	Jungle X-Pedition
Coordinates	37°50′15″N77°26′23″W / 37.83750°N 77.43972°W /37.83750; -77.43972
Status	Operating
Soft opening date	April 1, 2010 (2010-04-01)
Opening date	April 2, 2010 (2010-04-02)
Cost	$25 million[1][2]
General statistics
Type	Steel
Manufacturer	Intamin
Model	Giga Coaster
Lift/launch system	Cable lift hill
Height	305 ft (93 m)
Drop	300 ft (91.4 m)
Length	5,100 ft (1,554 m)
Speed	90 mph (145 km/h)
Inversions	0
Duration	3:00
Max vertical angle	85°
Capacity	1,350 riders per hour
Height restriction	54–78 in (137–198 cm)
Trains	2 trains with 8 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 32 riders per train.
Fast Lane available
Pantherian at RCDB
Video

Pantherian (originally known asIntimidator 305 and temporarily namedProject 305 for the 2024 season) is asteel roller coaster located atKings Dominion inDoswell, Virginia, United States. The ride was manufactured byIntamin and opened to the public on April 2, 2010. Originally themed to racing, the coaster was originally named after the lateNASCAR driverDale Earnhardt, who was commonly known as "The Intimidator".^[3] It is located in the Jungle X-Pedition section of the park nearFlight of Fear on the former site of the Safari Monorail ride.^[1] Standing at 305 feet (93 m) tall and reaching speeds up to 90 mph (145 km/h), it is the secondgiga coaster to be built in North America, followingMillennium Force atCedar Point. The $25-million investment was the most expensive of any ride in park history and the 14th coaster to debut at the park.^[1][4]

Pantherian has a first drop of 300 feet (91 m), which reaches a maximum descent angle of 85 degrees.^[1] Itslift hill structure was unique at the time, utilizing only two main points of support at the hill's crest.^[5] At its highest point, Pantherian reaches a height greater than the observation platform of the park's tallest structure, theEiffel Tower attraction.^[6]

Following Intimidator 305's first operating season, the first turn on the ride underwent a major reconstruction to reduce the number ofgreyouts and blackouts reportedly being experienced by some riders. In early 2024, Kings Dominion temporarily renamed the coaster "Project 305" and announced that the ride was undergoing a transformation, likely due to expiring licensing rights to reference Dale Earnhardt and the Intimidator nickname for the ride. It began operation under the temporary name for the 2024 season. Later that year, Kings Dominion announced that the roller coaster would be rethemed and renamed "Pantherian".^[7][8]

Kings Dominion announced plans on August 20, 2009, to build a new roller coaster called Intimidator 305 for the 2010 season.^[6][9] The new ride would be aGiga Coaster model from Swiss manufacturerIntamin exceeding 300 feet (91 m) in height.^[6] Its name would reference the lateNASCAR racing legendDale Earnhardt, who had been nicknamed the "Intimidator".^[9]Dale Earnhardt Incorporated CEO Jeff Steiner, Dale Earnhardt's daughter Taylor Earnhardt, and thenCedar Fair CEODick Kinzel were all in attendance of the press event, which was led by Kings Dominion's Director of Marketing Ed Kuhlmann.^[6][9] Animation videos of the ride as well as a working scale model were on display.^[6][4][10] The ride would be the 15th operating roller coaster at Kings Dominion.^[9]

The new coaster was built on the former land occupied by theSafari Monorail, which closed in 1993.^[11] Kings Dominion broke ground on June 1, 2009, with the first track pieces arriving several days later. On August 19, 2009, the first pieces of steel were put into place.^[4] The 305-foot (93 m) lift hill was topped off a few months later in November.^[5] Construction continued through the winter and completed on January 9, 2010.^[12] First test runs began on March 14, 2010,^[13] and Kings Dominion announced that the ride was complete two weeks later.^[14] Intimidator 305 had cost $25 million to construct.^[14][15]

Intimidator 305 was considered by amusement-park enthusiasts to be one of the most anticipated new roller coasters of 2010.^[16] A media preview event was held on April 1, 2010,^[17] and the ride opened the following day, when Kings Dominion opened for the season.^[18][15] The plaza near the ride's entrance featured Dale Earnhardt's black Monte Carlo on display, as well as commemorative plaques celebrating the famed driver's career.^[16] Intimidator 305 was one of two roller coasters themed to Earnhardt that opened in 2010; the other wasIntimidator (now known as Thunder Striker), ahypercoaster manufactured byBolliger & Mabillard atCarowinds, another Cedar Fair park.^[19] Kings Dominion officials hoped that the ride would attract guests,^[15] and the park recorded increased attendance during the 2010 season as a result.^[20]

