Von Genaddi Design Shooting BrakeAlthough Rolls-Royce and Bentley have never offered a standard ex-factory station wagon, custom models were a favorite for decades with Britain’s landed gentry, who called them shooting brakes. They had two essential purposes: to facilitate weekend hunting parties and to shuttle guests to and from the train station. World War II brought lavish house parties to a rather conclusive end, and the demand for shooting brakes diminished commensurately. The form still enjoyed its devotees, though, and coachbuilders such as Harold Radford and, later, the revived Hooper persevered sporadically. Recent years have seen precious few conversions, however.
But if a Bentley shooting brake is just the thing for your weekend place—or indeed for use as your everyday transport—you are not out of luck. Bentley’s in-house coachbuilder Mulliner, for example, is happy to accommodate even the most extraordinary requests from its customers and would hardly break a sweat if asked for a shooting brake (www.bentleymotors.co.uk). Or you could turn to the Wisconsin-based coachbuilder Von Genaddi Design (VGD), which built the shooting brake shown in this article.
Von Genaddi’s customization leaves the Bentley Arnage’s nose intact, leaving significant bodywork for the tail.
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Based on the latest incarnation of Bentley’s Arnage, VGD’s shooting brake is more geared to fashion than out-and-out utility. A low roofline and veneered cargo floor reinforce the notion that this is intended for tailgating at the polo match and not for trips to Home Depot. Unfortunately, the attention to form over function in this prototype extends to gimmickry. It is interesting to watch the electrically actuated tailgate open—the backlight and steel panel folding into each other and the cargo area floor sliding out over them—but it is needlessly complicated and leaves the corners of the glass exposed to potential damage. Further, the sliding (and slippery) cargo floor leaves the electronics it normally covers exposed. VGD says that future examples will feature a more conventional tailgate setup.
Other custom VGD touches you won’t see on a standard Arnage include a vast sunroof developed in conjunction with Webasto (a traditional supplier of open-air accessories for Bentleys and Rolls-Royces) that extends over rear-seat passengers, and an all-wheel-drive system engineered with the Aspen and Gstaad crowd in mind. The rear seat has been reconfigured to accommodate two passengers comfortably, and it also collapses to create a larger cargo floor. (Click image to enlarge)
Although Bentley has never sold an ex-factory station wagon, custom-bodied shooting brakes have been around for as long as the marque.
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Even if you don’t necessarily need a station wagon, you might consider something like a shooting brake as a way to set your car apart. With the return of the marque to its roots as a stylish car with astounding performance, Bentley owners in places such as London, Greenwich, and Los Angeles have been faced with the hitherto bizarre occurrence of seeing cars identical to their own with unsettling regularity. All told, a VGD conversion can add approximately $170,000 to the Arnage’s $220,000 tariff. At nearly $400,000—and unavailable for instant delivery from a Bentley dealer—it is unlikely you will roll up next to its twin at a traffic signal. And in certain neighborhoods, there are very few cars you can say that about.
Von Genaddi Design, 920.905.0499, www.vgdauto.com
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