Shooting Brakes: The Best, the Worst, and the Confused

"stuttgartobsessed" (grantharmsen) 02/24/2015 at 00:35 • Filed to: SHOOTING BRAKE, HISTORY, COACHBUILT

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I've been doing some thinking lately. Mostly along the lines of which numbers would win the lotto so I wouldn't have to work anymore. This, somewhat surprisingly, does not take up the majority of my week. So I had to find something else to think about. That thing was shooting breaks. There seems to be some confusion about what a "shooting brake" actually is, so I decided to do some research and explain it.

History of the "Shooting Brake"

The confusion is immediate. It's the name. If I pulled a Kimmel and went up to people on the street of your average american city and asked, " What is a shooting brake?" I don't think one person would respond with, "car...?" Because what the hell is a "brake" and why is it shooting at us?

Well you won't be surprised to know that it comes from those silly-talking island people. No, not the Jamaicans. The British . You see, back in the Downton Abbey days if you were a Duke or a Lord or a Sir or lived in a castle you would invite all of your rich friends to come hunting with you. It was becoming quite bothersome to haul everyone around in your fancy Rolls Royce/ Lagonda/Hispano-Suiza/Bentley, however. So people started building custom motor cars on brakes (silly british word for chassis) in which you could take your hunting party shooting in.

This is a 1910 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost Shooting Brake. Just shove everyone in the back!!

So, now that we know where the name comes from, it should be pretty easy to describe a shooting brake, right?

Wrong

!!! UNKNOWN HEADER TYPE (MULTI-LINE BREAK?) !!!

There is also a lot of confusion over the number of doors a shooting brake can have. That number is not four. Nor is it two. A shooting brake should only have three doors. Two doors and a hatch/lift-gate in the back. Now back in the days when these were actually used for hunting, I'll call these times "Before Range Rover" or BRR, five doors were allowed. But ARR (That's After Range Rover for those not paying attention) shooting brakes are not used for hunting and are just stylish, usually custom built by specialty coach builders, 3 door variants of coupes. Anything with 5 doors is just a wagon.

Ok, so now it's cut-and-dry, right?

Wrong.

Both 5-door and 3-door shooting brakes coexisted with not only each other but also with regular old station wagons in the post-war (the second one, duh) BRR period. Here, it's kind of convoluted and shooting brakes are basically station wagons custom built for clients by coach builders based on existing sedans or coupes from luxury manufacturers.

So, to recap, a shooting break is a 3 door wagon usually custom or limitedly produced by a coach builder and based on an existing luxury coupe but was once a custom built vehicle used for hunting or to just be roomier than a pre-existing luxury sedan or coupe, but not always based on a pre-existing luxury car, or custom built by a secondary coach builder as some manufacturers sold them as well.

Got it? Good.

I've used pictures to explain because they're worth a thousand words. I know y'all don't have no time for words!

The Best

Ferrari Daytona "Gull Glass" by Panther Westwinds. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ?

Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 Vignale. If you don't think its cool, Jay Kay owns it.

Volvo P1800 ES

Lynx Eventer XJS

DBS estate by FLM Planecraft. British surf mobile? British surf

DP44 Porsche 944. There is also a glorious 924 Carerra GT with some of the best '80s box flares.

Intermeccanica Mustang

Mercedes-Benz 230 SLX by Frua

Reliant Schimitar GTE

Lotus Elan

Bentley Continental Flying Star by Touring

The Worst

Lotus Elan. As you can see, the Elan serves as a great example of how two different designs can greatly effect the outcome.

Citroën SM Break de Chasse. The addition ruins the elegant and stiking lines of the "regular" SM

Aston Martin DB5 Radford. Again, while very cool, the original design is much,much sexier. Though Q could have fit more toys in this one.

This Cadillac Eldorado. So very 70's but those fender humps ruin it! Should have done the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! design.

The Confused

Jenson Interceptor. While devilishly cool, it is not a shooting brake. Rather a GT car.

Lamborghini 400GT Flying Star II by Touring. While probably my favorite car on this page, it is not a shooting brake as Touring completely redesigned the whole body of a 400GT rather than just the back bit. I'd still have one.

Mercedes Benz - Brabus CLS. While Brabus certainly made one cool wagon, it has two too many doors to be called a "shooting brake".

Same thing goes for this stunning Touring-designed Maserati Quattroporte.

So, what's your favorite shooting brake? Did it miss it?

*Photos takes from GIS, R&T, and autojunk.nl. Wikipedia did its part as well.

