E-TYPE重生：TIFF NEEDELL評測THE EAGLE SPYDER GT
E-TYPE REBORN: TIFF NEEDELL REVIEWS THE EAGLE SPYDER GT
E-TYPE重生：TIFF NEEDELL評測THE EAGLE SPYDER GT
Beauty given wings
此車只應天上有
THESE DAYS cars are managed by electronics, which fills me with sadness because the simple sound of a vehicle coming1 alive, tickled by my right foot, without any sudden burst of computer-generated revs, is a delight.
現代的汽車都是由電子系統來控制的，這樣的改變讓我這樣一位懷舊的人充滿了悲傷，因為在過去，汽車全靠人的右腳。動動腳趾就能聽見汽車發動機簡單而富有活力的聲音，而不是靠電腦計算出的轉速和突然迸發的扭矩，簡單有時候是種快樂。
Arguably the greatest engine note was produced by the Jaguar E-types of the 1960s, sadly long gone. But wait; there is a firm that brings E-types back to life. It takes old cars and makes them as good as new. No, better than new.
按理說，最好聽的引擎聲還是20世紀60年代的E-types上的那具3.8直六引擎，可惜早已是香消玉殞。不過，最近有一家公司將這輛傳奇的E-type重造，使這些50年前的老車重現當年的輝煌，甚至變得更加美妙。
Eagle E-Types was set up in 1984 by Henry Pearman to care for and restore E-types for classic-car buffs who wanted to keep their pride and joy running as smoothly as a Swiss watch. But every now and then some owners pondered what it would be like if you could take the E-type and give it modern road manners. Such as brakes that actually stopped the car and suspension that could cope with being driven like a bat out of hell.
Eagle E-Types的來源還要追溯到1984年，當時的Henry Pearman負責照顧經典車愛好者的E-type，那些依舊流暢運轉的E-type在存留的同時也留下了它們當年的榮耀和驕傲。但是時隔多年，現在的車主們都在想：如果換上現代的部件，比如說換上現代的碟式剎車和能夠支撐你飛奔的精密懸掛，E-type又能煥發出怎樣的光彩？
By the mid-1990s Pearman decided to find out. Eagle took an E-type, left the beautiful body untouched and rebuilt everything underneath. The result was an instant hit. Over time, word spread about the East Sussex-based car maker that was working wonders with one of the world』s favourite classic cars. So much so that in 2011 when Jeremy Clarksongot his hands on the Eagle Speedster he declared it 「the most beautiful car」 he had seen.
在20世紀90年代中期Pearman決定拿一輛E-type試一試，他們留下了優美的車身，從引擎到排氣全部重新打造，而這次嘗試的結果就是後來的Eagle Speedster。久而久之，在東薩塞克斯郡人們流傳著有個小廠擁有一台最美麗的經典跑車。所以，在2011年當大猩猩克拉克森在第一次試駕Eagle Speedster的時候，他當時就說，這是他見過的最美麗的汽車，沒有之一。
Now Eagle has come up with a new creation. The Eagle Spyder GT is in effect a Speedster with a folding roof and a proper windscreen, which is important. Because the vehicle Clarkson tested didn』t have those things, so when it rained the owner』s eye-wateringly expensive car quickly became a paddling pool if there was no shelter nearby.
現在Eagle推出了一款新作品：Eagle Spyder GT，其實這輛新車只是在Speedster的基礎上換了一面正常的擋風玻璃（原來Speedster上的擋風玻璃非常低）和摺疊軟頂篷，這些改變是非常重要的。因為原來克拉克森測試Speedster的時候還沒加這些東西，導致一旦下雨（尤其是英國），又找不到合適的遮擋，你的心愛的百萬（英鎊）級跑車就要變成蓄水池了。
And when I say an Eagle is expensive, I mean it. The Spyder GT costs ￡834,000. I』d need a deal with Amazon to hope to afford such a plaything.
我還要提一提Eagle旗下的所有跑車都不便宜，真的。Spyder GT要價834,000英鎊，我可能也需要和亞馬遜簽個合同才能買得起這樣一台大玩具。
Like all Eagle products, the Spyder GT is handmade. It is based on a donor car — even if about the only original thing left is the chassis plate — and each takes 6,000 hours of work to create.
就像所有Eagle的創作，Spyder GT是純手工打造，車輛是通過他人捐贈得到的——儘管原車唯一留下的可能只有底盤骨架——加上6000工時的辛勞來打造這一款上乘佳作。
The attention to detail is astonishing, with each model built to the buyer』s specification. You can have a 3.8, 4.2 or 4.7-litre version of the straight-six engine. The car I tested came with a 330bhp 4.7-litre powerplant with its big valve head, itself a work of art when the bonnet is hinged forwards to reveal the gleaming, polished aluminium cam covers. And what』s this? Not a piece of plastic to be seen. How refreshing.
這輛車對細節的追求讓人驚嘆，每輛車的各個細節都可以由客戶進行定製。你可以選擇3.8,4.2或者4.7升的直列六缸引擎，我測試的這款4.7升直六330升馬力的引擎擁有優美的聲浪，引擎蓋向前鉸接，露出閃閃發亮的鋁製凸輪蓋，當復古的聲浪配上閃閃發光的車輪，路邊的你在看到她的一剎那就會被吸引。
Drop into the leather-clad seat and there』s a perfect driving position behind a classic wood-rimmed steering wheel with a simple round gearknob and, surprisingly, plenty of headroom.
