What is Shooting brake?
A two-door wagon body style, traditionally derived from luxury sport coupes. The Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe is a modern interpretation.
Shooting brake is a two-door wagon body style, traditionally derived from luxury sport coupes. The body has the front of a sport coupe (long hood, two doors) and the rear of a wagon (extended cargo area). The name comes from English aristocratic hunting; "brake" is an old term for a wagon used to transport hunters and their gear. Original shooting brakes were custom-built coachwork, often based on Bentley, Rolls-Royce, or other luxury chassis.
Modern shooting brakes are uncommon but distinctive. The Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake (2012-2018, EU only) was a four-door wagon with sport coupe-derived styling. The Ferrari FF (2011-2016) and Ferrari GTC4Lusso (2016-2020) were two-door shooting brakes with V12 engines. The Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Shooting Brake (limited edition, 2018-2019) was a coachbuilt shooting brake. The Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe (sometimes considered a shooting brake variant despite four doors) is the modern flagship.
Shooting brakes occupy a unique market position. The format provides cargo capacity beyond a coupe but with sport-coupe styling that wagons lack. The buyers are typically connoisseur of unusual body styles; the cars are essentially niche products. Modern manufacturers occasionally produce shooting brake variants of high-end models as halo or limited-edition products. The format remains rare but appreciated in the enthusiast community.
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