CARS OF THE WORLD

Rolls-Royce Wraith Shooting Brake.

The mystery of Rolls-Royce station wagon revealed — a small-scale project from the Belgians.

The other day we told you that Rolls-Royce brand, possibly, is preparing Shooting Brake based on Wraith coupe — a camouflaged car with such body was shot on the road.

The truth did not keep waiting long, the manufacturer of «shed» was found, it turned out famous bodybuilding atelier Carat Duchatelet from Belgium.

Of course, it would be cooler if the company Rolls-Royce itself had the courage to release Shooting Brake, and in a crossover version, as predicted by independent Berlin designer Wagen Volk from Berlin, but the product of Carat Duchatelet is also something to surprise — the car turned out very elegant.

The company Carat Duchatelet is well known in Russia since the times of the wild 90’s along with the German Trasco Bremen — both specialize in the manufacture of long armored vehicles based on serial premium and luxury models.

Russian politicians and oligarchs still make up a significant part of the customers of these companies, but Carat is now increasingly oriented toward the aristocracy, that is, people with good manners and impeccable taste cultivated from generation to generation.

The three-door station wagon based on the Rolls-Royce Wraith bears the official name Carat Duchatelet Silver Spectre Shooting Brake, it was made at the request of a very distinguished customer, who allowed seven copies of the car to be made and sold freely.

The price is not mentioned, but it does not matter much to customers of such firms.

Niels van Rooy from the Netherlands was responsible for the design of the project, the same one who had a hand in the three-door Range Rover project after Jaguar Land Rover itself refused to make such a car.

Conversion to the Silver Spectre Shooting Brake gives a power crossmember in the trunk, needed, obviously, for the sake of keeping the rigidity of the body at a sufficient level (there are still no central struts), and compartment design perimeter of the rear seats, but otherwise you get the feeling that the car was a shooting-break from birth — the rear and the boot door are masterfully implemented, and the natural heavyweight profile is compensated by expanded chrome sections of window trim.

Rolls-Royce itself also occasionally does piece projects based on its production models, but there’s no hooting break in its portfolio yet.