SLIDESHOW
The world’s finest shooting brakes
What’s the difference between an estate and a shooting brake? A lot has been lost in the mists of time and marketing, but the latter must have some sass to its styling. Practicality isn’t the overriding concern of most shooting brakes, but added load space is certainly handy. At a time when the shooting brake form – like the estate – is in sharp decline in the face of the SUV, surely it’s time to celebrate them.
ALISDAIR SUTTIE
Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake
It took Mercedes until the second iteration of the CLS to expand the line-up with a shooting brake. When it did, the new model immediately grabbed attention through its sweeping looks and slight hint of menace. Yet despite those rakish lines, it was still a Mercedes estate at heart, offering more boot space than the contemporary Audi A6 Avant or BMW 5 Series Touring. Mercedes surely hit peak shooting brake with the CLS 63 AMG derivative. This had a 5.5-litre twin-turbocharged petrol V8, good for 518bhp and 0-62mph in 4.4sec, handled just as well as its saloon brethren and looked fantastic. No wonder it was Niki Lauda’s daily driver in his final years. It’s sad to say we’re very unlikely to see a car like this ever again.