Ford, Jaguar and Aston Martin are seemingly unrelated car companies, but they’re unified by a pair of designers whose iconic look has carried through each brand over the last 20 years. That look could soon be coming to an end for Aston Martin. New business deals and a recent announcement of investment in a new sports car line, promise change for the company. Could the 2015 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S, the nearly perfect British muscle car, be one of the last of the iconic Aston shape?
福特（Ford）、捷豹（Jaguar）和阿斯顿马丁（Aston Martin）看起来好像是三家不相关的汽车公司，但实际上它们背后站着两个相同的设计师，他们为这三个品牌设计的车身外观已经各自沿袭了20多年。不过我们熟悉的阿斯顿马丁的外观风格可能就要 “变脸”了。随着阿斯顿马丁公司与其它公司建立新的合作关系，同时宣布将投产一条新的跑车生产线，它预计也将迎来一系列变化。作为一款近乎完美的英式肌肉车，2015款的阿斯顿马丁V12 Vantage S跑车在外观上是否将成为20多年来阿斯顿马丁标志性风格的谢幕之作？
When Ford F -0.66% purchased a stake in Aston Martin in 1987, it was on the precipice of collapse. At that time designer Ian Callum, a former junior designer at the American automaker, was working for a consulting company Ford had hired to revitalize the struggling brand. His resulting design, the DB7, a car made famous by James Bond, helped Aston get back on its feet. Fast forward to 2001, when designer and future hybrid luxury car manufacturer Henrik Fisker became the design director for Aston Martin. Fisker is credited with turning Callum’s design into the V8 Vantage, and together, they developed the characteristic Aston Martin look as we know it today.
1987年，福特汽车公司购入阿斯顿马丁公司部分股份时，后者正处于濒临崩溃的边缘。当时还是一名初级设计师的严凯伦正在一家咨询公司工作，福特聘请了严凯伦所在的公司来拯救这块摇摇欲坠的招牌。严凯伦为阿斯顿马丁设计的一款车型，也就是后来凭《007》名噪全球的DB7，果然起到了挽狂澜于既倒的效果，让阿斯顿马丁重新站稳了脚跟。时间快进到2001年，阿斯顿马丁的设计总监已经变成了知名设计师、未来派混合动力豪车生产商亨里克o菲斯克（Henrik Fisker）。菲斯科对阿斯顿马丁的最大贡献，是将严凯伦的设计改进为一辆V8发动机的Vantange跑车。在二人的合力下，开发出了今天为我们熟知的标志性的“阿斯顿”风格。
The 2015 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S takes that classic look and pushes it to an extreme level of performance. It is Aston Martin’s equivalent of a British muscle car. Designed to appeal to sports car buyers with around $200,000 to spend, the V12 Vantage S is positioned amongst the likes of the Porsche Turbo S and the Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG, and it plays well in this group. With a base price starting around $185,000, the V12 Vantage S is well positioned .
2015款阿斯顿马丁V12 Vantage S继承了这个品牌的经典外观，同时将性能推向了极致。它也是阿斯顿马丁推出的一台标准的英式肌肉车。这个车型的价格区间定位在20万美元左右，预计将与保时捷Turbo S和梅赛德斯奔驰S63 AMG争雄，不过阿斯顿马丁在这个细分市场向来游刃有余。以18.5万美元的起价来看，V12 Vantage S的定位可以说是很不错的。
Aston took its smallest, entry-level sports car, the Vantage, lightened it by 33 pounds, and dropped a 565 horsepower V-12 engine into it to create the mind-bendingly gorgeous V12 Vantage S. It is Aston Martin’s fastest series production model yet, with the exception of the One-77, and every bit the head-turner.
阿斯顿马丁选择旗下体型最小的入门级跑车Vantage作为原型，减掉33磅的重量，然后安装了一部高达565马力的V12引擎，打造出这样一部令人目炫神摇的“神车”。它是阿斯顿马丁最快的量产车型（这一点或许只有旗舰车型One-77能胜过它），而且通体上下每一个角落都赚足了回头率。
Now, I’ll be the first to admit, I would pedal an Aston Martin if I had to. There is just something about the classic design that Callum and Fisker created that I find incredibly appealing. Maybe it’s the lipstick lines around the front grill and the curve of the hip, but when you add the rumble of a V12 engine under the bonnet (no, it’s not a hood in British parlance), it makes me positively weak in the knees. The V12 Vantage S offers the roar of a track car, with a bit of British refinement and reserve.