Tapas > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 12:51

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I would even argue that that this looks better than the regular version of the car :)

Frosted > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 12:54

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Excuse my lack of knowledge but what is the point of this?

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 12:57

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Does the Intermeccanica Murena GT count? Because I think it should, even though it's a semi-monocoque chassis not entirely based on an existing sedan or coupé

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Frosted 02/24/2015 at 13:01

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Somebody looked at pictures of 30s cars with covered fender-inset dual spares while doing *ALL* the drugs.

stuttgartobsessed > Frosted 02/24/2015 at 13:06

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No idea. I assume they are supposed to represent the old fashioned fender mounted spares or something.

stuttgartobsessed > Tapas 02/24/2015 at 13:07

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Yes! I completely agree! Though the 944 is pretty nice to look at in regular form as well.

stuttgartobsessed > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 02/24/2015 at 13:10

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I thought about including it, but didn't for the reasons you stated. Though if I had, I would have put it in the "Bad" section because it is waaaaaaaaay too long in my opinion. I did include their version of the Mustang, however!

wantafuncar > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 13:31

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No Nomad!!!

Is this not a shooting brake? 3 doors? Check. The back is a tailgate style with 2 front doors.

If it is not (at least by your definition) it should have still be included. Such.a.great.and.beautiful.car.

472CID > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 13:52

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Excellent very thorough, I'd say the Elan and the DB5 in the worst aren't bad at all.

CalzoneGolem > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:23

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If the door came to a point like this window this would be a lot better.

Outie5000 > Tapas 02/24/2015 at 14:24

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That hatch is straight off a volvo 240. It's strange, but I sort of like it.

bigdog2014 > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:26

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Cool read and pics. In the past I admit I had to wiki "shooting brake". Basically a 2 door station wagon.

Evil-B > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:26

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Man these azev rims still look good

Mr. Flareside > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:26

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Intermeccanica Mustang

How have I never heard of this before?!? Somebody please slap me!

Coty > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:26

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You know who owns one of these right?

notifidontwanttoiwont > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:27

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So I had to find something else to think about. That thing was shooting breaks . There seems to be some confusion about what a "shooting brake" actually is

Great article- except this part looks like a craigslist ad.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:28

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You forgot my personal favorite, the Jensen GT. It's basically a the Jensen Healey with a roof/hatch, so parts should be easy to come by, and the engine bay will accommodate larger engines (Datsun I6s have been done). I will absolutely own one of these some day.

Yes I Know The CEL Is On Again > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:28

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even though not a coach building exercise...something that went to wide market...does the Z3M fit into the "Shooting Brake" qualifier?

2 Wheels awesome! > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:29

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BEST

VintageRider > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:29

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Total fail of an article.

How could you miss the Ferrari "breadvan"

RedWhine > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:30

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I actually think the Elan looks better as a shooting brake...

*ducks*

Coty > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:30

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But is it break or break ? You used both, which is it?

AdmiralAkbar > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:32

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I was stuck behind one in traffic yesterday (the regular kind, in brown). It made everything better.

thisismyid2 > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:32

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Too bad this never made production

detailer4u > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:33

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I love love love me some cars with the fat back!

thisismyid2 > thisismyid2 02/24/2015 at 14:34

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and this one

Toyotathong! > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:34

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This one is definitely confused:

True > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:34

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There are two of these in my neighborhood within 1/2-mile. Both red, both bitchin, both make me drool.

Cé hé sin > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:34

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Fast Times > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:35

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Is it break or brake? That seems to be where the confusion lies no?

Cé hé sin > Frosted 02/24/2015 at 14:35

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It's a visual reference to spares mounted on running boards.

Ginger Inc > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:35

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Well, IMHO the one I've always fancied is the Ford Escort 2 door estate...

It kind of qualifies as a Shooting Brake IMHO?

spanfucker retire bitch > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:35

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You're going to stand there with a straight face and tell me the FF is not a shooting brake?

canuckcharlie > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:36

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marvthegrate > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:36

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No picture handy, but that definition seems to fit the Saab 95 wagon. 3 doors, ARR.

this is not matt farah's foxbodymiata > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:36

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Princess Anne had one of those, you know.

True > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:36

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No Z3-M?

For shame.

Doctor-G-and-the-wagen > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:37

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Coincidentally, I had a dream involving shooting brakes the other night!

In my dream I met a wizard. He was a strange looking one, even by Wizard standards: his outfit was split in half, front to back, with the front half being typical wizard robes, and the back half being a business suit. He still had the typical wizard beard but instead of a hat he wore a crown. In my dream he used his magic to turn my Saturn L-series into a shooting brake. He then learned that a great evil would wipe out the planet within six days and, having used up his magic to make a shooting brake, passed on the responsibility to me and my newly modified ride.

