????光是啟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，引擎便在咆哮中蘇醒，瞬間就能吵醒你的鄰居們。這時的Vantage S跟精致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，但是作為一臺扭矩據說超過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，它的表現可以用游刃有余來形容。

????這臺跑車最大的軟肋是變速箱。阿斯頓馬丁為這臺V12引擎搭配了一臺自家生產的基于手動變速器、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后，我放棄了自動模式，開始用運動模式進行駕駛，在減檔之前先松油門，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缸引擎的份量著實不輕，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。

????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。方向盤和座椅采用的是一種叫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。

????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，后者將向阿斯頓馬丁提供發動機和部分電子元件。這也就意味著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布將向它位于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，后續還會有更多投資跟進。阿斯頓馬丁的財務總監漢諾?柯爾納上個月在一次新聞發布會上透露：“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。”這些都是為了讓阿斯頓馬丁成為“英國豪車第一品牌”。

????這也意味著嚴凱倫和菲斯科的經典設計可能即將成為歷史，而V12 Vanquish S跑車也將成為阿斯頓馬丁在當前平臺上的最后一款車型。

????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。（財富中文網）

????譯者：樸成奎

????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.

????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.

????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.

????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.”

????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.

????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.