Shooting-brake

The Reliant Scimitar GTE

A BMW Z3 Coupé

Shooting-brake is a 2-door car body style with a squared-off rear.^[1] They generally have hatchbacks although one or a pair of side-hinged doors is also sometimes seen.

The term originated with custom built 2-door luxury estate cars altered for use by hunters and other sportsmen such as golfers, riders, and polo players requiring easy access to larger storage areas than offered by the typical automobile boot.^[2]

Etymology

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In the early 19th century, a brake was a large carriage-frame with no body, used for breaking in young horses. By the late 19th century the meaning had been extended to a large waggonette designed for country use. A "shooting brake" carried a driver and gamekeeper facing forward and up to six sportsmen on longitudinal benches with their dogs, guns and game carried alongside in slat-sided racks.

History

An early manufacturer of shooting brakes was Albion Motors of Scotland. There are existing examples of custom-built Bentley S2, Mercedes 300, and also the Aston Martin DBS Shooting Brake.

VG, a small US coach builder, offers a model named VGD Shooting Brake.

Some modern manufacturers, such as Audi, have recently referred to some concept cars as shooting brakes. In French-speaking countries estate-bodied cars (including those with four doors) are often referred to as "break" models (note the different spelling), short for "break de chasse", or "hunting break".

Examples

• Aston Martin (various models)
• Bentley (various models)
• BMW Z3 coupé/M Coupe
• Reliant Scimitar
• Sunbeam Break de Chasse and Hillman Break de Chasse
• Lancia Beta HPE (High Performance Estate)
• Volvo 480
• Volvo 1800 ES estate
• Third generation Volkswagen Scirocco
• Volvo C30
• MGB GT, MGB GT V8, MGC GT

References

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