Then I woke up confused and wishing I had a cooler car to make into a shooting brake than a Saturn LS.

Rampaging__Newt > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:37

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While I am partial to the Volvo P1800ES, I would drive this in a heartbeat.

Mozart > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:37

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The AeroWagon.

wilfoy > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:39

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Shooting brakes are universally ugly and I don't know why you weirdos like them. Just look at how stupid this car is:

there once was a man named sanchez > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:39

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My favorite that you missed was the Harold and Maude "Shot Dead Brake" (my nickname for it)...

davedave1111 > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:41

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"a shooting break is a 3 door wagon"

Nope. Absolutely not. 2/3 door estates/wagons are not shooting brakes. The key is the number of pillars.

A shooting brake is, very simply, an estate version of a coupe. It has A, B, and C pillars - or occasionally just A&C. An estate car is based on a saloon/hatchback platform and has A, B, C, & D pillars.

That Citroen SM you've posted is just an estate car - in French, those are all 'breaks' of one type or another.

The Tickford Aston, meanwhile, demonstrates that even with clear definitions you get a bit of a grey area. Is that an extra pillar, or just a glazing bar? :)

Anyway, you left out one of my favourites:

JSWilson64_g > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:42

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(sorry, couldn't help myself)

KnotThatBusy > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:42

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Alfa Romeo

Cé hé sin > Coty 02/24/2015 at 14:42

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Break. Or break.

4rdFan > Frosted 02/24/2015 at 14:43

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I believe they are there just for design, instead of function. They were an option for AMX body conversion kits used in the 70s.

Only Pawn > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:43

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"A shooting brake should only have three doors. Two doors and a hatch/lift-gate in the back…"

Hmm. You mean I had a shooting brake the whole time?

Coty > Cé hé sin 02/24/2015 at 14:43

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Damn it.

JayHova > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:44

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I could live with the b-pillar, but the c-pillar makes me phyisically sick and screams cheap.

NotoriousPUG > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:44

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The Mustang pictured isn't an Intermeccanica, but a one off based on the original design. RK Motors in Charlotte had this one for sale a while back, the full story is given in the listing, which is still in their Sold Inventory. It runs a 5.0, but other than that it looks factory. It's great looking IMO.

chicagoE36 > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:45

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Funny? Funny how? I'm here to amuse you? Like a clown shoe funny?

ScoobsMcGee > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:45

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So would a Nissan Pulsar/EXA with the canopy be a shooting brake?

Cé hé sin > Coty 02/24/2015 at 14:46

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It was originally brake. The French call any kind of estate/wagon a break, presumably by mistake.

Here's a peculiarly hideous Miura based one:

Coty > Cé hé sin 02/24/2015 at 14:47

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That's so weird.

TheDouble-ClutchBandit > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:47

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http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/de…

JayHova > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:47

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Thomser > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:47

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Thanks for the pictures, but no cigar .

A wagon with 3 doors is still a wagon ; and what's wrong with that ?
'Shooting brake' is just a term that wasn't even common when there was such a thing .
The closest thing we have these days is a coupe with a hatch .

OttoMaddox > this is not matt farah's foxbodymiata 02/24/2015 at 14:47

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I, for one, would LOVE to have a Reliant Scimitar GTE. To bad they were never imported.

Kevin Barrett > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:48

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Does this count? It's called the Study H50 .

Stephie > Yes I Know The CEL Is On Again 02/24/2015 at 14:48

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Maybe a "Clown Shoe-ting Brake"

My 2 Cents > wantafuncar 02/24/2015 at 14:49

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Good catch!

Gonemad > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:49

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A-ha! I knew it!

GM Caravan. A Brazilian favorite. Two doors and a massive hatch. It handled like a bathtub on wheels, with enough body roll to get you seasick. I spent most of my youth playing around in the back seat or sleeping in the huge cargo hold of this thing. This was the soccer mom car back in the day. It was the people-mover if you had more than one child, since there were nearly no cars with that much internal space. Definitely it is a shooting brake. And it was based on a coupe, the Opala. Notice the paint job is original on both, but the racing stripes appeared first on the Opala.

But you were sure to get the bland colors since it was cheaper.

slobberwocky > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:49

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OttoMaddox > Coty 02/24/2015 at 14:50

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It's brake in British English, and break in French.

