what is a shooting brake?
 

Is it a model or trim level or a body style?

Thanks,
Sixto

i believe shooting brake refers to a wagon, usually expensive wagons. they had the aston martin wagon with a v-8 and twin superchargers back then called the shooting brake, also now i think audi i making a expensive luxury wagon named the same.

British equivalent of station wagon.

I believe it also implies high performance, not just a workaday wagon.

- JimY

Not so much high performance, as high style.... shooting brakes were popular as hunting vehicles. Earlier, it was a wagon pulled along where hunters took a break during the day's activity. Set aside your weapon on a padded table or shelf, consume the midday meal prepared ahead of time and brought along, revel in the good of the land... and then return to the hunt. Rolls Royce had the body style, of course. Think of it as a high-style station wagon with a few particular options that served the hunting or outdoorman purpose.

Yes, of course today it wpould have a 400HP engine, leather, a DVD and 3 flat screens... just like SUV's that never leave the pavement. Take a fine honorable concept and garble it for mass consumption.

From AstonMartins.com:

David Brown found that the standard DB5 was very much to his liking, but was a bit of a squeeze when he tried to carry his hunting gear and dogs. The dogs also had a tendency to chew the leather seats. No problem, just ask the factory to create a shooting brake for his personal use. The problem then was that other customers, on seeing David Browns unique Aston Martin, wanted one too. At that time, the factory was far too busy just making the standard cars, so David Brown made an arrangement with the coachbuilding firm of Harold Radford to make further shooting brakes to meet the demand.

adding fuel to your suspicion.. from Wikipedia
 

In the United Kingdom, a very specific type, rare these days, is known as a shooting brake. These are modifications of luxury coupés with an estate car-like back fitted. They generally remain with two side doors. The purpose of them, historically, is obvious from the name; they were vehicles for the well-off shooter and hunter, giving space to carry shotguns and other equipment. They have rarely been made by the factory and are generally aftermarket conversions; some are still made. Up through the early 1960s many of them were built as woodies, making them some of the most exclusive and luxurious woodies ever built.

The word 'brake' in 'shooting brake' may come from the French term for station wagon, break.