2016 Toyota 86 Shooting Brake Concept

Initially a custom-built luxury wagon altered for use by hunters and other sportsmen, the shooting brake concept gained more modern meaning in the late 1960s by bringing practicality and sportiness under the same roof. The two-door wagon took many forms and adopted many badges in the last four decades, but the body styles became less popular in the 21st century, with only a handful of models available in dealerships. Toyota has just unveiled its very own shooting brake, but unlike the Ferrari FF (recently renamed the GTC4Lusso) , it’s not yet slated to become a production car.

It’s called the 86 Shooting Brake Concept and as the name suggests, it is based on the Toyota 86 sports car. Granted, the Ferrari FF comparison is a bit out of line given that the concept car is just a regular 86 under the skin, but this is definitely the most important update this car has received since its official introduction in 2012.

How did this happen, you ask?

Well, Toyota says that the company’s Australian design team created a 1/4-scale clay model of the shooting brake and showed it to Tetsuya Tada, the father of the 86, when he visited in 2014. Tada was so impressed that he commissioned his takumi craftsmen from Japan to build a full size vehicle based on the Australian design. The shooting brake is not only fully functional, but has already been put through the paces on Toyota’ s test tracks.

"The nicely weighted and direct steering of the 86 ensures the car retains the involving drive experience of the coupe with a slightly more neutral feel in tight corners on a driver’s favorite road," Tada said.

"The silhouette is still sporty, taut and energetic, but it’s more practical as it allows the roof to be used to carry surfboards, bikes or storage pods for a weekend away while the larger opening of the new boot enables much easier loading," added Nicolas Hogios, Toyota Australia’s design chief.

The company says the shooting brake is only a study built to "gauge reaction" and that there are no plans for production. On the other hand, Tada noted that "we never say never and I would love this concept to become a production reality." At least there is some hope that the shooting brake will make it into showrooms sometime in the future