????想必大家最近都聽說了這個重大新聞：沃爾沃汽車公司（Volvo）重金聘請了名聲大噪的華裔NBA球星林書豪，替自己在中國的高端汽車市場上代言。

????然而沒過幾天，林書豪就遭遇了膝傷，整個賽季宣告報(bào)銷，他效力的紐約尼克斯隊(duì)（Knicks）也在季后賽第一輪就慘遭淘汰。

????這是巧合嗎？我不這樣想。自從2010年沃爾沃被中國的吉利汽車（Geely）收購后，沃爾沃就一直禍?zhǔn)逻B連，最近的一次悲劇就是林書豪的膝傷。時間再推遠(yuǎn)一點(diǎn)，自從20年前沃爾沃最出名也是最長壽的車型停產(chǎn)之后，沃爾沃的厄運(yùn)就沒有停止過。

????我把它稱為“沃爾沃240的魔咒”。這款樸實(shí)的小汽車取得了巨大的成功，但是沃爾沃卻花了很多年的時間來遺忘它。

????這款問世于1973年的旅行車采用了Peterbilt轎車的前格柵，五月花（Mayflower）MPV的后廂造型，因此具有相當(dāng)大的載物空間。此外它還搭載了很多創(chuàng)新性的安全配置，其中尤以車身頭部和尾部大面積的吸能潰縮區(qū)為代表。

????沃爾沃240一共有好幾款衍生車型，其中旅行版的銷量達(dá)到了總銷量的三分之一。它的時尚和功能性使它受到了巨大歡迎。量產(chǎn)期間，消費(fèi)者共購走了280多萬臺沃爾沃240及相關(guān)車型。

????人們當(dāng)時對這款車型產(chǎn)生了強(qiáng)烈的感情，直到今天依然如此。

????如果你聽說有誰的沃爾沃一直開了將近20年，那么這很可能是一臺沃爾沃240。沃爾沃240的車主們幾乎永遠(yuǎn)都不換車，他們的行駛公里數(shù)累積到了驚人的水平。而且車主們還會四處宣揚(yáng)這款車的好處，忽視它的一些顯而易見的缺點(diǎn)——比如略顯不給力的四缸發(fā)動機(jī)。

????開一輛沃爾沃240已經(jīng)成了一個反傳統(tǒng)的象征，一個隱性消費(fèi)的顯性標(biāo)志。網(wǎng)上充斥著車主對這款老車的贊美之辭，比如以下摘自專業(yè)汽車網(wǎng)站Edmunds.com的評論：

????“我的1993款沃爾沃240旅行車已經(jīng)行駛了33萬英里，它是一輛好車。我沒有換新車的計(jì)劃。”

????“我有一輛1982款的沃爾沃245DL旅行車，已經(jīng)開了298,968英里。只要一啟動起來，它就跑得很好。”

????“在我居住的紐約曼哈頓，地鐵是一種很受歡迎的交通手段。大概在13年前，我買了一輛1993年的沃爾沃240轎車。我很少使用我的車，但我也不愿意放棄它。它真是一個杰作，我喜歡它方方正正的線條和美感。我絕對不會把這輛車賣掉。它是我家一個很受歡迎的成員。”

????It became huge news recently when Volvo Cars signed an endorsement deal with Knicks basketball sensation Jeremy Lin to cash in on the booming market for upscale cars in China.

????Days later, Lin suffered a season-ending knee injury, and the Knicks were blown out of the playoffs in the first round.

????Coincidence? I don't think so. Lin's accident is just one of several mishaps suffered by Volvo since it was bought by China's Geely in 2010 -- and a continuation of the disappointments it has endured since its most popular and long-lived model went out of production 20 years ago.

????I call it the Curse of the Volvo 240. The simple, homely car was an enormous success, but Volvo has spent years trying to forget it.

????Introduced in 1973, the 240 was the ur-Volvo, with the front grille of a Peterbilt and the rear compartment of a Mayflower van that ingested enormous amounts of cargo. Huge front and rear crumple zones headed its list of innovative safety features.

????The 240 came in several model variations, but station wagons accounted for a third of its sales. Its funky functionality made it amazingly popular. More than 2.8 million 240s and related models were sold during its production run.

????People developed attachments to the 240 back in the day -- and they still do today.

????When you hear that Volvos last nearly 20 years, the reference is probably to the 240. Owners keep them forever and roll up astounding amounts of miles, extolling their homely virtues and ignoring their obvious drawbacks, like a pokey four-cylinder engine.

????Driving a 240 has become an anti-status symbol, a conspicuous sign of inconspicuous consumption. Web sites overflow with testimonials from ecstatic owners, as this sample from Edmunds.com indicates:

????"My 1993 240 Wagon has 330,000 miles on it and has been a great car. No plans of replacement with a newer one."

????"[I] have a 1982 Volvo 245DL wagon with 298,968 miles on it. The car runs great when I can get it started."

????"I live in NYC (Manhattan) where the subway is a favorite mode of transportation. About 13 yrs ago, I bought a 1993 Volvo 240 sedan. I hardly ever use my car BUT I hate to give it up. It's a work of art. I love the boxy lines and aesthetics. I'll never sell this car. It's a welcome addition to my family. "