经济学人280:天使之城的生活 堵在路上的富豪座驾

 　　Life in Los Angeles

　　天使之城的生活
　　Vans of the rich and gridlocked
　　堵在路上的富豪座驾
　　Vehicles that make waiting in traffic a pleasure
　　个性化座驾让堵在路上成为一种享受
　　“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 1 his home film library in the car. “I like to close the curtains, relax and watch Martin Scorsese films,” says Dr Dre.
　　“我讨厌在洛杉矶开车，交通堵塞简直能把人逼死”说唱歌手德利说道。因此他从贝克汽车设计公司购买汽车。这家位于加利福尼亚的公司专门为堵在路上的富豪提供个性化的座驾。德利最近新入一辆加长凯迪拉克凯雷德，新车配有液晶显示超薄电视机，另安装了一个能让他在车里观看他家所有电影的数字系统。德利称“我喜欢拉上窗帘，观看马丁·斯科塞斯的电影放松”。
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　　Todd Doney, a property broker 2, 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·多尼是一个房产经纪人，过去经常几乎每天有3-4小时是困在他的宾利轿车中。现在，他利用那部分时间与客户进行电话洽谈。回复邮件或查看文件。实际上，他那带司机的轿车已经成为特别装潢的移动办公室。他说，“我觉得我就想是赚了制度空子的人，因为当其他人被交通拥堵所困的时候我却在工作”。
　　For three years in a row, congestion 3 in Los Angeles has been the worst in America. That is good news for Howard Becker, the founder 4 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.
　　连续3年，洛杉矶的拥堵状况已经成为全美最严重的。然而，这对贝克汽车公司的创始人霍华德·贝克来说这是一个好消息。他的事业初创于20世纪70年代，当时他的公司为比佛利山庄的上层人士安装音响系统。如今，他为像演员马克·沃尔伯格和约旦国王阿布杜拉这样的顾客改造轿车和箱式货车。
　　The vans take up to seven months to complete and come with such features as touch-screen computers, wireless 5 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.
　　改装箱式货车总共需要7个月，改造后的汽车会装有触屏电脑、无线网络、有线电视、六座座椅、洗手间。有些人也会要求焊接一辆健身自行车，这样便于车主健身。
　　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 6 popular in the Middle East and Africa, where security is a priority, as well as with nervous celebrities 7.) 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?
　　贝克的改装车并不便宜：它们的价格在15-50万美元间波动，15万是基本款型的移动办公室，而50万的则是配有装甲安全系统的移动办公室。（显然后者在中东和非洲极受欢迎，在那里，安全第一。当然也不乏那些神经敏感的名人会选择这种座驾。）贝克车内的装潢，可以极尽顾客的奢华要求，但是大多数的顾客更喜欢车子外观低调。倘若你是一名身陷交通拥堵的明星，相信你不会愚蠢地自我暴露，让自己在高速公路被粉丝包围。
　　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年前的汽车广告“搭我的车”里，说唱演员德利自诩他的车有16个交换器，有爱玩的女生喜欢的音乐，吹牛他已经跻身富豪圈。今天，已年近50，身价8亿美元的他再也没有必要炫耀了。他说“我年轻的时候想要法拉利、宾利和劳斯莱斯，但是现在，我已经超越了，我只想坐在车后休息。”