MINI-MANIA COMES TO ASIA AS BMW LAUNCH NEW MINI COOPER
BMW新的迷你库博车（MINI COOPER）投放亚洲市场 掀起迷你（MINI）车热潮
[Automobile - Sample Translation - Part 2]:
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
背景信息
The Mini, first launched in 1959, can be said to be the world’s favourite small car. Named “The Greatest Car Of All Time” (Autocar) and “Car of the Century” (Motor Magazine) in 1999, its success and popularity transcended mere transportation.
第一代迷你（Mini）车于1959年投放市场，称得上是世界上最受欢迎的小型车。1999年被Autocar杂志评为“最伟大的小汽车”，Motor Magazine杂志则称之为“世纪之车”。它的成功和受欢迎程度已经远远超出其仅仅作为交通运输工具的含义。
It was the first car to be created in response to an international political crisis – the Suez oil crisis which meant petrol became expensive in the UK at the time. The design challenge was for an affordable, small car – the original Mini was only 10 feet long – that could comfortably accommodate four adults plus luggage.
它是世界上第一辆因为受国际政治影响而制造出来的小汽车 – 苏伊士运河石油危机导致了英国汽油价格昂贵。当时的设计重点是要制造出“用得起”的小型车 – 第一代迷你（Mini）车仅有10英尺长 –四个成年人可以舒服地坐进车里，还可以外带一些行李。
It was also one of the few cars to be cast in a movie – its role in the Michael Caine movie The Italian Job helped launch it to fame. It was the inspiration behind the naming of the famous mini-skirt designed by Mary Quant in the ‘60s. Its popularity stemmed not only from its “everyman” status but also from the large number of celebrities – including the Beatles, Clint Eastwood, Paul Newman – who purchased Minis for their fun driving style.
它也是为数不多的通过电影而美名传扬的小汽车 – 在Michael Caine主演的电影“意大利工作（Italian Job）”中，这款车给观众留下深刻印象，它也因之出名。该车命名的灵感来自于60年代Mary Quant设计的著名的迷你裙。它的流行不仅是因为其大众化的设计趋向，还因为有许多名人也购买了这款车，其中包括：Beatles, Clint Eastwood 和Paul Newman。
That same style was behind the large number of famous Formula 1 motor racing drivers who owned Minis – including Jackie Stewart, Bruce McLaren and Niki Lauda. They might have been fun but the Mini was also a serious racing machine. It built up an impressive set of racing credentials – winning many British and European saloon car championships and the tough Monte Carlo Rally three times.
类似的情况也存在于许多著名的方程式1赛车选手中 – 包括Jackie Stewart, Bruce McLaren 和 Niki Lauda，他们都拥有迷你车（Mini）。这款车不仅很具娱乐风格，同时也是一款真正的竞速跑车。它拥有一系列优秀的竞速成绩 – 它曾赢得许多英国和欧洲的轿车锦标赛冠军和三次艰苦的蒙特卡罗拉力赛（Monte Carlo Rally）冠军。
The original Mini ended production after 41 years in October 2000, after 5.3 million cars were produced. However, the need for the world’s favourite small car to undergo a re-birth because of modern motoring needs was underlined by The Financial Times in September 2000: “The old Mini is uncomfortable to get into, uncomfortable to drive and uncomfortable to get out of. It has weedy throttle, woolly steering and wooden brakes…”
2000年10月，第一代迷你（Mini）车结束了其41年的生产史，此前共出产了5,300,000辆迷你（Mini）车。现代的驾驶需求导致了这种世界上最受欢迎的小型车必须经历一次重生。正如2000年9月的“金融时代（The Financial Times）”所指出的：“老的迷你（Mini）车不容易坐进去，驾驶起来不舒服，也不容易出来。它的节流阀没什么用，驾驶系统粗陋，制动系统生硬….”