Shooting brake is a term dating back to turn-of-the-century England and originally refers to wagons designed to transport hunting parties with equipment and any trophies from their hunts. Over time, this term became associated with estate cars — though now its meaning has expanded considerably.
Shooting brakes are defined as any wagon with a long cabin that offers performance driving specs but isn’t classified as a coupe, and we have assembled 10 examples from history as proof.
The Origins
Shooting brakes are one of the coolest car body styles around. Not only can they carry more cargo than wagons but still maintain sleek lines like coupes; as British magazine Autocar put it: ‘it provides enough space for four adults to travel comfortably’.
This term dates back to when European aristocratic hunting parties used horsedrawn carriages with two doors for transporting gear, before cars became common and coachbuilders started creating shooting brakes based on sports cars. Today, two-door estate vehicles such as Ferrari FF, Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato, and Pininfarina’s conversion of an original Ferrari 456 into one for Prince Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei fall under this classification.
The Second World War
Shooting brakes were originally created to carry hunting parties and their gear; later on they became known more broadly as wagon-styled vehicles. By the 1930s they had begun being replaced by more modern terms like Estate; nonetheless dedicated coachbuilders continued providing production cars with shooting brake-style bodywork.
Harold Radford was hired by Aston Martin to transform their DB5 into one of the most stunning examples in its genre, boasting visible timber framing, electric front windows and rear blinds, cavernous luggage capacity behind its driver seat, visible timber framing and visible timber framing for visible timber framing.
Today’s lines between coupe, wagon and station wagon have become increasingly blurry, yet manufacturers remain keen to differentiate between models using terms such as Sports Tourer or Sportback in order to distinguish models with an elegant roofline from conventional hatchbacks and five-door estates.
The Fifties
The fifties marked the end of an era that defined what we know today as a Shooting Brake car. Historically, it had been ordered by wealthy hunters as their vehicle of choice for hunting activities.
Such men required light carriages capable of accommodating shooting parties, equipment and any spoils accumulated from hunting excursions – and were served by brands like Rolls Royce and Bently.
Now, however, Shooting Brakes have taken on more sporty connotations. This term often describes cars that combine aspects of both coupe and estate cars – like Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo or Volkswagen Arteon.
The Sixties
In the sixties, there was an explosion of shooting brake conversions on quality chassis – from Aston Martins and Ferraris being turned into utility estates, such as Honda Aerodeck. Motoring magazines praised its elegant proportions and generous luggage space – features that only ever appeared as shooting brake conversions in this form.
One of the finest examples of bespoke shooting brake is seen here on this 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona by UK coachbuilders Panther Westwinds, completed over two years and estimated to cost the equivalent of four new Daytonas in 1975, but was nonetheless an immense success.
Today’s manufacturers often misuse the term shooting brake to refer to vehicles which resemble more closely station wagons or 2+2 coupes than its original meaning – yet such an iconic term should never be discounted. But its rich heritage should not be forgotten!
The Seventies
Honda first unveiled their Aerodeck two-door station wagon in 1986, and it remains widely considered “closer to perfection than most vehicles”. Though technically not considered a shooting brake.
Shooting brakes are estate cars which combine sporty driving with practicality, offering sleeker rooflines than their 4-door counterparts and usually boasting more cargo space than standard wagons.
Shooting brakes were popular from 1973 until 2003, when they fell largely dormant. Since then, however, shooting brakes have seen a revival and many European vehicle manufacturers now include them as part of their lineups. Today they may also be called sports tourers or hatchbacks – no matter what you refer to them by! Whatever name it goes by though, these wagons are worth looking out for!