The announcement of the pending retirement of car designer J Mays has produced a flurry of accounts of his 33-year career at Audi, Volkswagen, and Ford Motor, which produced such notable cars as the New Beetle, Audi TT, and 2005 Mustang.

    At the same time, Mays' career raises anew a question that has long perplexed industry observers: How responsible is the chief designer for any individual model that comes out of his studio? While at Ford, Mays oversaw the work of some 900 designers in multiple studios for, at times, eight different brands. Done properly, that executive job hardly leaves much time for shaping a new fender or choosing a headlight assembly. Even as long ago as 1999, a writer from The New Yorker who visited Mays' office in Dearborn found no sign of the tools that he would use to make sketches. "Mays ... does not do the kind of hands-on work he did earlier in his career," the writer concluded. In Mays' case, the discussion is complicated by the fact that he has been based in London for the last several years -- home to the former headquarters of the late Premier Automotive Group but not any ofFord's (F, Fortune 500) current operations.

    Mays was most associated with a philosophy known as "retro-futurism," which involved adapting historic shapes and cues for modern designs. But as its popularity caused its use to spread to other brands, Mays grew disenchanted. "When I designed the original New Beetle, the Audi TT, nobody was doing it," he told an interviewer. "Today you've got the Mini, the Fiat 500, I could go on for about another 12 cars. It is not a right or wrong. But if everyone's doing it, I'd be going the other way." While retro-futurism brought him prominence in a business filled with big personalities, he tried to leave it behind, never completely successfully.

    Over the years, Mays was associated with some cars that deserve the overused adjective "iconic," and some less so. Some big moments from the career of a star designer:

    汽车设计师杰•梅斯宣布即将退休的消息引发了对他33年传奇职业生涯的无数报道。这33年来，他先后效力曾经于奥迪公司（Audi）、大众公司（Volkswagen）和福特汽车公司（Ford Motor），并分别推出了数款赫赫有名的车型，如新甲壳虫（New Beetle）、奥迪TT（Audi TT）和2005款野马（Mustang）。

    与此同时，梅斯的职业生涯再次引发了一个让汽车业观察家困惑已久的问题：具体到他工作室推出的车型，这位首席设计师到底承担多大责任？在福特效力期间，梅斯要监管多个工作室中多达900位设计师的工作，这些工作室有时候要同时负责八个不同的品牌。就算是管理有方，这个职位也很难让他有多少时间设计一款全新的叶子板或是挑选一套大灯组合。早在1999年，《纽约客》（The New Yorker ）的一位作者造访梅斯位于迪尔伯恩的办公室时就发现，那里没有他能用来画素描的工具。因此这位作者写道：“梅斯……不再亲自操刀他早年还要干的那些手工活了。”就梅斯的这一点来说，由于他近几年一直常驻伦敦，致使进一步探讨变得更加复杂——伦敦是高端汽车集团（Premier Automotive Group，福特公司1999年成立的一个分公司——译注）的前总部所在地，但跟福特公司当前的业务毫无关系。

    梅斯最常用的是所谓“复古未来主义”（retro-futurism）的设计理念，即将史上曾有的车型及其特点用于现代车型的设计。但等到这种设计风靡一时，其他品牌纷纷效仿之后，梅斯就开始不再沉迷此道了。他曾对一位来访者表示：“我设计全新甲壳虫和奥迪TT时还没人能这么设计。但今天你会发现迷你（Mini）、菲亚特500（Fiat 500）身上都有我设计的痕迹，我还能再举出12款这种车来。这说不上是对是错。但如果大家都这么设计，我就得另辟蹊径了。”复古未来主义为他在这个大人物比比皆是的行业里赢得了非凡的地位，他一度努力把这种名望抛在脑后，但从来没有完全成功过。

    多年来，梅斯的大名总是和一些完全配得上“标志性的”这个用滥形容词的车型联系在一起，也跟一些不那么著名的车型相关。下面就来看看这位明星设计师职业生涯中的几款辉煌之作：

1998 Volkswagen New Beetle

    Volkswagen unveiled the Concept One revival of the original hump-backed Beetle at the 1994 North American International Auto Show, and it created such a sensation that was put into production as the New Beetle in 1998. Designed by Mays along with his longtime associate Freeman Thomas at VW's California design studio, the New Beetle is considered the car that inaugurated the retro craze. Perfectly pitched to capture the affection of nostalgic baby boomers, it remained in production until 2011.

1998款大众全新甲壳虫

    大众汽车在1994年北美国际车展上推出了老款隆背车甲壳虫的全新概念版，可谓轰动一时，于是1998年再次投产了这款全新甲壳虫。这款车是梅斯与其长期伙伴弗里曼•托马斯在大众位于加州的设计工作室合作的结晶，正是它被认为开启了复古风潮。它完美的推广赢得了怀旧的婴儿潮一代发自内心的热爱，一直到2011年才停产。

1998 Audi TT

    Working again with Thomas, Mays developed the TT design in 1994 at the Volkswagen Group Design Center in California where he was Audi design director. It was first shown as a concept car at the 1995 Frankfurt Motor Show. When the TT went on sale in 1998, its distinctive curved roof and high beltline helped spark a revival of the Audi brand, and its timeless simplicity is properly considered a classic.

