Shooting brake explained

Shooting-brake (alternately spelled shooting break) is a car body style which originated in the 1890s from horse-drawn carriage origins. The first automotive shooting brakes were manufactured in the early 1900s in the United Kingdom. The vehicle style became popular in England during the 1920s and 1930s, and was produced by vehicle manufacturers or as conversions by coachbuilders. The term was used in Britain interchangeably with "estate car" from the 1930s but has not been in general use for many years and has been more or less superseded by the latter term.[1]

Since the 1960s, the term has evolved, describing cars combining elements of both station wagon and coupé body styles, with or without reference to the historical usage for shooting parties. During the 1960s and early 1970s, several high-end European manufacturers produced two-door shooting brake versions of their sports cars. Following a hiatus from the mid 1970s until the early 2010s, the shooting-brake body style entered a resurgence.

Horse-drawn origins

See also: Brake (carriage). A horse-drawn shooting brake was a variation of the break (also spelled brake). Originally built as a simple but heavy frame for breaking in young horses to drive, over time it became a gentleman-driven vehicle and was popular for such aristocratic sports as shooting parties. Taking the design from the rear-loading horse-drawn sporting vehicle, the station wagon was born, retaining the term "shooting brake".[2]

Definition

There is no universally agreed definition of a shooting brake as an autobody style; however the common themes are the coupé and station wagon, and the historical usage of the vehicle for hunting trips.[3] [4] [5] Descriptions of the body style and usage of the term include:

1900s to 1950s

In the early 1900s, the Scottish Albion Motors began producing shooting brake models, described in the weekly magazine The Commercial Motor as having "seats for eight persons as well as the driver, whilst four guns and a large supply of cartridges, provisions baskets and a good 'bag' can be carried."[12] The 1912 Hudson Model 33 was described in England as a shooting brake, on the basis that "it was also used to carry the beaters to and from the location of the shoot, and for bringing back the game shot".[13]

Early motorized safari vehicles were described as shooting brakes with no windows or doors. One such description read: "Instead roll-down canvas curtains were buttoned to the roof in the case of bad weather. These cars were heavy and comfortable in good weather and allowed quick and silent exit as no shooting was permitted from the vehicles."[14] During the 1920s and 1930s, shooting brake vehicles were popular in England and were produced as shooting brakes from the factory or converted by coachbuilders. The term "estate car" began to be used instead of shooting brake, as the use of the vehicle expanded from just shooting parties to other domestic uses including ferrying guests and their luggage to and from railway stations.[15]

1960s to 1990s

During the 1960s and early 1970s, several high-end European manufacturers produced two-door shooting brake versions of their sports cars, including the 1960 Sunbeam Alpine Shooting Brake and 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Shooting Brake.[6] [16] The 1966 Sunbeam Alpine was a limited-production three-door variant of its two-door open sports car with leather interior and walnut trim, selling at a price double its open counterpart and marketed as a shooting brake.[17] [18] [19] The Aston Martin DB5, DB6, and DBS shooting brakes were custom manufactured by coachbuilder Harold Radford from 1965 until 1967.[20]

A prototype DB5 shooting-brake was custom produced by the factory for David Brown, an avid hunter and dog owner, and a further 11-12 coupés were custom modified for Aston Martin by independent coachbuilder, Harold Radford.[21] [22] In August 2019 a DB5 sold for a record $1.765m (£1.456m),[23] making it the most valuable Shooting Brake bodied-car of any marque sold at auction. In 1992, Aston Martin manufactured in-house a limited production shooting brake variant of its Virage/Vantage, including a four-door shooting brake.[24]

Other cars combining elements of a wagon and coupé have been described but were never formally marketed as shooting brakes, including the Reliant Scimitar GTE (1968–1975),[25] [26] [27] the Volvo P1800 ES (1972–1973),[28] [29] [30] and the later 480 (1986–1995) – marketed as a coupé, and with a sporty, low nose featuring pop-up headlights, but with a distinctly estate-like rear body.[31] The 1998 BMW Z3 Coupé (plus associated M Coupé model) is also typically referred to as a shooting brake.[32] [33] [34] [35]

2000s to present

Mostly dormant since the mid-1970s, the shooting brake term was used in 2004 to describe the Chevrolet Nomad concept car.[6] The following year, the Audi Shooting Brake concept car debuted at the Tokyo Motor Show. Several other cars have been described by journalists as shooting brakes, including 2005 Dodge Magnum Station Wagon,[36] [37] [38] 2006 Renault Altica concept car,[39] 2008 Mini Clubman,[40] 2011 Fisker Surf concept car,[41] and the 2011 Ferrari FF.[42] [43] The first production model of the 21st century marketed as a shooting brake was the 2012 Mercedes Benz CLS-Class Shooting Brake (X218),[44] [45] which was previewed as the Shooting Brake concept car at Auto China.[46] [47] This model has four passenger doors, which is at odds with some definitions of a shooting brake as having two doors. In 2015, Mercedes-Benz added the smaller CLA-Class four-door shooting brake to the model range.[48] [49] [50] [51]

