‘Shooting brakes’ have a real mystique about them. While the first automotive examples can be traced back to the early 1900s, the coach-building concept of incorporating a cargo area into the back of an existing coupe design was really made popular during the 1960s and ’70s.

While interest in shooting brakes has come and gone since then, they have never gone away. While attending the 2024 Nürburgring Classic a few weeks ago, I came across a stunning example.

I was about to leave the Nürburgring GP circuit when the strange-looking Porsche 944 caught my eye. My interest was instantly piqued, and after taking a good look at the ‘DP Cargo’, I met with Patrick Zimmermann, the head of DP Motorsport, and his father, Ekkehard Zimmermann, who founded the company in 1973. Patrick was more than happy to talk me over the special machine.

DP Motorsport is perhaps most well known for the bodywork it designed and built for Kremer Porsche race cars back in the day, but there is much more to the company than just that impressive accolade. DP has put its name to numerous race-inspired roads cars too, like this one-of-one 964 Turbo.

The DP Motorsport Cargo’s story began in the late 1980s when Ekkehard decided to fit the rear roof piece of a Volkswagen Passat onto the back of a Porsche 944 to effectively create a custom shooting brake. The car was used for a week to see how practical it was in the real world, and off the back of that short test, the consensus was that “it had to be built,” says Patrick.

Proper development began shortly after, and eight DP Cargos – two 924s and six 944s – were eventually built and sold to customers. This particular car, number nine, came later in 1991 and has remained with DP Motorsport ever since.

In production form, the DP Cargo conversion required the rear half of the roof and hatch section to be removed and a fibreglass rear panel with custom windows fitted in their place. Original Porsche tail lights were used but split into two parts to allow for a wider and lower opening into the redesigned trunk space. The rear hatch mechanisms were taken from Mercedes-Benz 124 Wagons

While the cabin features custom touches, it has a real ‘factory’ feel. Ekkehard chose the red interior scheme for this car to match the red exterior, which would have been right in fashion at the time. Red on red looks pretty crazy by modern standards, but I love it.

Exterior-wise, from the front end to halfway down the car, the DP Cargo looks like an original 944 with some subtle touches. The side mirrors are DP Motorsport items, while the door handles were taken from the Porsche 968, which was brand new when this car was built. Further upgrades were made later in its life, including the 18-inch Fuchs wheels and cross-drilled brakes from a 993 Turbo.

Talking to Patrick, I learned that a tenth DP 944 Cargo will soon be built to revive the model. This can happen because all the tooling required to build the DP Cargo – including the original fibreglass mould for the rear section – still exists. Patrick also mentioned that the possibility of a DP Motorsport 944 Cargo continuation model is currently being considered, so even more of these shooting brake 944s could be on the road before long.

Steve Edward
Instagram: stevedwrd

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