The ride originally ran at a top speed of 92 mph (148 km/h), which was achieved on the 270-degree right turn immediately after the first drop.^[9][19] Some riders experienced problems on that turn because of extremely high positiveG-forces produced by the ride's original design. Riders reported symptoms ofgreying orblacking out, a brief loss of vision or consciousness depending on severity.^[21][22] To lower the number of occurrences, Kings Dominion reduced the coaster's maximum speed by temporarily installing trim brakes on the first drop.^[21][22] During the following off-season, the coaster's first turn was redesigned, resulting in a wider turn radius and fewer G-forces.^[22] The major modification allowed them to remove the trim brakes on the first drop, returning the ride to its original maximum speed of 90 mph (145 km/h).^[22]

In 2024, Kings Dominion and Carowinds began removing all licensed theming related to Dale Earnhardt, including the removal of "Intimidator" from the name of two roller coasters.^[7] As a result, Intimidator 305 was given the interim name of Project 305 in March 2024.^[23][24] That October, Kings Dominion indicated that Project 305 would be renamed to Pantherian for the 2025 season^[8] and would also be rethemed.^[7]

Pantherian has been described as a mix ofMillennium Force andMaverick, both located atCedar Point. Intamin designed the ride to feature the high lift hill like Millennium Force. Following the lift hill are low-to-the-ground tight turns and hills, similar to Maverick.^[11][25] The ride features sixair time humps and three near-ground-level high-speed turns over 5,100 feet (1,554 m) of track.^[3] The ride's capacity is 1,350 riders per hour,^[1] although Intamin gives a higher theoretical capacity of 1,500 riders per hour.^[26]

While thetrain is being loaded in thestation, the catch car of thecable lift is latched onto the middle car of the train. Once the train is dispatched, the train ascends the 45-degreelift hill at 13.2 miles per hour (21.2 km/h) to a maximum height of 305 feet (93 m). Once the train crests the top of the lift, the train descends down the 300-foot (91 m), 85-degree drop, reaching speeds up to 90 mph (145 km/h). The drop is steep enough and sudden enough that riders towards the back of the train are thrown out of their seats into the restraints. The train turns right into a 270-degree turn before ascending the 150-foot (46 m) airtime hill. The train then descends into a high-speed bunny hop before entering another high-speed turn. The train then maneuvers 3 sharp twists before entering the final high-speed turn. The train then climbs another airtime hill withbrakes, followed by another airtime hill before entering a final twist and then climbing a small, twisty bunny hop into themagnetic brakes. One cycle of the ride lasts about 3 minutes.^{[1][27][28][29]}

Pantherian features two trains that were originally themed as Dale Earnhardt's black number 3 car. The trains also originally featured headlights at the front of each train as well as advertisement stickers that are found on NASCAR cars. Both trains are black with silver stripes on the bottom of the trains. Originally one train was red and the other was silver. For the Pantherian theme, both trains were repainted orange. Each train has eight four-passenger cars, allowing thirty-two passengers per train. The trains are arranged in stadium-style seating with overhead lap bars fitted with soft, padded over-the-shoulder straps.^[25] In early July 2010, the ride received a unique new restraint design. The over-the-shoulder part of the harness now resembles a padded seat belt rather than the typical over-the-shoulder restraints used byIntamin.^[30]

When the ride opened, a writer forThe Washington Post said: "Shot out of a cannon is as good a way as any to describe how it feels getting to the pinnacle. But the intimidation begins long before you are tightly harnessed into the train."^[31] A reporter for theRichmond Times-Dispatch wrote: "Mercifully, the ascent is swift and without pause at the peak, so there's no time to process what's happening."^[15]

Project 305 was ranked in theAmusement Today'sGolden Ticket Awards as thesecond-best new ride of 2010, with 21% of the vote.^[32]

On July 9, 2013, before the park opened for the day, one of the trains was performing a test run when it became stuck near the top of the lift hill. The train was brought down a week later, and the ride remained closed for more than two months. Kings Dominion later explained the closure through a statement released on their official Facebook page on August 28, 2013, which stated that a problem with the weight distribution on the gearbox caused a part to warp and fail. The replacement part had to be custom-built in another country, causing the extended closure. The ride reopened on September 14, 2013.^[47][48]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toPantherian.

• Official page
• Pantherian at theRoller Coaster DataBase
• Intimidator 305

• Operating roller coasters
• Amusement rides introduced in 2010
• Steel roller coasters
• Roller coasters manufactured by Intamin
• Gigacoasters
• Kings Dominion
• Roller coasters operated by Six Flags
• Dale Earnhardt
• Roller coasters in Virginia
• Roller coasters introduced in 2010
• 2010 establishments in Virginia

• Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from September 2022
• Good articles
• Coordinates on Wikidata
• Commons category link is on Wikidata