Some automakers continue offering shooting brake body-styled vehicles in the era of SUV expansion. Here is our pick of the 8 modern shooting brakes which we consider an excellent choice.
Perhaps, not everyman knows what a shooting break is, but most can still distinguish a coupe from a station wagon/estate. The shooting brake is a cross of these two body styles, essentially this is a coupe-based wagon, albeit it has no universal definition.
The term is traditionally applied to sporty two-door models, but in some cases, manufacturers market their 4-door vehicles as shooting brakes. For example, Mercedes-Benz CLA and CLS wagons based on 4-door coupes are called so.
How It Was
Automotive shooting brakes originate from horse-drawn wagonettes used from the 1890s to transport shooting parties, their equipment, and game.
A broader used term ‘brake’ was a heavy drag chassis attached to spirited horses and capable to slow down. Occasionally, the term ‘shooting break’ could be met, where a ‘break’ meant a 2- or 4-wheeled carriage frame without a body that was used to break in young horses.
How It Is Now
Modern shooting breaks fit the definition of practical elegance. Here are some excellent examples of shooting brakes you can presently buy:
The most recent member of the shooting break cohort is a nice-looking BMW Concept Touring Coupé that has been shown this month at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2023. The carmaker developed the car for one-off production by turning the BMW Z4 roadster into a 2-door hardtop with a shooting-brake body.
