Drayton Manor, Staffordshire, England

Europe's only stand-up rollercoaster

In 1994, Drayton Manor stood up to the industry giants by offering Shockwave. The £4 million white-knuckle ride of a lifetime whirls passengers to a dizzy height of 120 feet, then swirls them through nearly four times the force of gravity in a series of loops, corkscrews and turns.