1965 Shelby Cobra 427 Replica (VSE) vs 1994 Porsche 911 Turbo 3.6

Movie: Bad Boys ’95

Bit of trivia….the Cobra that spins out at the end of the movie “Bad Boys” is a VSE Replica. They had 2 “Cobras” for the filming, one was a trailer queen, but for the high speed spin, they had a VSE replica by Herb & Matt Adams. Adams sold upgrade parts via mail order to customers, and also built outstanding replicas at his Very Special Engineering (VSE) shop during the 70s and 80s.

One stunt involved the “trailer queen” Cobra, driving out of the back of the aircraft, which resulted in the Cobra crashing and incurring superficial damages. Scenes shot afterwards had to keep the car in tight close-up to hide these damages, until a replacement Cobra could be procured.

Clip Description:

At the crescendo of the movie, the 911 Turbo has a fairly unique pairing with a Shelby Cobra 427. And, not to spoil the ending or anything, but the Cobra is delivered post-haste into a concrete barrier after losing a staggered-start drag race. Now, a bit of an argument rose at the time over whether a Porsche 964 Turbo could ever catch a Shelby Cobra. Well, on a long enough road and with enough distance, it’s an unequivocal yes. The top speed of a Cobra? About 165mph. The 911 Turbo smashes the 180mph barrier. And they’re out on a massive airfield. Also, IT’S A MOVIE.

In terms of actually explaining why a mint Shelby Cobra 427 is ready and waiting for the final chase scene, Bad Boys offers up a quick throwaway line, the gist of which is that a drug dealer fell in love with the Cobra at some point during his drug-selling adventures, decided to buy it and take it home to his non-specific Central American abode. And then, after some bullets are exchanged between goodies and baddies and a frankly excessive amount of slow motion occurs, the Cobra gets its moment in the sun, absconding from a hail of lead and action-movie wit and roaring out onto the airfield.

And then we arrive at what’s perhaps the money shot for the entire film – a squirming and bucking 911 Turbo fleeing a gigantic and perfectly fire-orange explosion, on its way to reel in the Cobra and its venomous driver. The chase doesn’t escalate into a high-stakes road pursuit on the surface streets of Miami or out on the sweeping highways of southern Florida. It’s as simple as two cars, an airfield and a conveniently narrow gap in an otherwise impassable concrete barrier. Considering the genre (and director), it’s actually about as circumspect and focused as these things get.

Film Description:

Former video director Michael Bay had his first big hit with this action comedy, which also returned producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson to the big-budget, high-violence movies that they successfully churned out in the ’80s. Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) are two Miami cops who watch as 100 million dollars in heroin, from the biggest drug bust of their careers, is stolen out of the basement of police headquarters. This puts them hot on the trail of French drug lord Fouchet (Tchéky Karyo), who leaves a trail of bodies in his wake and only one witness, Julie Mott (Téa Leoni), who quickly teams up with our heroes. Comic hijinks ensue when plot complications force Mike to impersonate the married Marcus, to the point of moving in with his wife and children, while Marcus takes over Mike’s bachelor pad and lifestyle. Car chases, snappy one-liners, and nonstop pacing fuel this umpteenth variation on the cop “buddy” formula.