Watch a rare glimpse into the making of the ultimate action movie classic Cobra!

It’s been well documented that Sylvester Stallone’s Cobra is one of our favorite ultimate action movies of all time. (In fact, check out our Top 100 list – it’s number 1!) By 1986, Stallone had already enjoyed some enormous successes with both his Rocky and Rambo franchises, and yet Stallone was out for another ultimate conquest by introducing the world to Marion Cobretti in Cobra.

Produced by The Cannon Group aka Cannon Films, Stallone’s Cobra became the tough guy, strong arm of the law cop which would dominate the action movie lexicon for the rest of the 80s and 90s (and still into present day).

In a rare glimpse, this behind-the-scenes documentary features some insights into Sylvester Stallone’s character development, as well as a look into George P. Cosmatos‘ direction and co-star Brigitte Nielsen’s work.

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The Making of Cobra

Via Retro Reels (more vintage videos here)

Sylvester Stallone had been toying around with a tough guy cop script idea for some time before Cobra finally came to fruition. With ideas used from his re-drafting of the original Beverly Hills Cop (which Stallone was attached and reworked the script for, but ultimately left the project), Stallone’s Marion Cobretti was eventually fleshed out based on icons such as Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry and Charles Bronson’s Death Wish vigilante.

“Marion Cobretti aka Cobra. He is kind of like what I call the bottom line in police enforcement. You might say he’s a modern day gunslinger.”

We get to see Stallone on set in Marion Cobretti mode icing bad guys and chewing his match sticks to splinters.

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AWSOM 50

We also get some cool shots of Cobretti’s 1950s Ford Mercury with its iconic vanity “AWSOM 50” license plate, which was actually owned by Sylvester Stallone. According to wikipedia, “The coupe had a 350 cubic-inch Chevrolet engine, outfitted with a blower for added horsepower, a Hurst automatic shifter and a 400 hydro transmission with a shift kit. The car could go from zero to sixty miles per hour in four seconds and hit speeds of 140 miles per hour.”

In total, three of the Cobra cars were created for the film’s stunt work, each designed differently for the types of shots and stunts needed.

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Cobra’s Ultimate Legacy

Since Cobra’s release over both the film and Sylvester Stallone’s ultimate legacies have grown exponentially. Stallone has recently gone on record indicating that he’s always regretted not making Cobra into a franchise like his other films. As well as his long-held desire to make Cobra into a TV show (or streaming show these days). Besides being #1 on our UAMC Top 100, Cobra is easily a top choice for our Sylvester Stallone Top 10.

So, check out the video above then why not dive into watching Cobra again for the 110th time! We know we will…

What are your favorite Cobra memories? Let us know in the comments or on our Facebook page!