Some automotive designs never get old. Others just never get made at all… The Vandenbrink Shooting Brake is a little bit of both as it remained a dormant project for almost 11 years after it was first presented by the design house back in 2008. Netherlands-based design house Vandenbrink Design created this concept based on the then-current 612 Scaglietti; it effortlessly combined the modern, flowing lines of the 612 with the classical proportions of a two-door shooting brake body style but for various reasons, it never made it into production. Company owner Van den Heuvel was so enamored with the project that he eventually had one car produced in-house.
This sleek two-door Vandenbrink Shooting Brake can now be seen in the showroom of Classic Youngtimers Consultancy in Uden, Netherlands and the design house has just announced that they will be building a limited series of Vandenbrink Shooting Brakes on bespoke order “exclusively for visionary and knowledgeable customers with passion for the underlying automotive quality, aesthetic excellence and historical significance”.
Each vehicle will be designed to purpose with features for specific use like falconry, racing and equine sports. The changes to the 612’s bodywork are definitely eye-catching and blend elegantly into a rear hatch that adds a dash of practicality to the four-door supercar.
Clearly, Vandenbrink is targeting a very small and focused group of car enthusiasts, ones who are more concerned about acquiring a bespoke and highly specialized machine over having the latest in technology and performance. That said, the 612 Scaglietti is still a formidable Grand Tourer even compared to contemporary offerings. Its 533hp 5.7-liter V12 gives it strong performance with 60mph arriving in under four seconds and a top speed of 199mph.
The 612 was also one of the very last Ferraris sold with the option of a manual transmission and if you can source one of the 199 that were so equipped, it would make for a rather special base for the Vandenbrink conversion, especially if equipped with the “falconry” package. Interested parties should get in touch with the design house, presumably with a suitable 612 in tow.
Images courtesy of Vandenbrink Design
