Back in the 1980s, Sylvester Stallone was riding the wave of a popular celebrity after filming multiple Rambo movies. At that time he also created the screenplay for “Cobra”. In the 35-year-old movie, Stallone played Marion ‘Cobra’ Cobretti, an LA cop trying to protect a witness. To complement his tough cool character, a car played as a co-star. That car was a modified 1950 Mercury.
The movie plot had twists and turns. But, the only twists and turns I wanted to see were those that involved the Mercury. Amongst many classic cars, that car was the epitome of coolness in the 1980s. The car became of symbol of non-conformance and rugged abilities. But, for many years after, even unto this day, the car’s presence has been spotty. So, what happened to Sylvester Stallone’s Cobra movie car? Where is it today?
What was Stallone’s Cobra car?
Let’s get the basics out of the way. As mentioned before, the Cobra movie car is a 1950 Mercury Monterey. These cars, when modified, are commonly called, lead sleds. Why? It’s because they are heavy, like lead (thanks Wikipedia). Any modification for performance had to overcome that heaviness. In particular, 1949-1951 Ford and Mercury classic cars were often designated as lead sleds or even “shoeboxes” for their shape. Lead sleds are a popular platform for hot rodders and customizers in the automotive world.
The Mercury Monterey in the Cobra movie is the perfect example of a lead sled. It was customized to add better road-handling and to get more speed than a stock vehicle. And, it had an intimidating look. So, it became a movie celebrity all on its own.
The car, of course, had some impressive scenes to be a part of in the movie. The cameras follow a car chase (surprise!) that happens as the car exercises it’s abilities. Bullets fly at the car from the front and the rear as the car is seen negotiating traffic on busy roads. But, our hero (the car, not Sylvester Stallone), is flicked through paved corners and alleyways. As if that wasn’t enough, the car has nitrous that boosts its performance to do seemingly impossible things. For example, at one point the car is maneuvered into a high-speed, 180-degree spin that translates into a high-speed chase in reverse. Oh yeah, there’s even a scene of the car jumping out of a parking garage.
Basically, the car stole every scene of the movie it was in. I know, I know. Sylvester Stallone is pretty attention-grabbing. But, watch the clip of the chase scene below and you will see what I mean. The car is the star.
Whereabouts of the Mercury have been sketchy
Needless to say, Sylvester Stallone’s 1950 Mercury is a movie car that many people recall with fondness. But, its whereabouts have been questionable at times. So, to track its whereabouts down I had to do some cyber sleuthing.
As with many movies in which a car is a strong character on its own, there were multiple copies built of the Cobra car. In this case, four copies in total. Our friends at Rod Authority were able to find that, Dean Bryant was “commissioned to build four of the Mercury sleds, one for normal driving conditions and interior shots, and three stunt cars.”
In further unpacking the story about Sylvester Stallone’s car I found a post from WhichCar stating all of four of the Mercurys had “1½in chops and roll cages, and one packing the gas-sniffing small-block. While the three stunt cars were destroyed, one survived.” Yup, one Cobra car survived.
That one remaining car was restored later by Eddie Paul, the stuntman and automotive customizer. Cars from his shop have been seen in many movies. So, it’s no surprise his name is attached to Sylvester Stallone’s Cobra car.
What happened to Sylvester Stallone’s remaining Cobra car?
That brings us to the question, what happened to the remaining Cobra car? Sylvester Stallone kept it. But, the most interesting twist in the history of the car comes next. It was stolen. CBS News says that the actor reported the 600+ horsepower car stolen from his garage in 1994.
Thankfully, the story about the 1950 Mercury Cobra car doesn’t end there. As the account from CBS continues, Sylvester Stallone was surfing the net one day and happened to stumble across an online listing for the beloved car. He reached out to the listing company with his lawyers. An agreement on the car, allegedly valued at $250,000, was reached, of which, few details are clear. For example, no information has come forth indicating how the lister came into the car's possession so many years later or how many times the car had changed hands. Regardless, the actor eventually regained ownership. According to TheThings, the car was still in his possession at the start of this year.
How important is this car? Well, I don’t remember the movie. But, I do remember the car. So, as far as staying power goes, Sylvester Stallone’s Cobra car left a bigger impression on me as an impressionable youth than the movie's plot. Did I mention, that was 35 years ago. Yeah, I’m getting old.