In 2014, Lawrence Ulrich of the New York Times said the shooting-brake is "essentially a two-door station wagon." This post is not about the recent custom configurations of station wagons and SUV's it is about the vehicles historically built or modified specifically to take sportsmen and women into the field to hunt.
Shooting-brake is a car body style that has evolved through several distinct meanings over its history. Shooting-brake originated as an early 19th century British term 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 subsequently used to describe a motorized vehicle. The term was later applied to custom-built wagons by high-end coachbuilders and subsequently became synonymous with station wagon or estate.
The website Topspeed claims this early Bugatti was the first true shooting brake but that is not the case. Further in the post you will see examples of turn of the century examples.
Meet the original Shooting Break.
Manufacturer and Mechanical Specifications
Early examples include Albion Motor Car Company's shooting-brake, 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."
The 1912 Hudson Model 33 (described in the book, American Cars in Prewar England: A Pictorial Survey) "could be used for collecting people and luggage from the station (thus as a station wagon), it was also used to carry the beaters to and from the location of the shoot, and for bringing back the game shot.
Early motorized safari vehicles were described as shooting-brakes with no windows or doors. "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." (courtesy Wiki)
Shooting-brake is a car body style that has evolved through several distinct meanings over its history. Shooting-brake originated as an early 19th century British term 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 subsequently used to describe a motorized vehicle. The term was later applied to custom-built wagons by high-end coachbuilders and subsequently became synonymous with station wagon or estate.
The website Topspeed claims this early Bugatti was the first true shooting brake but that is not the case. Further in the post you will see examples of turn of the century examples.
1929 Bugatti Type 40 Brake De Chasse
Manufacturer and Mechanical Specifications
| Year and Model | 1929 Bugatti Type 40 Break De Chasse | ||||||
| Car Identifier | Coachbuilder: Carrosserie Gangloff | ||||||
| Serial Numbers | Chassis No. 40485 (Stamped 40826?) | ||||||
| Serial Numbers | Production No.: 1 of c. 780 | ||||||
| Serial Numbers | Engine No. 714 | ||||||
| Engine Material and Layout | Inline Four-Cylinder Engine | ||||||
| Power output | 50 BHP At 4,500 RPM | ||||||
| Displacement | 1,496 CC | ||||||
| Engine Design | Overhead Camshafts | ||||||
| Transmission | 4-Speed Cotal Pre-Selector Gearbox | ||||||
| Suspension | Solid Front Axles With Semi-Elliptical Leaf Springs And Friction Shock Absorbers, Live Rear Axle With Quarter-Elliptical Rear Leaf Springs and Friction Shock Absorbers | ||||||
| Brakes | 4-Wheel Cable-Operated Drum Brakes |
A brake was originally a robust carriage chassis hooked to spirited horses to "break" them.
A shooting-brake became a variation of a wagonette—a vehicle with longitudinal seats in rows with either a rear door or side doors—provided with game and gun racks and accommodation for ammunition.
Early examples include Albion Motor Car Company's shooting-brake, 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."The 1912 Hudson Model 33 (described in the book, American Cars in Prewar England: A Pictorial Survey) "could be used for collecting people and luggage from the station (thus as a station wagon), it was also used to carry the beaters to and from the location of the shoot, and for bringing back the game shot.
Early motorized safari vehicles were described as shooting-brakes with no windows or doors. "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." (courtesy Wiki)
