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The auto industry hasn't a single universal definition for a "shooting brake." Long story short, there's confusion between what constitutes a "shooting brake" from a stations wagon, 2+2, coupe, hatchback, sports wagon, etc. So, this article was inspired by the hopes of settling the confusion and informing enthusiasts about the history and evolution of these automotive body styles that began as horse-drawn vehicles.
Let's start with the history:
1875 Engraved Illustration of Shooting Brake
Like many early automotive body styles, the shooting brake was initially a type of horse-drawn vehicle. A brake was originally a heavy drag chassis with slowing capability hooked to spirited horses. The term brake later became broader in definition, being used for wagons in general.
The shooting brake, which began in England in the 1890s, was a wagon (more specifically a type of wagonette) designed to transport hunting spoils, gun racks, and ammunition on shooting trips. However, as depicted above, the term dates even further back to (at least) 1875. Regardless, this term was well-founded in the mid-to-late 19th century.
A 1903 horse-drawn "Shooting Brake" (photo from the New York Fish & Game Commission)
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. They were produced by vehicle manufacturers or as conversions by coachbuilders. The term was used in Britain interchangeably with estate cars from the 1930s.
Ultimately, the term has evolved to describe cars combining elements of both station wagon and coupé body styles, with or without reference to the historical usage for shooting parties. Having yet to see an operational definition of "shooting brake," the chart below is a statistical analysis of 30 official definitions of "shooting brake" and the significance of characteristics by the percentage of times listed in said definitions.
There's a statistically backed chart for the first time in history in which significant characteristics are deductible. In plain terms, a "shooting brake" is most commonly a two-door station wagon (or estate) that is long, sleek, spacious, and sporty. However, Story Cars weren't present in 1875 to truly provide a definition; this is what the internet and ebooks offer. For the sake of this article being the "The World's Largest Shooting Brakes Archive," some four-doors will be included because their official manufacturer/coachbuilder's title specifies that it was indeed a "shooting brake."
The Shooting Brake Archive
Part 1
1890 French Hunting Break by Faurax
1890 Beaufort-Style Shooting Brake
1896 Kinross Wagonette Break
1907 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Shooting Brake
1908 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Shooting Brake
1910 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Shooting Brake
1919 Windovers Shooting Brake
1923 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Shooting Brake
1924 Daimler 57HP Shooting Brake
1924 Delage DI Eight-Lite Shooting Brake
1924 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Shooting Brake
1924 Rolls-Royce 40/50HP Silver Ghost Shooting Brake
1926 Rolls-Royce 20HP Shooting Brake
1926 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Shooting Brake
1926 Rolls-Royce 20HP Shooting Brake
1926 Rolls-Royce 20HP Shooting Brake (GOK9)
1927 Rolls-Royce 20HP Shooting Brake (GRJ70)
1927 Wilkinson Phantom I Shooting Brake
1927 Rolls-Royce 20HP Shooting Brake (A. A. McCloud & Sons)
1927 Rolls-Royce 20HP Shooting Brake
1928 Rolls-Royce 40/50HP Phantom 1 Shooting Brake
1929 Rolls-Royce 20/25HP Shooting Brake (Henry Binder)
1929 Rolls-Royce 20HP Shooting Brake (Alpe & Saunders)
1929 Rolls-Royce 20HP Shooting Brake
1930 Rolls-Royce 20/25HP Shooting Brake
1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Shooting Brake
1931 Rolls-Royce 20/25HP Shooting Brake
1932 Rolls Royce 20/25HP Shooting Brake
1932 Rolls-Royce 20/25HP Shooting Brake
1933 Rolls-Royce 20/25HP Shooting Brake
1933 Rolls Royce 20/25HP 'Woodie' Shooting Brake
1934 Bentley 3 1/2 Liter Shooting Brake
1934 Rolls Royce 20/25HP 'Woody' Shooting Brake
1934 Ford "Strathglass" Estate Wagon
1935 Rolls-Royce "Woody" Shooting Brake
1935 3 1/2-Litre Bentley
1936 Rolls-Royce 25/30 Shooting Brake
1937 Hispano-Suiza K6 "Break de Chasse"
1937 Bentley 4 1/4-Litre "Woodie" Shooting Brake
1937 Rolls Royce Phantom III Shooting Brake
1937 Austin 18 Shooting Brake
1937 Daimler Shooting Brake
1938 Rolls-Royce 25/30HP Shooting Brake
1938 Model 7Y Shooting Brake
1943 Willys Jeep Shooting Brake
1946 Delahaye 135 Guillore Break de Chasse
1947 Bentley MkVI Countryman Shooting Brake
1947 Riley RMA "Woodie" Shooting Brake
1948 Healey "Woodie" Shooting Brake
1948 Alvis TA14 Shooting Brake
1948-1949 Bentley Mk VI Countryman Shooting Brake
Part 2
Part 3
1890 French Hunting Break by Faurax
This hunting break was reputedly found in the coach house of a large chateau near the City of Lyon. The carriage is wonderfully original and displays all the hallmarks of a very good provincial French coachbuilder. The body is a most unusual design and features two back-to-back raised seating sections, 'dos a dos' joined in the center. The areas under the seats would have been used to transport hunting dogs and sporting equipment.
