Nine of the best Shooting Brakes

1. BMW Z4 Touring Coupe Concept

BMW has previous in this arena, doesn’t it? With the Z3 M ‘Clown Shoe’. So we know this would be amazing if they decided to put it into production, which is something BMW is seriously considering. Few acknowledge it now, but the Z3 was considered a bit of a weird-looking thing when it was new. Not so with the Z4. This is a properly good-looking, well-proportioned car that arguably is an improvement on the roadster on which it’s based. With around 400PS (294kW) from the straight-six and a manual box (or not, as our conclusion was in the Supra), this could be the perfect do-it-all sportscar.

2. Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Shooting Brake

Right now this is one of the most desirable new cars in the world. A bold claim but we’re having no arguments. It is almost uncontrollably gorgeous and, by virtue of that body style, could render a “regular” Vanquish S invisible when side-by-side.

A highly reputed Aston Martin specialist told us recently that a client of theirs with a Vanquish Shooting Brake puts dogs, muddy boots, skis and more in the extended load area of his super GT and does serious miles. There's nothing cooler in our book.

3. Genesis G70 SB

On the other hand, there are production shooting brakes you can buy now. Take the Genesis G70 Shooting Brake, which got its debut at the Goodwood Festival of speed presented by Mastercard. The smoother operator looks of the saloon have taken magnificently to the added junk in the trunk. More a compromised estate than true shooting brake? Maybe. But it’s cool nonetheless.

4. Rolls-Royce Wraith Silver Spectre

As it often does, Rolls-Royce has also tried its hand at showing the world what a true shooting brakes is. A small batch of existing cars, that have been modified by coach builders. The Rolls-Royce Wraith is no common thing but with just seven of these Silver Spectres in existence, sporting design by Niels van Roij and coachwork by Carat Duchatelet, this makes the standard Wraith positively numerous by comparison. Stunning.

5. Mercedes-Benz CLS C63 AMG

On the other end of the scale is the CLS Shooting Brake. It’s an estate version of Merc’s highly-acclaimed four-door coupe that you could just walk into a dealership and buy. Seems obvious, but in this company that’s a fair achievement. Shooting brakes are the automotive equivalent of a solid gold toilet and fish tanks for walls in your house – cool but, realistically, not likely to feature in daily life. Not so in the big Merc! On the other hand, weirdly, it’s something of a unicorn. It didn’t sell all that well, so it has a cool rarity factor but not so scarce you can't have one. Win-win!

6. Audi Shooting Brake Concept

When it comes to shooting brakes, there are the specials you desperately want but have no hope of affording, but also the prototypes and concepts that tease but never come to fruition. There's still hope with the new Z4, but this Audi is very much the latter. Looking at it now, it absolutely was a fun and not-so-serious preview for the second-generation TT. We just wish they’d taken it seriously.

7. Lamborghini 400GT Flying Star

This thing, along with a fellow Italian further down the list, epitomises the traditional notion of a beautifully-crafted coach-built special, built up from the bones of a supercar into a few-of-a-kind masterpiece. Touring’s vision for a 400GT shooting brake is a beautiful yet futuristic execution – the wagon portion blending with the exotic hipline seamlessly. Like the Vanquish, it best cultivates that intangible “I just want it” feeling.

8. Callaway Corvette AeroWagen

Dividing the Italians is one way you can get behind the wheel of a brand new bonafide sportscar shooting brake. The Callaway Aerowagen is a comparatively affordable way into one of the most stylish genres of motorcar – at $15,000 for a colour-matched estate hatch conversion. The reason for that good value? It’s nowhere near the comprehensive re-skinning that most shooting brake conversions are. Rather, a simple case of popping the standard hatch off and fitting an extended version. Does that reduce its appeal? In a broader sense, perhaps. Given its comparative accessibility, not really. Given it retains the distinctive Corvette pop-out roof, not at all.

9. Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Shooting Brake

Back into a parallel universe of V12 GT estates that by all appearances are also capable of intergalactic travel. Such is the extent of the retro-futurism of this Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Shooting Brake that it looks like a prop from a Star Wars set. Still, not futuristic at the expense of elegance – like the Lamborghini, the 365 is a simplistic execution with a reliance on the silhouette for drama rather than gratuitous styling flourishes. The rear is purposeful and the exhausts menacing, yet still the standard car could be charged with being fussier looking. Impeccable.

Are there cooler shooting brakes that we've missed? Let us know.