Shooting Brake

[wyrfoa]

Where does the term Shooting Brake for country vehicles / cars originate?

[Grunty]

A brake was originally a horse-drawn vehicle.  I do not know the origin of the word.  A shooting brake was used to transport shooting parties around an estate.  Cars began to be developed for the same purpose and were also called shooting brakes.  I thought the term had long been replaced by estate car.

[jno]

My OED thinks it might come from an old word for a cage, 'brake' (not related to the brakes that stop a car), but isn't sure. If the OED isn't sure, I suppose nobody is.