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->ke143 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->ke3753 (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.->ke506 Granted, the Ferrari FF comparison is a bit out of line given that the concept car->ke169 is just a regular 86->ke4085 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'->ke88s 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...

Continue reading to learn more about the Toyota 86 Shooting Brake Concept.

Exterior

Heavily based on the Toyota 86, the Shooting Brake Concept is identical to the sports coupe from the nose to the B-pillars. The only noticeable thing in this area is that the front fascia hasn't been updated to the design we saw on the 2017 model year, U.S.-spec car. So instead of the wide bumper grille, the redesigned side vents, and the new headlamps with LED technology, the show car features the older front fascia. The shooting brake body still keeps us from complaining, but a concept car should always employ and automaker's latest design language.

Moving over to the important section of the car, the the roof, the rear fenders, and the rear fascia have been completely redesigned. The wagon still uses the 86's taillights, the bumper, and the trapezoidal license plate recess, but the decklid has been ditched in favor of a tailgate. The door windows have also been modified, and the tiny quarter windows have been promoted to full size glass panels. The car's profile reminds us of the Honda CR-Z, but that feeling disappears as soon as we look at the flat rear window and the more conventional tailgate. And, to be honest, we think that the Toyota looks way better than Honda's hatchback.

All told, the 86 Shooting Brake isn't the most stylish two-door wagon out there, but Toyota's Australian designers managed to create a body style that works pretty well with the coupe's styling.

Interior

Toyota did not release photos of the interior and had nothing to say about it, but it's safe to assume that the concept is identical to the coupe in the front compartment. Despite the "Concept" in its name, the cabin probably has nothing fancy to show, which explains why Toyota hasn't revealed it yet.

However, things should be different behind the front seats. The original shooting brakes and their counterparts from the 1960s and 1970s had only two seats and essentially a massive amount of storage room between the seat backs and the tailgate. This may no longer apply to modern shooting brakes -- the Ferrari GTC4Lusso has four seats, while the Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake is a wagon with a sloping roof -- but the 86 should have a larger trunk area in order to justify its existence in a more practical body.

Sure, this doesn't matter much if the concept remains just a show car, but a production model would have to offer more than just the tiny trunk we get with the standard model. Of course, we'd rather have the 86 Shooting Brake with only two seats and a flat cargo area similar to the Volvo P1800, but it's up to Toyota to decide.

Drivetrain

There's no info on the drivetrain either, but Toyota did mention that the concept is fully functional, meaning it uses the same 2.0-liter flat-our engine as the standard 86. As you may already know, Toyota just updated the 86 for the 2017 model year and pumped five extra horsepower and five more pound-feet into the boxer unit, taking the total output up to 205 horses and 156 pound-feet. Chances are that this concept uses the previous engine, which is rated at 200 horsepower and 151 pound-feet.

Yes, we know, it would be pretty cool if the Shooting Brake would make it into production with a bit more power on tap, but we've been begging Toyota to offer a more potent engine for three years now and all we got is five measly ponies... At this point, we'd be pretty happy with a 205-horsepower shooting brake in showrooms.

Conclusion

Needless to say, the 86 Shooting Brake is an awesome idea and one of the most exciting cars Toyota has showcased recently. Sure, it's only a concept, so it might not see the light of day on a production line, but it's hard to not get excited about the prospect of an affordable shooting brake. With the Ferrari GTC4Lusso fetching in excess of $300,000 and the Mercedes-Benz CLS priced from the equivalent of $62,400 in Europe, the 86 could be the shooting brake we can all afford. Its design is appealing, the two-door configuration is the right one, and the 2.0-liter boxer would provide just enough power to make it fun to drive. All we can do is hope that Toyota will build it. If Mazda was bold enough to develop the MX-5 RF with its unusual targa roof, maybe Toyota will follow and give shooting brake enthusiasts the affordable car they've been dreaming about for years.