BMW shooting brake in 2008
AutoBild magazine is reporting that BMW may have a "shooting brake" version of the 3-series in the works. The image above is from the cover of their latest issue and it would be safe to say we're less than impressed with the rendering, but it's interesting to see the redesigned front fascia that gets a distinct squash and pull. As we've learned all too often, these images are rarely a worthwhile indication of future designs.
The idea behind a BMW two-door hatch isn't entirely bogus, as Audi is looking to offer the same and competition between the two automakers is surely expected. Naturally, we finicky yanks will probably never see it stateside, as the premium hatch market hasn't boomed to warrant such an offering.
[Source: AutoBild via MotorAuthority]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
G 6:05PM (10/14/2006)
I saw a Z3 coupe on a tow truck today. Looks like this. It looked terrible, and not to mention unreliable.
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swe 6:18PM (10/14/2006)
so it's a 3-series coupé/wagon? interesting..
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Charlie 6:27PM (10/14/2006)
I vote that we remove the term "shooting brake" from car terminology.
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KazO 6:35PM (10/14/2006)
Ooh. I currently drive a E46 wagon, and though I'm thinking about a 2nd generation Mini Traveler/Countryman (wagon), if I decide it's too small/slow/whatever, this thing could be a contender, especially with that N54 turbo motor.
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Tim UF 6:55PM (10/14/2006)
all eyes on the volvo c30 to see if the market for the upscale hatch (aka shooting brake) is fuller than thought
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Christopher 7:04PM (10/14/2006)
I'll never forget the first time I rode in a shooting brake... OK so really it was a subaru outback, which has four doors. It was brand new and we took it all the way down to Miami, where some skateboarders sold us ecstasy and we munched it before walking down the beach and, eventually, basking in the waves.
In other news, today I rode bikes with my girlfriend in Prospect Park. Then we bought okra at the farme'rs market and talked to my roommate about the master cleanse juice fast.
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Damon Lavrinc 7:28PM (10/14/2006)
Charlie - I second that motion. Can we get a third?
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swe 8:31PM (10/14/2006)
third it is
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Zo 8:33PM (10/14/2006)
Damon -- I third that motion
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Stoneman 9:30PM (10/14/2006)
How about shooting clutch?
Stoneman
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Scott 10:02PM (10/14/2006)
...because the 318ti was such a huge success...
Scott
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Ian 11:15PM (10/14/2006)
WTF does "shooting brake" mean anyway? Is it a google translation from German of "ugly clown shoe?"
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Robert 11:26PM (10/14/2006)
I love it! I also love the 318ti and Z3 coupe. I don't have kids, but I do have a large dog that I often need to drive. Any of the three would be more appropriate then my sedan. I also enjoy the styling so there is at least one person who thinks it's a good idea.
Also, "shooting brake" must remain in the lexicon to describe one vehicle, the Aston Martin V8 Vantage Shooting Brake. No other name is sufficient to describe that car. I'm fine with nixing it from the vernacular to describe Minis, Nomads, or capped Rancheros. None of them have the haughtiness to carry such a name.
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verdegrrl 12:03AM (10/15/2006)
Shooting brake. Something the horsey set uses to carry shotguns and dogs that isn't a truck/SUV. Not something you'd drive to town with unless in wellies and jacket with leather patches on the elbows and picking up more bird shot.
If it isn't fitted with a gun rack or have one in the options catalog, I vote we not use the term.
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Andy 12:31AM (10/15/2006)
"Shooting brake" is a British term used for sport wagons. A lot of Americans are confused to hear that--it's a bizarre one. Don't ask me how they came up with it.
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the friendly grizzly 7:43AM (10/15/2006)
Hyundai Excel: hatchback
Chevette: hatchback
Toyota Starlet: hatchback
Dodge/Plymouth Omni/Horizon: hatchback
Add $25 kilobucks to the price
BMW 3-series: hatchback shooting brake
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Franco 9:51AM (10/15/2006)
I remember Autobilds answer when I showed a shooting brake impression around one year ago:
http://www.cwwcardesign.com/cars/bmw_shooting_brake.html
They said it's completely improbably...now it comes.
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UK-KID 1:05PM (10/15/2006)
(1)
So the only time a Vehicle is on a Tow-Truck is when it is Broken ?
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Richard Warren 3:33PM (10/15/2006)
#12
Shooting-brake is a term used to describe a luxury estate vehicle built used by hunters (shooting)
The original (break NOT brake) is a horse carriage used in the 19th and early 20th century. Size could be large or small, open topped, designed for use in the country.
A "shooting brake" carried a driver and gamekeeper up front and up to six hunters in side facing benches with dogs, guns and killed game in the vehicle.
A “break” was used for breaking in horses, a carriage with no body.
The term was carried over to motor cars.
So we have a “shooting brake” a larger vehicle capable of carrying a lot of people and things or as we know it a “station wagon”
I like this new BMW.
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fizzandpop 8:03PM (10/15/2006)
From Mansfield Park: A pre-war Bentley skids to a hault on the gravel in front of the house, its driver booms from the cockpit, "Could someone help me? I've got guns but I don't have a man."
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