The Break is finished with a red undercarriage and black body panels. In the center of each panel, there are faux louvers painted directly onto the surface; these are framed with light molding. The Break is fitted with patent Collinge oil axles and iron-shod English pattern wheels equipped with faux mail axle faceplates to give a more 'sporting' effect.
1890 Beaufort-Style Shooting Brake
Thomas Cribb Carriage Masters is a family-owned carriage building company that was founded in 1881. Their Beaufort-style example above was originally built circa 1890 by the coachmaker, Shanks of London. Characteristics include a rear entry and the seats running the length of the vehicle with the passengers facing one another.
1896 Kinross Wagonette Break
This Wagonette Break is almost original and held in the Scotmid carriage collection at their Edinburgh Coach Works. When Scotmid Coach Works closed in 1993, this Kinross Break was obtained by the National Museum of Scotland. A break like this would have been used on a country estate for transporting the shooting party to their lunch. It would have been handy for transporting luggage and training teams for drawing more expensive coaches.
1907 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Shooting Brake
This 1907 Silver Ghost (chassis 577) (reg. SU 76) was pictured in "20 Silver Ghosts" by Melvin Brindle. Reported to be an early re-body, this chassis is a photogenic participant in rallies to this day.
1908 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Shooting Brake
Tom Batchelor previously owned this 1908 Silver Ghost Shooting Brake (chassis 712). The 712 is pictured here in the 1979 Monterey 75th Anniversary National Meet. To date, this is the only photo and details available.
1910 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Shooting Brake
This 1910 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost (chassis #1246) is a perfect example of this very English trend. Although Rolls-Royce's Silver Ghost chassis was a frequent platform for this body style, few remain, as most have been re-bodied to suit today's taste for open touring cars. This car is one of the few pre-WWI Silver Ghosts that retains its original body (and one of the few shooting brake to survive).
This car was bodied for the 7th Duke of Buccleuch by Croall & Croall. Croall & Croall, an off-shoot of John Croall & Sons, was a logical choice. This Edinburgh, Scotland firm had begun back in the 1850s as funeral undertakers and carriage company. Before the automobile, they entered into the coach building business and extended their reach by purchasing a controlling interest in H.J. Mulliner & Co. When Croall & Croall carried out this commission, they had facilities in Edinburgh and Kelso and were run by Peter, John, and Robert Croall.
1919 Windovers Shooting Brake
The grandest British carriage and coachbuilders called themselves "houses," and Windovers, though not one of the truly early makers, certainly counts as a grand house‚ with two showrooms in London and branches in Paris, Bombay, and Sydney (Australia) and works in Manchester, Huntingdon and north London. By the late 19th century, they held many royal warrants and maintained some royal carriages until the late 1950s.
This ad (believed to be circa 1919) displays Windovers offering this vehicle with "STATION OR SHOOTING BRAKE" options.
1923 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Shooting Brake
In 1923, the future King Edward VIII commissioned coachbuilders Barker to refinish the chassis of a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost to create a shooting brake with a difference. It featured specially commissioned black pull-down silk blinds, and it is rumored that these were installed so he could smuggle guests (particularly Wallis Simpson) in and out of Balmoral without their being seen.
The Rolls-Royce – chassis no. 1346 – was used by the royal family until 1940, and after its subsequent sale, the car and the shooting brake coachwork were subsequently separated. Another Silver Ghost – chassis no. 107EM – was then fitted with the discarded ex-Edward VIII Barker coachwork in the 1960s.
1924 Daimler 57HP Shooting Brake
This 1924 Daimler 57HP Shooting Brake was bought by King George V in 1924. This photo was taken inside the Museum at Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, England.
1924 Delage DI Eight-Lite Shooting Brake
Very few vehicles are built as hunting wagons, yet it appears that this utilitarian Delage was explicitly constructed for just that purpose. It is believed to have been custom-fabricated for a French writer who was an avid hunting enthusiast – to be used at his estates principally for hunting boar. Behind the chauffeur's compartment is a rear bulkhead that folds down to form a double bed, perhaps used by its owner for an afternoon respite or overnight expeditions. Window blinds of Whitchurch silk are fitted for privacy, and the wide-opening tailgate exposes a toolbox equipped with period tools. Carrosserie Castraise, responsible for the functional but straightforward coachwork, is undoubtedly among the less ubiquitous coachbuilders of the era. The firm continued operation into the early 1940s in Castres, a small city east of Toulouse, France. Some have described this vehicle's Eight-Lite or Eight-Window body as a shooting brake rather than a limousine. Shooting brake would be accurate as of its rumored usage by its original owner on his estates in the wine regions of France.
