最炫酷出租车将退役 装备激光键盘

Jon Barnes’ ‘Ultimate Taxi’ is probably the closest that the muggle world will ever get to the Knight Bus in Harry Potter’s magical universe. Barnes has managed to completely transform a plain old checkered taxi cab into an experience of a lifetime – it’s a delightful explosion of light and sound rolled into one single ride.

乔·巴恩的“终极的士”可能是麻瓜世界里最接近哈利波特魔法大学里骑士巴士的一点了。巴恩将一辆老旧的出租车完全改装，变成了人生的经历——在一次旅程中充分体验光影的美妙。

Jon started working on the remarkable taxi in 1983, and it’s seen several transformations since then. In it’s present form it incorporates lasers, synthesizers and an internet-connected computer. “The taxi ride is a 45-minute musical, magical adventure,” Barnes explains on his website, “The Ultimate Taxi ride is a rock concert, ‘amusement park’ ride, magic show, movie ride, and 3D laser light show.”

乔1983年开始改装这辆出租车，自那时起又经历了几次改装。现在，车里装备有混合激光、合成器和连了网的电脑。“这趟旅程是一次45分钟的音乐魔幻之旅，”巴恩在他的网页上如是说，“这次终极的士之旅是一场摇滚音乐会，游乐园之旅，魔法秀、电影奇妙之旅和3D激光秀。”

Over the years, the Ultimate Taxi has enjoyed a varied list of clientele, including celebrities like George Lucas, Ringo Starr, Clint Eastwood, Jerry Seinfeld, Kevin Costner and Michael Douglas. Thousands of people have enjoyed the Ultimate Taxi service which isn’t available anywhere else in the world.

这些年来，终极的士接待过许多客户，其中不乏诸如乔治·卢卡斯、林格·斯塔、克林特·伊斯特伍德、杰瑞·宋飞、凯文·科斯特纳以及迈克尔·道格拉斯这类名人。数以千计的人体验过这全世界独一无二的终极的士服务。

Barnes describes his inspiration as “When you grow up with Laserium, the Beatles and ‘Star Trek’, you want to build a rock ‘n’ roll rocket ship”. And that’s pretty much what he ended up doing, one step at a time. First, he bought a 1978 cab with 75,000 miles on it. Then he added a keyboard to the taxi that he would play in his free time and shove under the seat when he had to drive. Eventually, he stopped hiding the keyboard and played it for his customers. And over time, he added more and more equipment until it evolved into the Ultimate Taxi.

巴恩是这样形容他的灵感来源的：“如果你的成长道路是激光天象仪、披头士乐队和《星际迷航》陪伴着的，那么你就会想要建造一艘摇滚火箭飞船。”而这正是他这么多年一点一滴在做的事。首先，他买了一辆1978年已经跑了75000英里的老出租车，然后在车里安装了电子键盘，这样开车时就放在座位下面，空闲时间就可以弹。到了最后，他干脆不藏着电子键盘了，而是直接弹给客人听。渐渐地，他在车里加了越来越多的设备，最后使它变成了“终极的士”。

Soon, word of this highly unusual taxi spread, and Barnes began to gain media attention. His story was featured on a variety of TV stations such as the Travel Channel, MTV, the Food Network, and even TV shows in Germany and Australia. It wasn’t long before Barnes became a mini celebrity in Aspen. “For me, the car is an extension of my mind,” he explained. “The car allows me to be an engineer and an inventor and a dreamer. I’m free to explore the world of lights and sound. And happiness.”

很快这辆不走寻常路的的士就声名远扬了，巴恩也逐渐获得了媒体的关注。他的故事在旅游卫视、MTV、以及美食联播网上，甚至德国和澳大利亚的电视节目中都有播出。不久后，巴恩就在阿斯彭小有名气了。“对我来说，这辆的士是思维的延伸，”他解释说，“它让我成为一个工程师、一个创造者和一个梦想家。我可以自由探索光与声的世界，也能从中得到幸福。”

Unfortunately, the old taxi is reaching the end of its lifespan. “30 years has taken a toll on the Ultimate Taxi, and it’s quickly becoming unsafe to drive,” said Barnes. And safety is his number one priority.

不幸的是，这辆老出租车已经到达了年限。“30年已经是它的极限了，再开就不安全了。”安全问题始终是巴恩最先考虑的事情。