My 2 Cents > Yes I Know The CEL Is On Again 02/24/2015 at 14:50

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Yessssssss!

DPillar > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:51

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My favorite, the Lancia Beta HPE

Tapas > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:51

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I never loved how it looks in the regular form tbh...

Union of Smog Techs of CA > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:52

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Volvo liked it so much they made the 850.

loki03xlh > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:52

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I'll take one of these:

CyborgAdaLovelace > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:52

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Saw one of these in person for the first time a few months ago. It's just so good.

vacantserver > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:53

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YU no MGB-GT?

Arrivederci > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:53

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This actually looks rather amazing.

Tapas > Outie5000 02/24/2015 at 14:53

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I never noticed that, thanks for pointing it out :)

Hambleton > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:53

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what? WANT.

litespud > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:54

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The 230 SLX is fantastic. However, why the insistence that a shooting brake has to be a preexisting car with the rear only modified? The Scimitar GTE wasn't "modified" - it was simply the "wagon" version of the Scimitar (there was a ragtop and coupe also, but I don't know which came first), in the same way that many other models come in different configurations. If the GTE is a shooting brake, then the 2002 Touring is also a shooting brake. I think a more reasonable definition would be a 2 door 2 seat longroof "wagon" (as opposed to a "hatchback")

uberbigpete > Yes I Know The CEL Is On Again 02/24/2015 at 14:54

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I was looking for this one. Glad someone else remembered.

Arrivederci > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:54

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Wow... looks factory.

vacantserver > vacantserver 02/24/2015 at 14:54

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Shooting Brake made for RAKES!

MC20 > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:55

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Someone post a picture of a C3 Corvette with that fiberglass longroof conversion kit on it. Thats badass

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:56

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NO Clownshoe??????

/Outraged

Arrivederci > Frosted 02/24/2015 at 14:56

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Those are its lovely lady lumps. Check 'em out.

f700es > Mozart 02/24/2015 at 14:56

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Damn, I actually like that :(

RazoE > Arrivederci 02/24/2015 at 14:57

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*terrible

Mike > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:57

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I desperately want to own a Fishwagon someday. I love these cars, and they're actually somewhat affordable.

AllUsedUp > Stephie 02/24/2015 at 14:57

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Had my Audi in the shop for an alignment today and they had one of these in the shop. They were moving it around and the hood was ajar. You think it looks like a clown shoe normally, see one that way. I half expected to see toes poking out.

LunaticFringe1979 > wantafuncar 02/24/2015 at 14:57

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It's an awesome car that I will have one day, but I don't think it meets the "custom or limitedly produced by a coach builder" part of the definition as it is a factory beaut, and not a custom one.

Justin Hughes > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:58

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I once saw one with the license plate ELFHRSE.

philipilihp > Cé hé sin 02/24/2015 at 14:59

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I think this both brings up and answers the question: Is one requirement for the donor car to be front engined?

YES is being my answer.

k4wht::lead singer, driver of the Winnebago > MC20 02/24/2015 at 14:59

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T-tops on a shooting brake. So much sex in one package..

Monsterajr > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 14:59

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I see that face and I see Capri all day.

AeroStang > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 15:00

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Seriously? Okay, so something is the "worst" because it is not that? My dog is the worst cat because he is a dog. That's what you are saying. The Maserati is the worst shooting brake because it is not a shooting brake. It would be a lot less insulting to people who actually read if you just put IS a SB, ISN'T an SB, and best and worst of each. Also, in case you didn't know, a Hatch and a Station Wagon are easily decided. Hatch backs do not have a window that opens up from the gate. It is one hatch. Wagons have access to the back from the window, or the door/opening.

MultiplaOrgasms > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 15:00

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No post about Shooting Brakes without the Fiat 130 Maremma

TheStigsGermanCousin > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 15:00

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Sporty.

philipilihp > TheDouble-ClutchBandit 02/24/2015 at 15:01

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I never heard of this car but it works SO WELL!!

TheStigsGermanCousin > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 15:02

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Agreed!

philipilihp > k4wht::lead singer, driver of the Winnebago 02/24/2015 at 15:02

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I would use that for hunting.

CO > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 15:02

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More station wagon than shooting break...

RIGmaroler > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 15:03

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Lotus Elite

Jensen GT for sure

And it was a two door Hornet made into a 3 door, so maybe, technically.....

jizhole > stuttgartobsessed 02/24/2015 at 15:03

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C'mon there is no such thing as a Volvo P1800ES. P1800 - yes. 1800ES - yes. P1800ES - no.