The Huss Three-Ride Deal: Alton Towers' Longest-Running Rumour, Examined

The Huss Three-Ride Deal: Alton Towers' Longest-Running Rumour, Examined

For roughly three years now, one rumour has circulated persistently through the Alton Towers enthusiast community: that the park signed a deal with German ride manufacturer Huss for three new attractions, not one. Toxicator was supposedly the first. Two more were meant to follow.

Toxicator opened in March 2025. Nothing else has appeared. Here's an honest look at what the rumour actually claims, what evidence supports it, and what to make of it now.

Where the Rumour Came From

The claim first surfaced around late 2023, ahead of Toxicator's announcement. Community discussion described the park as having "signed off for 3 rides" from Huss, with all supposedly open by 2025 and one potentially arriving that season.

Crucially, the same discussions included a genuinely credible-sounding detail: multiple people reported that Alton Towers had been in close talks with Huss, and that company representatives had been spotted around the park.

That's the kind of secondhand-but-specific claim that circulates constantly in theme park communities. Sometimes it's accurate. Often it isn't.

The Rumour Got Its First Confirmation

Here's what gives this one genuine credibility rather than dismissing it outright.

In April 2024, Alton Towers received planning permission for a Top Spin flat ride — a model introduced by Huss in the early 1990s — on virtually the same plot once occupied by Ripsaw, itself a Huss Top Spin removed nine years earlier.

That became Toxicator, opening 15 March 2025.

So the first part of the rumour came true. A Huss ride did arrive, on the site enthusiasts predicted, in roughly the timeframe suggested. Community reaction at the time was appropriately measured: if this turned out to be a Top Spin, "then that rumour could have some truth in it."

What the Other Two Were Meant to Be

Speculation about the remaining two rides has been consistent, and it's worth understanding because it reveals what the park genuinely lacks.

A replacement for The Blade — a new pirate ship, potentially rethemed to the Phalanx, following The Blade's retirement after 44 years.

A Huss Breakdance in X-Sector — specifically on the vacant site where Enterprise once stood.

Other suggestions floated included a return of Ripsaw in some form, and a second Enterprise. The common thread: flat rides, in the two genuine gaps in the park's line-up.

Why Flat Rides Specifically

This is the part that makes the rumour genuinely plausible rather than wishful thinking.

Alton Towers has a well-documented flat ride shortage. By 2015, Ripsaw was one of only three flat rides in the entire park. Submission and Enterprise have since gone too, leaving vacant plots that have sat empty for years.

Enthusiast frustration on this point is genuinely pointed. One community member described the situation as "an embarrassingly long time" for plots of previously-occupied land to sit unused.

Flat rides also solve a real operational problem: they add capacity and take pressure off the coasters, which is exactly what a park with 11 coasters and few alternatives needs.

The Case Against

Several genuine reasons for scepticism are worth stating.

Nothing has materialised in the 18 months since Toxicator. No planning applications, no announcements, no visible construction for anything resembling a second or third Huss ride.

Merlin's spending pattern doesn't obviously support it. Community discussion has noted the company's tendency toward cheaper suppliers — Chessington's recent flat rides came from SBF, not Huss — and questioned whether Alton Towers would genuinely commit to a premium manufacturer three times over.

The financial context is unhelpful. As covered elsewhere on this site, Merlin's credit position and capital constraints have already delayed Project Horizon repeatedly. A three-ride package is a substantial commitment for a company that hasn't funded its flagship coaster project.

Similar rumours have died before. One account described hearing of four new flat rides — two from Intamin, two from Mondial — which were reportedly cancelled to fund Duel's conversion into The Curse at Alton Manor. Rumoured ride packages at Alton Towers have a track record of not happening.

The 2027 Problem

The rumour's credibility faces its sharpest test right now.

As of late August 2026, there's no planning permission filed, no announcement, and no visible construction for any new 2027 addition at Alton Towers. Community discussion has worked through the possibilities and largely ruled them out.

If a three-ride Huss deal genuinely existed with rides two and three still pending, you would reasonably expect at least a planning application by now for a 2027 opening. There isn't one.

The Honest Verdict

What's confirmed: Alton Towers bought and installed a Huss Top Spin (Toxicator) in 2025, on Ripsaw's former plot.

What's rumoured but unverified: That this formed part of a three-ride package with two more Huss attractions to follow.

What the evidence currently suggests: If the deal existed, it has either stalled, been reduced, or was never as large as reported. The absence of any 2027 planning activity is genuinely difficult to reconcile with two outstanding rides.

The most likely explanation: Alton Towers genuinely did engage with Huss — the representative sightings and the resulting Top Spin support that. Whether that engagement covered three rides, or was a single purchase that the community optimistically inflated, is impossible to determine from outside.

Why the Rumour Persists Anyway

There's a reason this one has survived three years without confirmation: enthusiasts genuinely want it to be true.

Two vacant plots sitting empty, a well-documented flat ride drought, and a park whose last few years have been dominated by rebuilds and retheming rather than genuinely new attractions — a three-ride package would solve several problems at once.

That's precisely why it's worth treating carefully. Rumours that align neatly with what a community already wants are the ones that spread furthest and get scrutinised least.

Quick Reference: The Huss Three-Ride Rumour

• The claim: Alton Towers signed for three Huss rides, with Toxicator as the first
• Origin: Enthusiast community discussion from late 2023, including reports of Huss representatives seen at the park
• What's confirmed: Planning permission granted April 2024 for a Huss-model Top Spin on Ripsaw's old plot; Toxicator opened 15 March 2025
• Speculated rides two and three: A Blade replacement (possibly Phalanx-themed), and a Huss Breakdance on the vacant Enterprise site in X-Sector
• Why it's plausible: Alton Towers has a genuine, long-documented flat ride shortage and multiple empty plots
• Why it's doubtful: Nothing has appeared since Toxicator, no 2027 planning has been filed, Merlin faces capital constraints, and previous rumoured ride packages have been cancelled
• Verdict: Unconfirmed. The first ride happened; the evidence for two more is currently absent