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Life in Los Angeles
天使之城的生活
Vans of the rich and gridlocked
堵在路上的富豪座駕
Vehicles that make waiting in traffic a pleasure
個(gè)性化座駕讓堵在路上成為一種享受
“I HATE driving in Los Angeles—the traffic makes you want to shoot yourself,” says Dr Dre, a rapper. So he buys wheels from Becker Automotive Design, a Californian firm that customises rides for the rich and gridlocked. His latest purchase is a stretched Cadillac Escalade with a flat-screen television and a digital system that allows him to browse his home film library in the car. “I like to close the curtains, relax and watch Martin Scorsese films,” says Dr Dre.
“我討厭在洛杉磯開車，交通堵塞簡直能把人逼死”說唱歌手德利說道。因此他從貝克汽車設(shè)計(jì)公司購買汽車。這家位于加利福尼亞的公司專門為堵在路上的富豪提供個(gè)性化的座駕。德利最近新入一輛加長凱迪拉克凱雷德，新車配有液晶顯示超薄電視機(jī)，另安裝了一個(gè)能讓他在車?yán)镉^看他家所有電影的數(shù)字系統(tǒng)。德利稱“我喜歡拉上窗簾，觀看馬丁·斯科塞斯的電影放松”。
Todd Doney, a property broker, used to spend three or four hours a day stuck behind the wheel of his Bentley. Now he spends that time talking to clients on the telephone, returning e-mails, and going over documents. His chauffeur-driven car is, in effect, a tricked-out mobile office. “I feel like I'm beating the system because I can work while everyone else is stuck in traffic,” he says.
托德·多尼是一個(gè)房產(chǎn)經(jīng)紀(jì)人，過去經(jīng)常幾乎每天有3-4小時(shí)是困在他的賓利轎車中。現(xiàn)在，他利用那部分時(shí)間與客戶進(jìn)行電話洽談。回復(fù)郵件或查看文件。實(shí)際上，他那帶司機(jī)的轎車已經(jīng)成為特別裝潢的移動(dòng)辦公室。他說，“我覺得我就想是賺了制度空子的人，因?yàn)楫?dāng)其他人被交通擁堵所困的時(shí)候我卻在工作”。
For three years in a row, congestion in Los Angeles has been the worst in America. That is good news for Howard Becker, the founder of Becker Automotive. He began his business in the 1970s, installing sound systems for the Beverly Hills glitterati. Today, he customises cars and vans for clients such as Mark Wahlberg, an actor, and King Abdullah of Jordan.
連續(xù)3年，洛杉磯的擁堵狀況已經(jīng)成為全美最嚴(yán)重的。然而，這對(duì)貝克汽車公司的創(chuàng)始人霍華德·貝克來說這是一個(gè)好消息。他的事業(yè)初創(chuàng)于20世紀(jì)70年代，當(dāng)時(shí)他的公司為比佛利山莊的上層人士安裝音響系統(tǒng)。如今，他為像演員馬克·沃爾伯格和約旦國王阿布杜拉這樣的顧客改造轎車和箱式貨車。
The vans take up to seven months to complete and come with such features as touch-screen computers, wireless Internet, cable TV, seats for half a dozen people, bathrooms—and, in one case, an exercise bicycle welded to the floor so the owner could work out.
改裝箱式貨車總共需要7個(gè)月，改造后的汽車會(huì)裝有觸屏電腦、無線網(wǎng)絡(luò)、有線電視、六座座椅、洗手間。有些人也會(huì)要求焊接一輛健身自行車，這樣便于車主健身。
Becker cars are not cheap: they range from 150,000 for a basic rolling palace to more than 500,000 for an armoured one. (These are apparently popular in the Middle East and Africa, where security is a priority, as well as with nervous celebrities.) On the inside, Mr Becker's cars can be as opulent as you like, but most customers prefer the outside to be understated. If you are a star stuck in traffic, it is unwise to advertise the fact. Who wants to be mobbed by fans on the freeway?
貝克的改裝車并不便宜：它們的價(jià)格在15-50萬美元間波動(dòng)，15萬是基本款型的移動(dòng)辦公室，而50萬的則是配有裝甲安全系統(tǒng)的移動(dòng)辦公室。（顯然后者在中東和非洲極受歡迎，在那里，安全第一。當(dāng)然也不乏那些神經(jīng)敏感的名人會(huì)選擇這種座駕。）貝克車內(nèi)的裝潢，可以極盡顧客的奢華要求，但是大多數(shù)的顧客更喜歡車子外觀低調(diào)。倘若你是一名身陷交通擁堵的明星，相信你不會(huì)愚蠢地自我暴露，讓自己在高速公路被粉絲包圍。
Two decades ago in “Let me ride”, Dr Dre boasted that his car had “16 switches” and “sounds for the bitches”, adding that he was “clockin' all the riches”. Today, nearly 50 years old and worth 800m, he no longer feels the need to show off. “When I was younger, I wanted Ferraris and Bentleys and Rolls Royces,” he says. “But now, I'm beyond that. I just want to sit in the back of the car and relax.”
在20年前的汽車廣告“搭我的車”里，說唱演員德利自詡他的車有16個(gè)交換器，有愛玩的女生喜歡的音樂，吹牛他已經(jīng)躋身富豪圈。今天，已年近50，身價(jià)8億美元的他再也沒有必要炫耀了。他說“我年輕的時(shí)候想要法拉利、賓利和勞斯萊斯，但是現(xiàn)在，我已經(jīng)超越了，我只想坐在車后休息。”譯者：占文英
譯文屬譯生譯世