搭好頂棚，坐上皮革包裹的座椅，你會發現坐姿非常完美，手邊則是經典的木質方向盤和簡單的圓木換擋桿，而且，頭部空間出奇地多。
A big rev counter and speedometer dominate the view ahead while a mass of dials and switches fill the centre console. The key goes in the middle of all this, and has a small starter button to its side. Turn the key, push the button. Depress the clutch, feel the gear being engaged via the lever in my hand, lift the revs, ease in the clutch and rumble forwards. It』s often the simple things that bring the most joy.
方向盤前巨大的轉速表和速度表佔據了大半的視野，左邊的中控台擺滿了大量的儀錶和撥桿開關，鑰匙跑到了中控台的中間位置，下方則是復古的啟動鍵。轉動鑰匙，按鍵啟動，踩下離合，感受變速箱被推入一檔，輕點油門，慢松離合，讓車慢慢向前走，正是這些簡單的過程帶給我最好的體驗。
You quickly become aware of how far back you sit in an E-type — almost on top of the rear wheels — as you have to ease the long bonnet a fair way out into the road before you get a clear view of what』s coming. It feels like you』re playing a game of million-pound junction roulette where you hope to pull out without an HGV removing the front of the car.
在Spyder GT中，很快你將意識你在一輛E-type當中——幾乎要坐到後輪的位置——同時你還要在看清前面的路之前適應超長的引擎蓋帶來的距離感。這感覺就像你穿著高跟鞋走路，需要一段時間來適應。
There』s no power assistance for the steering, so it』s heavyish at low speeds, but on a winding road it provides all the right feedback. Bumps that would have an original E-type doing a hop, skip and jump are taken calmly in the car』s stride and although there』s no antilock braking, the brake pedal pressure and its response inspire confidence despite a wet road.
Spyder GT沒有助力轉向，所以在低速模式下方向盤很重手，但是在彎道中她又能提供完美的反饋。遇到顛簸時整輛車依舊還留有E-type的彈跳感，但是她在過濾震動的同時也保留了一定的附著力。儘管沒有ABS，但是剎車踏板反饋良好，能在濕滑道路上給你足夠的自信。
The engine feels like it wants to rev higher but with so much torque there is little need to max it out in every gear — third will do pretty much everywhere, but the bespoke five-speed transmission is such a joy to use I want to keep on changing gear for the sake of it.
Spyder GT的引擎偏好高轉速運轉，但是扭力有些過大導致每檔都有點爆轉速——其實3檔基本都夠用了，但是定做的5速手動變速箱用起來太舒服了，以至於我一直想換擋只為那絲滑流暢的那一刻。
Finally the rain lets up and there』s a chance to put the hood down. Anyone expecting a mix of electronics and hydraulics to lower the roof will be in for a shock. It』s much the same basic manual affair as the standard E-type roadster, with a few subtle improvements, of course.
最後，雨終於下了，也讓我有機會支起頂篷。如果這輛Spyder GT的敞篷是自動開合的話，人們一定會很難接受，所以Eagle參照了老款E-type roadster的設計，隨著一些細微的改進，頂篷就這麼誕生了。
With it lowered, the cabin is filled with the roar of the exhausts. The car will hit comfortably 62mph in less than five seconds and it』s just going into its stride. Its top speed is said to be 170mph-plus. But I bet it would do more.
比E-type更低的車身意味著，在發動機的轟鳴聲中，這輛Spyder GT能在5秒內加速至100km/h，而極速更是能達到270km/h以上，但我相信她能更快一些。
When you back off the throttle from high revs, the engine plays the petrolhead』s equivalent of an orchestra in full flow. It pops and spits its way down the rev range and the temptation to keep doing it over and over again is too much to resist.
當你踩高轉速再鬆開油門的時候，引擎開始如樂器般演奏，它會不斷地回火放炮，引誘你不斷地加速再加速直到你沉迷在迷人的聲浪中無法自拔….
It doesn』t matter so much to me that this is one of the most beautiful cars in the world. Or it』s that bit more practical than the Speedster that captured Clarkson』s heart. It』s the fact it is one of the most beautiful to drive that makes me want to have one.
她是不是這個世界上最美麗的汽車對我來說其實已經不太重要，而她比獲得大猩猩芳心的Speedster更實用也只是錦上添花。最重要的是，Spyder GT是我開過的最美妙也是最想佔有的汽車之一，這就足夠證明一切了。
總評五星
A real beauty ... for a price
真正的美人….價格也很美
PROS
我們喜歡
Incredible craftsmanship
精緻的工藝
Classic design
典雅的設計
Wonderful old-school driving thrills
老式但不老舊的完美駕駛體驗
CONS
Long bonnet makes T-junctions interesting
長車頭使得丁字路口很難走
Heavy, unassisted steering at low speed
低速下沒有助力的沉重轉向
That price tag
昂貴的價格
SPECIFICATIONS 參數表
· VARIANT 名稱: Spyder GT
· PRICE 價格: ￡834,000
· ENGINE 引擎: 4.7-litre, 6 cylinders, petrol
· POWER 馬力: 330bhp @ 4800rpm
· TORQUE 扭矩: 340 Ib ft @ 3600rpm
· TRANSMISSION 變速箱: 5-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
· ACCELERATION 加速: 0-60mph: under 5sec
· TOP SPEED 極速: More than 170mph
· FUEL 油耗: Not available
· CO2 排放: Not available
· DIMENSIONS 三圍: 4,260mm x 1,740mm x 1,200mm
翻譯：GearKnobs字幕組—飄落的芹菜葉子
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