我首先得承认，如果有机会的话我一定要驾驶阿斯顿马丁。严凯伦和菲斯科的设计中有些东西让我觉得特别有吸引力，或许是前格栅周围的唇线和尾部的曲线太迷人的缘故。但是一旦你点着了引擎盖下方那台V12引擎，它的轰鸣声几乎让我膝盖发软。这台V12引擎的轰鸣就像一台专业赛车，但又带着一丝英伦范儿的精致和含蓄。
My test car, however, was not exactly reserved in the color department. It was a beautifully blinding blue that Aston calls “Flugplatz Blue.” Flugplatz is German for “airfield” and a nod to Aston Martin’s racing heritage and a section of track on the Nurburgring known as “the flying place.” The color is aptly named, as the Vantage S spent two years in testing, both on track and off, and a near-production model competed in one of the most grueling races in the world in 2013; the 24 Hours of Nurburgring.
我的这部测试车在色彩上却绝不含蓄，它的车漆是一种惊艳夺目的蓝色，阿斯顿马丁公司称其为“Flugplatz Blue”。Flugplatz在德语里是“飞机场”的意思，它也是对阿斯顿马丁的赛车传统以及在有“飞翔之地”的纽伯林赛道进行测试的一种致敬。这个颜色的命名很适当，因为Vantage S跑车足足花了两年时间在赛道和普通道路上进行测试。2013年，一辆接近量产的车型还参加了全球最有挑战性的赛事之一——纽伯林24小时拉力赛。
Starting the car is a visceral experience. Hop in the cockpit, press the glass-tipped “Emotion Control Unit” into the center of the dash and the engine roars to life, waking the neighbors. It is anything but subtle. In fact, more than a few times, pedestrians and fellow drivers alike craned their necks to get a better look at the bright blue car making all that glorious noise. The V12 Vantage S boasts 0-60 times of 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 205 mph. Steering is direct, but not as direct as it should be in a car that boasts more than 400 ft lbs of torque. The carbon ceramic brakes are more than sufficient in hauling the 3600+-lb car down to a standstill.
光是启动这辆跑车就已经是一次感官的体验。跳进驾驶舱，将玻璃钥匙（阿斯顿马丁给它起了个拉风的名字，叫“情绪控制单元”）插进仪表台中间，引擎便在咆哮中苏醒，瞬间就能吵醒你的邻居们。这时的Vantage S跟精致等词儿丝毫沾不上边。事实上，有很多次，路上的行人和其他司机纷纷伸长了脖子，想更仔细地看看这辆发出诱人噪音的蓝色豪车。V12 Vantage S从静止加速到每小时60英里只需3.7秒，最高时速可达每小时205英里。它的操控非常精准，但是作为一台扭矩据说超过400英尺磅的跑车来说似乎还稍嫌不够。碳瓷刹车盘在对这台3600多磅重的机器进行制动时，它的表现可以用游刃有余来形容。
The biggest drawback, however, is the transmission. The engine is paired with Aston Martin’s Sportshift III transmission, a single-clutch, seven-speed automated manual. In sport mode, paddles mounted on the steering column allow you to control gearing. In automatic, the shifts are controlled for you and they are rough. The car seems to slip the clutch to get under way and then dump out early just as you get on it. After a few rough shifts, I gave up on automatic and drove the car in sport mode, modulating the gas pedal when I wanted to ease the gear shift and avoid jolting my passenger. One additional word of warning; that engine hanging out front weighs a lot and if you push the car to its limits, as I had a chance to do on a track in Palm Beach in December, the rear end can get a bit light. This makes the car incredibly fun, but drivers new to performance cars should be cautious.
