大殺器V12 Vantage或成阿斯頓馬丁經典形象絕唱

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）和阿斯頓馬丁（Aston Martin）看起來好像是三家不相關的汽車公司，但實際上它們背後站着兩個相同的設計師，他們爲這三個品牌設計的車身外觀已經各自沿襲了20多年。不過我們熟悉的阿斯頓馬丁的外觀風格可能就要 “變臉”了。隨着阿斯頓馬丁公司與其它公司建立新的合作關係，同時宣佈將投產一條新的跑車生產線，它預計也將迎來一系列變化。作爲一款近乎完美的英式肌肉車，2015款的阿斯頓馬丁V12 Vantage S跑車在外觀上是否將成爲20多年來阿斯頓馬丁標誌性風格的謝幕之作？

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，福特汽車公司購入阿斯頓馬丁公司部分股份時，後者正處於瀕臨崩潰的邊緣。當時還是一名初級設計師的嚴凱倫正在一家諮詢公司工作，福特聘請了嚴凱倫所在的公司來拯救這塊搖搖欲墜的招牌。嚴凱倫爲阿斯頓馬丁設計的一款車型，也就是後來憑《007》名噪全球的DB7，果然起到了挽狂瀾於既倒的效果，讓阿斯頓馬丁重新站穩了腳跟。時間快進到2001年，阿斯頓馬丁的設計總監已經變成了知名設計師、未來派混合動力豪車生產商亨裏克o菲斯克（Henrik Fisker）。菲斯科對阿斯頓馬丁的最大貢獻，是將嚴凱倫的設計改進爲一輛V8發動機的Vantange跑車。在二人的合力下，開發出了今天爲我們熟知的標誌性的“阿斯頓”風格。

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款阿斯頓馬丁V12 Vantage S繼承了這個品牌的經典外觀，同時將性能推向了極致。它也是阿斯頓馬丁推出的一臺標準的英式肌肉車。這個車型的價格區間定位在20萬美元左右，預計將與保時捷Turbo S和梅賽德斯奔馳S63 AMG爭雄，不過阿斯頓馬丁在這個細分市場向來遊刃有餘。以18.5萬美元的起價來看，V12 Vantage S的定位可以說是很不錯的。

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.

阿斯頓馬丁選擇旗下體型最小的入門級跑車Vantage作爲原型，減掉33磅的重量，然後安裝了一部高達565馬力的V12引擎，打造出這樣一部令人目炫神搖的“神車”。它是阿斯頓馬丁最快的量產車型（這一點或許只有旗艦車型One-77能勝過它），而且通體上下每一個角落都賺足了回頭率。

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.

我首先得承認，如果有機會的話我一定要駕駛阿斯頓馬丁。嚴凱倫和菲斯科的設計中有些東西讓我覺得特別有吸引力，或許是前格柵周圍的脣線和尾部的曲線太迷人的緣故。但是一旦你點着了引擎蓋下方那臺V12引擎，它的轟鳴聲幾乎讓我膝蓋發軟。這臺V12引擎的轟鳴就像一臺專業賽車，但又帶着一絲英倫範兒的精緻和含蓄。

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.

我的這部測試車在色彩上卻絕不含蓄，它的車漆是一種驚豔奪目的藍色，阿斯頓馬丁公司稱其爲“Flugplatz Blue”。Flugplatz在德語裏是“飛機場”的意思，它也是對阿斯頓馬丁的賽車傳統以及在有“飛翔之地”的紐伯林賽道進行測試的一種致敬。這個顏色的命名很適當，因爲Vantage S跑車足足花了兩年時間在賽道和普通道路上進行測試。2013年，一輛接近量產的車型還參加了全球最有挑戰性的賽事之一——紐伯林24小時拉力賽。

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.

光是啓動這輛跑車就已經是一次感官的體驗。跳進駕駛艙，將玻璃鑰匙（阿斯頓馬丁給它起了個拉風的名字，叫“情緒控制單元”）插進儀表臺中間，引擎便在咆哮中甦醒，瞬間就能吵醒你的鄰居們。這時的Vantage S跟精緻等詞兒絲毫沾不上邊。事實上，有很多次，路上的行人和其他司機紛紛伸長了脖子，想更仔細地看看這輛發出誘人噪音的藍色豪車。V12 Vantage S從靜止加速到每小時60英里只需3.7秒，最高時速可達每小時205英里。它的操控非常精準，但是作爲一臺扭矩據說超過400英尺磅的跑車來說似乎還稍嫌不夠。碳瓷剎車盤在對這臺3600多磅重的機器進行制動時，它的表現可以用遊刃有餘來形容。

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.

這臺跑車最大的軟肋是變速箱。阿斯頓馬丁爲這臺V12引擎搭配了一臺自家生產的基於手動變速器、加入自動換檔機制的七速Sportshift III變速箱。在運動模式下，你可以利用轉向柱兩側的換檔撥片控制檔位。但是在自動模式下，換檔的頓挫感比較強，給人的感覺就像踩放離合器都有點過早。在體驗了幾次換檔的頓挫感後，我放棄了自動模式，開始用運動模式進行駕駛，在減檔之前先鬆油門，避免讓乘客感覺到降檔的震動。另外需要提醒的一點是，這臺前置12缸引擎的份量着實不輕，如果你想體驗它的極限速度，這一點千萬要注意。去年12月，我曾經有機會在棕櫚灘的一個賽道上體驗過。當它的速度升至很高時，車子會有一些頭重腳輕的感覺。這也使這臺車變得特別有意思，但剛接觸性能車的新手來說還是要小心。

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.

這臺跑車的駕駛艙很舒服，雖然與其它18萬美元區間的跑車相比，視覺上可能有些過時。方向盤和座椅採用的是一種叫Alcantara的高級面料，既具備奢華的觸感，又有一項額外的用處——在急轉彎時讓你不會滑向座椅的一邊，也不會失去對方向盤的掌控。儀表盤中間的按鈕可以控制變速箱，到底是選擇運動模式，還是自動模式，就看你有多愛冒險了。車內的音響和導航系統或許可以來一點技術升級，但總體上看，V12 Vantage S的內飾依然相當簡潔、實用。

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.”

不過，這一切可能很快就會發生變化。阿斯頓馬丁最近與戴姆勒和梅塞德斯奔馳公司（Daimler and Mercedes-Benz AMG）達成了一項合作，後者將向阿斯頓馬丁提供發動機和部分電子元件。這也就意味着那臺換檔邏輯不太善解人意的變速箱可能很快就會迎來升級。另外，阿斯頓馬丁公司還宣佈將向它位於蓋登的生產總部投入首批1億英鎊（約合1.7億美元）的資金，後續還會有更多投資跟進。阿斯頓馬丁的財務總監漢諾o柯爾納上個月在一次新聞發佈會上透露：“阿斯頓馬丁將會進行101年的品牌史上最大的投資項目，我們計劃向公司下一代的高性能跑車項目注入超過5億英鎊（約合8.5億美元）的資金。”這些都是爲了讓阿斯頓馬丁成爲“英國豪車第一品牌”。

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.

這也意味着嚴凱倫和菲斯科的經典設計可能即將成爲歷史，而V12 Vanquish S跑車也將成爲阿斯頓馬丁在當前平臺上的最後一款車型。

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.

但是暫時來說，V12 Vantage S不僅是阿斯頓馬丁生產的最快的量產車（或許只有One-77能出其右），也是你值得擁有的最獨特、最華貴的跑車之一。