The 2018 Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo,[52] along with the Volkswagen Arteon despite the Arteon having five doors,[53] are both described by their manufacturer as shooting brakes. The trend is to associate the shooting brake body style with "performance" and also making the cars "more practical" than a coupé.[54] The marketing descriptions have been further blurred between variations of the terms with names such as sports tourer, sportback, or "shooting break" as a way to differentiate from SUVs and reposition ordinary body styles with "sleeker lines" in the minds of consumers to "ooze sex appeal".[55] BMW unveiled the Concept Touring Coupé based on the Z4 at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in 2023.[56]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Woody Gallery – British Woodies .
  2. Book: Terry, Christopher William . Motor Body-building in all its Branches . 1914 . 6 . E. & F.N. Spon . London . 16. Wagonettes. — This type of body should have longitudinal seats placed vis-a-vis in the main portion of the body and usually with a hind entrance, although some varieties have side doors as well. A shooting brake is a wagonette provided with game and gun racks, and accommodation for ammunition. A luggage brake, or estate wagon, is often a wagonette with the long seats made to fold flat against the side of the body and the hind entrance provided with double doors..
  3. Web site: World's best ever shooting brakes . msn.com . 8 November 2018.
  4. Web site: Wicked Wagons: 15 Best Shooting Brakes of All Time . hiconsumption.com . 8 November 2018.
  5. Web site: 12 of Our Favorite Shooting Brakes Ever Produced . roadandtrack.com . 8 November 2018.
  6. News: The Shooting Brake Makes a Comeback . The New York Times . 26 November 2006 . William . Diem .
  7. Web site: Pattni . Vijay . Four-wheel-drive Ferrari shooting-brake revealed . Top Gear . 21 January 2011 . 9 October 2020.
  8. News: It's an Audi Shooting Brake and a Plug-In . The New York Times . Lawrence . Ulrich . 13 January 2014 .
  9. Book: Chambers 21st Century Dictionary . 1996 . 1295 . Allied Chambers . India . registration . shooting-brake. .
  10. Europe Spy Report: The 2001 Jaguar S-Type Estate . Mike . Allen . Popular Mechanics . August 1999 . 50 . Google Books . 5 December 2023.
  11. Web site: Woodie Gallery: French Woodies – 1940 to 1949 . oldwoodies.com . 8 November 2018.
  12. Book: The Edinburgh Show . The Commercial Motor . 30 January 1908 . 475 . Google Books . 5 December 2023.
  13. Book: American Cars in Prewar England: A Pictorial Survey . McFarland . 2004 . 9780786415403 . Google Books . 5 December 2023.
  14. Book: Herne, Brian . White Hunters: The Golden Age of African Safaris . 174 . Henry Holt . 1999 . 9780805067361.
  15. Book: Peck, Colin . British Woodies: From the 1920s to the 1950s . 5 . Veloce Publishing . May 2008 . 9781845841690.
  16. Web site: A Short History of the Shooting Brake . acontinuouslean.com . 28 October 2018.
  17. Web site: The 1960 Sunbeam Alpine Shooting Brake Estate Wagon . SunbeamAlpine.org . Ian . Spencer .
  18. Web site: The Essential Buying Guide – Sunbeam Alpine The Essential Buying Guide – Sunbeam Alpine . silodrome.com . 4 November 2018.
  19. Web site: Lost & Found- In search of the shooting brake estate wagon . hemmings.com . 4 November 2018.
  20. Web site: Aston Martin DB5 Shooting Brake by Harold Radford (1965–1967) . Aston Martins.com . Cottingham . Tim . 9 July 2008.
  21. Book: Hingston, Peter . The Enthusiasts' Guide to Buying a Classic British Sports Car . 978-0-906555-25-5 . 2008 . Hingston Publishing Company . Google Books . 5 December 2023.
  22. Book: Dowsey, David . Aston Martin: Power, Beauty and Soul . 101 . 978-0-9578759-5-1 . 2007 . Images Publishing . Google Books . 5 December 2023.
  23. Bond DB5 sets new world record at Monterey sale . Marc . McLaren . 16 August 2019 . Classic & Sports Car . 7 October 2019.
  24. Web site: Aston Martin DB5 Radford Shooting Brake Estate August 1972 . Bobdcuk . Flickr . 5 December 2023.
  25. Web site: Reliant Scimitar and Friends . Jalopnik . Johny . Lieberman . 25 July 2007 .
  26. Web site: Scimitar GTE – a Trailblazing Shooting Brake . dyler.com . 4 November 2018.
  27. Web site: The Reliant Scimitar GTE – A Sports Shooting-Brake . motorsportmagazine.com . 4 November 2018.
