Boosted special: The Shooting-Brake

History and Evolution

The shooting-brake is becoming a more and more common niche that car manufactures are diving into. For those who don't know, shooting-brake is a term for a car body style that has through history evolved into many different roles and niches. So how did this family friendly category of coupe, get a striking name like "shooting-brake"? Here we have the evolution of the niche and some of the major cars in it though out history.

What many dont know is that the term originated for a vehicle used to carry shooting parties with their equipment and game. The term brake was initially a chassis used to break-in horses and was in time used to describe an automobile. Throughout time, the term has been broadened to include five to three-door station wagons that have a coupé body style.

Usage and Examples

   Sunbeam Alpine Shooting-Brake

Possible one of the earliest experimentation with the shooting-brake body style, the Alpine shooting-brake was conceived when Rootes designers were faced with the task of creating a closed top three-door variant of their popular two-door open sports car, the Alpine. Its rumoured that three of these early shooting-brakes had actually been produced with leather interior and walnut trim, selling at a price double its open top sibling.

   Aston Martin Virage Shooting-Brake

Debuting in March 1992, at the still significant Geneva Motor Show, the Virage shooting brake was sold in extremely limited numbers. The shooting-brake was introduced as a three-door four-seater wagon version of the British Marquee's Virage coupe. What made the Virage more special than prior Aston shooting-brake's was that it was produced in-house by Aston's own Works Service, with production limited to just four examples each with a price tag of GB£165,000.

   Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting-Brake

First debuting in concept form at the 2010 Beijing Motor Show, the CLS Shooting Brake concept was an estate wagon based on Mercedes-Benze's very attractive CLS platform (X218). A production version of the Shooting Brake was later introduced in the June of 2012. Engine options range from a pedestrian 2.1L Diesel Inline 4 to AMG's dolphin murdering 5.5L V8.

   Fisker Surf

Henrik Fisker took the automotive game by storm when his company, Fisker, introduced the Joker faced, plug-in hybrid Karma. After being a sales succes and being acknowledged in the market place with various awards and recognitions, Fisker unveiled the Surf  at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. Introduced as shooting-brake version of the Karma, the Surf is possibly one of the most significant shooting-brake's here as it is the first plug-in hybrid to take this body shape and could offer a glimpse into the future. Sales are scheduled to begin sometime in 2013 with a production version yet to be unveiled.