这台跑车最大的软肋是变速箱。阿斯顿马丁为这台V12引擎搭配了一台自家生产的基于手动变速器、加入自动换档机制的七速Sportshift III变速箱。在运动模式下，你可以利用转向柱两侧的换档拨片控制档位。但是在自动模式下，换档的顿挫感比较强，给人的感觉就像踩放离合器都有点过早。在体验了几次换档的顿挫感后，我放弃了自动模式，开始用运动模式进行驾驶，在减档之前先松油门，避免让乘客感觉到降档的震动。另外需要提醒的一点是，这台前置12缸引擎的份量着实不轻，如果你想体验它的极限速度，这一点千万要注意。去年12月，我曾经有机会在棕榈滩的一个赛道上体验过。当它的速度升至很高时，车子会有一些头重脚轻的感觉。这也使这台车变得特别有意思，但刚接触性能车的新手来说还是要小心。
The cockpit is comfortable, albeit a bit dated, in comparison to other sports cars staring at $180K. The steering wheel and seats are Alcantara, making for a luxurious hand and an added level of function—take a corner fast and you won’t slide around in the seats or lose grip of the steering wheel. Buttons on the dash allow you to control both ride and transmission and range from Track to Automatic, depending on how adventurous you’re feeling. The stereo and navigation interface could use a bit of a technology refresh, but overall the interior of the V12 Vantage S is sleek and functional.
这台跑车的驾驶舱很舒服，虽然与其它18万美元区间的跑车相比，视觉上可能有些过时。方向盘和座椅采用的是一种叫Alcantara的高级面料，既具备奢华的触感，又有一项额外的用处——在急转弯时让你不会滑向座椅的一边，也不会失去对方向盘的掌控。仪表盘中间的按钮可以控制变速箱，到底是选择运动模式，还是自动模式，就看你有多爱冒险了。车内的音响和导航系统或许可以来一点技术升级，但总体上看，V12 Vantage S的内饰依然相当简洁、实用。
All this could change very soon, however. Aston Martin recently finalized a partnership with Daimler and Mercedes-Benz AMG, who will provide engines and some electronics to Aston. That means that the slap-happy transmission may soon get an update. Aston Martin also recently announced a ?100 million (about $170 million) investment their Gaydon manufacturing headquarters with more to come. “Aston Martin (will be) implementing the biggest investment programme in the 101-year history of the brand, with a plan to inject over ?500m ($850 million) into the company’s next generation of high performance sports cars,” CFO Hanno Kirner said in a release last month. All this is with the goal of becoming the “number one British luxury sports car brand.”
不过，这一切可能很快就会发生变化。阿斯顿马丁最近与戴姆勒和梅塞德斯奔驰公司（Daimler and Mercedes-Benz AMG）达成了一项合作，后者将向阿斯顿马丁提供发动机和部分电子元件。这也就意味着那台换档逻辑不太善解人意的变速箱可能很快就会迎来升级。另外，阿斯顿马丁公司还宣布将向它位于盖登的生产总部投入首批1亿英镑（约合1.7亿美元）的资金，后续还会有更多投资跟进。阿斯顿马丁的财务总监汉诺o柯尔纳上个月在一次新闻发布会上透露：“阿斯顿马丁将会进行101年的品牌史上最大的投资项目，我们计划向公司下一代的高性能跑车项目注入超过5亿英镑（约合8.5亿美元）的资金。”这些都是为了让阿斯顿马丁成为“英国豪车第一品牌”。
That means that Ian Callum’s and Henrik Fisker’s iconic shape could become part of Aston’s history, and the V-12 Vanquish S could be one of the last of the Astons on the current platform.
这也意味着严凯伦和菲斯科的经典设计可能即将成为历史，而V12 Vanquish S跑车也将成为阿斯顿马丁在当前平台上的最后一款车型。
For the time being, however, the V12 Vantage S remains not only the fastest street legal car that Aston Martin has made (with the exception of the One-77), it is also one of the most distinctively gorgeous sports cars you can own.
但是暂时来说，V12 Vantage S不仅是阿斯顿马丁生产的最快的量产车（或许只有One-77能出其右），也是你值得拥有的最独特、最华贵的跑车之一。