  28. Web site: Volvo P1800: A Swedish fairy-tale . MV Media . 2 April 2011 . Viehmann . Sebastian . https://web.archive.org/web/20120419004027/http://www.motorvision.com/artikel/a-swedish-fairy-tale,8264.html . 19 April 2012 . 18 January 2021.
  29. Web site: Tom . Joslin . Found Off the Street: 1973 Volvo P1800ES . Jalopnik . 9 January 2011 .
  30. Web site: Hindsight: Looking Back on Volvo's Quirky 1800ES . Fowle . Stuart . Kilometer Magazine . 29 October 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140929180143/http://www.kilometermagazine.com/artman2/publish/hindsight/retro_drive_Volvo_1800ES.html . 29 September 2014 . 22 March 2021.
  31. Web site: Volvo 480: a sporty Swede that wasn't sensible or square . https://web.archive.org/web/20201030102446/https://www.retromotor.co.uk/features/volvo-480-euro-wedge/ . 2020-10-30 . Retro Motor . 2020-09-28 . Gavin . Braithwaite-Smith .
  32. Web site: Classifieds' Car of the Day: Brutal BMW M Coupe . Matt . Robinson . 18 May 2015 . carthrottle.com . 5 December 2023.
  33. Web site: The Jalopnik Fantasy Garage: First-Generation BMW M Coupe . Jonny . Lieberman . 26 March 2010 . Jalopnik . 5 December 2023.
  34. Web site: Capsule Review: 1999 BMW Z3 M Coupe . Edward . Niedermeyer . 7 September 2010 . thetruthaboutcars.com . 5 December 2023.
  35. Web site: This BMW Z3 M Coupe Is the Perfect Driver's Collector Car . 28 September 2018 . Brian . Silvestro . Roead and Track . 5 December 2023.
  36. Book: Ackerson, Robert . Chrysler 300 Series: Pedigree, Power and Performance Since 1955 . 190 . Veloce Publishing . 2005 . 9781904788904 . Google Books . 5 December 2023.
  37. Web site: 2006 Dodge Magnum . Worldcarfans.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120908054638/http://www.worldcarfans.com/10506178925/2006-dodge-magnum . 8 September 2012.
  38. Web site: Unattractive and Overhyped: The new Chrysler 300 . About.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20050918120133/http://cars.about.com/od/designandstyle/a/hemi_critique.htm . 18 September 2005.
  39. Web site: Renault Altica . autoexpress.co.uk . 6 November 2018.
  40. Book: A New Kind of Club . Torque Magazine . October 2007 . Google Books . 5 December 2023.
  41. Web site: Martine . Nate . 2012 Fisker Surf Say Hello to the Future's Coolest Niche EV Segment . Motor Trend . 13 September 2011 . 5 December 2023.
  42. Web site: Ferrari FF, an All-Wheel-Drive Shooting Brake . Jonathon . Shultz . 21 January 2011 . wheels.blogs.nytimes.com . 5 December 2023.
  43. Web site: 2004 Chevrolet Nomad Concept . upercars.net . 30 March 2016 . 5 December 2023.
  44. Web site: Mercedes CLS Shooting Brake (2012) first pictures . Kew . Ollie . 29 June 2012 . Car Magazine . 6 July 2012.
  45. News: 2013 Mercedes CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake Review . Top Speed . 2018-05-31. en-US.
  46. Web site: 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLS-class Shooting Brake. Car and Driver. 21 August 2014 . June 2012.
  47. News: China auto show: Mercedes-Benz Shooting Break concept previews new CLS . Autoweek . 31 May 2018.
  48. Web site: Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake arrives in Geneva . autoexpress.co.uk . 6 November 2018.
  49. Web site: Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake: Vehicle concept . mercedes-benz.co.uk . 21 December 2018.
  50. Web site: Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake review . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/46muyJM-ivk . 2021-12-22 . live . youtube.com . Telegraph Cars . 21 December 2018.
  51. Web site: Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake (2015) review . carmagazine.co.uk . 3 June 2015 . 5 May 2022.
  52. Porsche shooting brake: past and present . porsche.com . 8 November 2018.
  53. Arteon Shooting Brake . volkswagen-newsroom.com . 15 March 2022.
  54. Web site: Angelov . Dim . Cool Shooting Brakes You Probably Didn't Know About . Top Speed . 18 May 2021 . 5 May 2022.
  55. Web site: What is a shooting brake and why are they a good idea? . autotrader.co.uk . 23 March 2022 . 5 May 2022.
  56. Web site: Kacher . Georg . BMW's Z4 Concept Touring Coupe Could Herald the Return of the Clown Shoe . Car and Driver . 19 May 2023 . 5 December 2023.

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