English theme park names coaster trains after fans, for a fee
Chessington marked Vampire's 35th anniversary with an auction allowing fans to place names on two coaster trains for one season. The stunt underlined the cult status of the 1990 suspended coaster.
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Chessington put Vampire back in the spotlight in 2025 with a fan-focused anniversary stunt. To mark the suspended coaster's 35th birthday, the park opened an online auction allowing guests to name two of the ride's trains for the rest of the season. The winning bidders could choose a family-friendly term, subject to management approval and rules against offensive language, hateful references and trademark or copyright issues. At the time of publication, bids stood at 160 and 230 pounds, with the chosen names set to remain in use until 31 December 2025. The ride experience itself did not change, but for theme park fans the auction turned a milestone into something tangible. Vampire is one of Chessington's best-known classics: it opened in 1990 as an Arrow Dynamics suspended coaster without inversions and received new trains from Vekoma in 2002. That history gives the promotion its weight. Rather than selling a standard souvenir, Chessington offered fans a temporary place in the story of a ride that has carried several generations of visitors.