最炫酷出租車將退役 裝備激光鍵盤

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.
喬·巴恩的“終極的士”可能是麻瓜世界裏最接近哈利波特魔法大學裏騎士巴士的一點了。巴恩將一輛老舊的出租車完全改裝，變成了人生的經歷——在一次旅程中充分體驗光影的美妙。

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.”
喬1983年開始改裝這輛出租車，自那時起又經歷了幾次改裝。現在，車裏裝備有混合激光、合成器和連了網的電腦。“這趟旅程是一次45分鐘的音樂魔幻之旅，”巴恩在他的網頁上如是說，“這次終極的士之旅是一場搖滾音樂會，遊樂園之旅，魔法秀、電影奇妙之旅和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.
這些年來，終極的士接待過許多客戶，其中不乏諸如喬治·盧卡斯、林格·斯塔、克林特·伊斯特伍德、傑瑞·宋飛、凱文·科斯特納以及邁克爾·道格拉斯這類名人。數以千計的人體驗過這全世界獨一無二的終極的士服務。

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.
巴恩是這樣形容他的靈感來源的：“如果你的成長道路是激光天象儀、披頭士樂隊和《星際迷航》陪伴着的，那麼你就會想要建造一艘搖滾火箭飛船。”而這正是他這麼多年一點一滴在做的事。首先，他買了一輛1978年已經跑了75000英里的老出租車，然後在車裏安裝了電子鍵盤，這樣開車時就放在座位下面，空閒時間就可以彈。到了最後，他乾脆不藏着電子鍵盤了，而是直接彈給客人聽。漸漸地，他在車裏加了越來越多的設備，最後使它變成了“終極的士”。

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.”
很快這輛不走尋常路的的士就聲名遠揚了，巴恩也逐漸獲得了媒體的關注。他的故事在旅遊衛視、MTV、以及美食聯播網上，甚至德國和澳大利亞的電視節目中都有播出。不久後，巴恩就在阿斯彭小有名氣了。“對我來說，這輛的士是思維的延伸，”他解釋說，“它讓我成爲一個工程師、一個創造者和一個夢想家。我可以自由探索光與聲的世界，也能從中得到幸福。”

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，這輛老出租車已經到達了年限。“30年已經是它的極限了，再開就不安全了。”安全問題始終是巴恩最先考慮的事情。