[Carowindsman]

Just found this on the internet hope you enjoy them. I really liked the first picture of them on Hurler showing a view of the park. You can just see how much has changed on the park.

<a href='http://www.reigrut.westminster.co.us/chris/carowinds/index.html' target='_blank'>Old Carowinds Photos</a>

[coasterbruh]

I think I see top gun!!

[RollerBee]

Ok, and thoose are old?

[Dukeis#1]

Well, if you consider 1997 a long time ago. :rolleyes:

[Carowindsman]

I didnt mean it as real old but they are old none the less

[carowindsfreak13]

I like the end. Its sort of funny.

[Carowinds44]

I have the same picture in front of that car, except I was like 6 years old lol. It is weird to see the horizon and no Top Gun.

[coasterdude89]

And the colors of ther rides are different. Cyclone does not look like that any more! It also looks like there are more trees possibly? Need find!

[Jay]

^Given that 2 major coasters(Top Gun, Borg), and a number smaller ones(Taxi Jam, Super Saturator, Ricochet, Runaway Reptar) have opened since that time, there is without a doubt less trees. And yes, Carolina Cyclone was 'carolina' blue till about 2000 when they painted it purple. One of it's many paint schemes through the years..

Compare that first pic with <a href='http://www.pbase.com/jamminj/image/28056610' target='_blank'>this</a> and <a href='http://www.pbase.com/jamminj/image/28056611' target='_blank'>this</a> which I took from Hurler early last year. Pretty freaky.

Thanks for sharing Carowindsman. I like seeing old pictures weather they are from 1997, or 1977. Now if we could just figure out a way to get some 2007 pics...

[KenB]

^ Jay - that's really wild seeing the difference in how the park looks from similar perspectives - and that's just in 7 years! Vortex really dominated the skyline before, and now you almost don't notice it with BORG and Top Gun behind it.

About Carolina Cyclone's various colors - it opened with a nice firey orange, which I still think was this coaster's best color scheme. It looked downright mean with that paint job when it opened as the first 4-inversion coaster in the world. That's right kids, if you didn't know - Carowinds had a world-record-breaker in 1980! And it was our little headbanger, Cyclone! We sorta, kinda had the Top Thrill Dragster of the day. Ok, not really - but Cyclone *was* a pretty big deal at one time. I guess the TTD comparison would be a bit more appropriate to White Lightnin' anyway.

After that, if I remember right, Cyclone has been a somewhat crappy green, the Carolina blue, and then the purple / deep blue that it is now. I think it was orange until '92 when Vortex opened, and I guess they figured 2 reddish coasters was overkill - even though the colors weren't quite the same. Why they changed it twice more in about 7 years I don't know. You can see these various Cyclone colors in spots where the paint is wearing off.

KenB

[RollerBee]

No, it was red at one year after Vortex opened. I remember watching the Cyclone desend it's lift when I was a baby(4 or 5).

[Dukeis#1]

<a href='http://www.coastertown.com/Paramount/Carowinds/BlueRidge/CarolinaCyclone01.htm' target='_blank'>This photo</a> from 1992 has the ride painted the greenish color with orange trains. Maybe you visited in an earlier year?

[RollerBee]

I swear I remember Vortex and Cyclone being the same color. Who knows.