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）看上去样子是三家不相关的汽车公司，但实质上它们背后车站着两个完全相同的设计师，他们为这三个品牌设计的车身外观早已各自沿用了20多年。不过我们熟知的阿斯顿马丁的外观风格有可能就要 “把戏”了。随着阿斯顿马丁公司与其它公司创建新的合作关系，同时宣告将投产一条新的跑车生产线，它预计也将步入一系列变化。

作为一款几近极致的英式肌肉车，2015款的阿斯顿马丁V12 Vantage S跑车在外观上否将沦为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，福特汽车公司售予阿斯顿马丁公司部分股份时，后者正处于深陷瓦解的边缘。当时还是一名初级设计师的贤凯伦正在一家咨询公司工作，福特聘用了贤凯伦所在的公司来解救这块摇摇欲坠的看板。

贤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，果然起着了挽狂澜于既推倒的效果，让阿斯顿马丁新的稳住了脚跟。时间快进到2001年，阿斯顿马丁的设计总监早已变为了著名设计师、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仅次于贡献，是将贤凯伦的设计改良为一辆V8发动机的Vantange跑车。

在二人的合力下，研发出有了今天为我们熟悉的标志性的“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承继了这个品牌的经典外观，同时将性能推上了淋漓尽致。

它也是阿斯顿马丁发售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和梅赛德斯飞驰S63 AMG争雄，不过阿斯顿马丁在这个细分市场一向游刃有余。

以18.5万美元的起价来看，V12 Vantage S的定位可以说道是很不俗的。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.阿斯顿马丁自由选择旗下体型大于的入门级跑车Vantage作为原型，减去33磅的重量，然后加装了一部高达565马力的V12引擎，打造出这样一部令人目炫神鼓的“神车”。它是阿斯顿马丁最慢的量产车型（这一点也许只有旗舰车型One-77能比不上它），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.我首先得否认，如果有机会的话我一定要驾驶员阿斯顿马丁。贤凯伦和菲斯科的设计中有些东西让我实在尤其有吸引力，也许是前格栅周围的唇线和尾部的曲线过于迷人的缘故。但是一旦你点着了引擎盖下方那台V12引擎，它的轰鸣声完全让我膝盖发软。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美和含蓄。

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决不含蓄，它的车漆是一种精彩艳丽的蓝色，阿斯顿马丁公司称之为其为“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”的纽伯林赛道展开测试的一种缅怀。

这个颜色的命名很必要，因为Vantage S跑车整整花上了两年时间在赛道和普通道路上展开测试。2013年，一辆相似量产的车型还参与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早已是一次感官的体验。

跳入驾驶舱，将玻璃钥匙（阿斯顿马丁给它起了个拉风的名字，叫“情绪掌控单元”）夹住仪表台中间，引擎之后在低声中苏醒，瞬间就能吵醒你的邻居们。这时的Vantage S跟精美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争相弯曲了脖子，想要更加细心地想到这辆收到诱人噪音的蓝色豪车。V12 Vantage S从惯性加快到每小时60英里只需3.7秒，最低时速平均每小时205英里。

它的操纵十分精准，但是作为一台扭矩据传多达400英尺磅的跑车来说或许还稍嫌过于。碳瓷刹车盘在对这台3600多重达的机器展开制动器时，它的展现出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.这台跑车仅次于的软肋是变速箱。

阿斯顿马丁为这台V12引擎配上了一台自家生产的基于手动变速器、重新加入自动离合器机制的七速Sportshift III变速箱。在运动模式下，你可以利用改向柱两侧的离合器拨片掌控档位。

但是在自动模式下，离合器的短促感觉较为强劲，给人的感觉就像摔敲离合器都有点过早。在体验了几次离合器的短促感后，我退出了自动模式，开始用运动模式展开驾驶员，在减档之前再行松油门，防止让乘客感觉到降档的震动。

另外必须警告的一点是，这台前改置12缸引擎的份量无非不重，如果你想要体验它的极限速度，这一点千万要留意。去年12月，我曾多次有机会在棕榈滩的一个赛道上体验过。当它的速度升到很高时，车子不会有一些头重脚轻的感觉。

这也使这台车显得尤其有意思，但刚刚认识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难受，虽然与其它18万美元区间的跑车比起，视觉上有可能有些过时。方向盘和座椅使用的是一种叫Alcantara的高级面料，既不具备奢侈的触感，又有一项额外的用处——在急转弯时让你会滑向座椅的一旁，也会丧失对方向盘的掌控。

仪表盘中间的按钮可以掌控变速箱，究竟是自由选择运动模式，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也许可以来一点技术升级，但总体上看，V12 Vantage S的内饰仍然非常简练、简单。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，这一切有可能迅速就不会发生变化。

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）达成协议了一项合作，后者将向阿斯顿马丁获取发动机和部分电子元件。这也就意味著那台离合器逻辑不过于善解人意的变速箱有可能迅速就不会步入升级。

另外，阿斯顿马丁公司还宣告将向它坐落于盖登的生产总部投放首批1亿英镑（约合1.7亿美元）的资金，先前还不会有更加多投资第一时间。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漏：“阿斯顿马丁将不会展开101年的品牌史上仅次于的投资项目，我们计划向公司下一代的高性能跑车项目流经多达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沦为“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.这也意味著贤凯伦和菲斯科的经典设计有可能将要沦为历史，而V12 Vanquish S跑车也将沦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.但是继续来说，V12 Vantage S不仅是阿斯顿马丁生产的最慢的量产车（也许只有One-77能出其右），也是你有一点享有的最独有、最华贵的跑车之一。

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