1998款奥迪TT

    1994年，时任奥迪设计总监的梅斯再度与托马斯联手，在大众集团位于加州的设计中心设计了TT。最初它作为概念车在1995年法兰克福车展上亮相。1998年正式上市时，它那独特的拱形车顶和高高的腰线帮奥迪实现了品牌复兴，而它那超越时光的简洁也被视为经典。

2002 Ford Thunderbird

    Mays joined Ford in 1987, in time to oversee the attempt to revive the Thunderbird. The use of retro-futuristic round headlights, egg-crate grille, and a decorative hood scoop seemed more parody than homage, and did little to disguise the compromises and cost-cutting that undermined the dynamics of the car. At the launch, Mays declared, "It's not a caricature of what a classic should be. It is a classic automobile." He protested too much. Instead of the long production run he expected, its novelty appeal was quickly exhausted, and the T'bird had its wings clipped three years later.

2002款福特雷鸟

    梅斯1987年加盟福特，正好赶上负责雷鸟的复兴。这款车采用了复古未来主义的圆形大灯，蛋箱式的进气格栅和一个装饰性的引擎盖进气口。但这些设计更像是拙劣的模仿，而不是对经典的致敬，同时它基本没怎么掩饰各种降低了这款车动力性能的妥协和削减成本的做法。它推出时，梅斯曾宣称：“这不是经典车型应有样子的漫画版，它本身就是经典车型。”他这话说得太过头了。他本指望这款车能长期生产下去，但事与愿违，这车的新奇设计造成的吸引力很快就烟消云散，三年后这辆雷鸟就折翼停产了。

2005 Ford Mustang

    Sales of the original pony car were languishing when Mays, now a Ford group vice president, directed the styling of the 2005 Mustang along the lines of the fastback models from the late 1960s. Some sources attribute the actual look of the exterior to an industrial designer working at Ford named Sid Ramnarace, but the proportions -- long hood, short deck -- came straight from the retro-futuristic playbook. Afterward, Mays liked to joke that he was glad not to be remembered as "the guy who screwed up the Mustang."

2005款福特野马

    现在已是福特集团副总裁的梅斯当年主导2005款野马的设计时，老款野马的销售正日益惨淡。而他的做法是，沿用20世纪60年代末的斜背式车型。有些内部人士认为，这辆车的外观实际上出自当时福特一位名叫锡德•拉姆那雷斯的工业设计师之手，但它的车身比例——长引擎盖、短后备箱——却显然是遵循了复古未来主义的设计法则。后来，梅斯喜欢自嘲说，他很高兴能别被后人看成是“那个搞砸野马的家伙”。

2005 Ford Freestyle

    Crossovers were just catching on when the Freestyle was engineered from a Volvo platform, but Mays missed the market. The ground-hugging Freestyle had too much station wagon in it and too little SUV for most buyers, who wanted a higher seating position and a more rugged exterior. Introduced in 2004, the Freestyle was renamed the Taurus X for the 2008 model year but was discontinued in 2009. In a 2012 interview with Automotive News, Mays acknowledged the missteps. "I don't think the Five Hundred (see next slide) or Freestyle was one of my brighter moments in Ford," he said.

2005款福特Freestyle

    Freestyle基于沃尔沃（Volvo）的平台生产出来时，酷越车才刚开始流行，但梅斯错过了这个市场。对绝大多数购买者来说，作为开路先锋的Freestyle太像一辆旅行车，而SUV的元素太少。他们想要的是更高的驾驶坐姿，更粗犷的外观。2004年，Freestyle首次推出，此后2008款更名为“金牛X”（Taurus X），但2009年就停产了。2012年接受《汽车新闻》（Automotive News）采访时，梅斯承认这是他的一大败笔。他说：“我没认为‘五百’（Five Hundred，金牛车的改称——译注）或Freestyle是我在福特最辉煌的代表作之一。”

2005 Ford Five Hundred

    Mays took an uncharacteristic turn toward the utilitarian in the Five Hundred, whose bloated shape enclosed a cavernous interior and trunk big enough for six golf bags but did little to excite buyer passions. Mays took the heat, telling Automotive Design and Production: "It's just lacking in the emotional appeal. We were being good team players, and we ended up with a car that compromised itself in terms of style. But we will never make that mistake again. Of all the cars I've designed in my career, I regret not pushing harder on that car."

2005款福特五百

    梅斯在五百身上采用了风格迥异的实用主义手法。这辆车隆起的车身下是深陷的内饰和大得能装下六个高尔夫球袋的后备箱，但它却没有什么能激发购买者热情的亮点。梅斯为此勇担责任，他对《汽车设计和生产》（ Automotive Design and Production）杂志表示：“它就是缺乏感染力。因为我们都很注重团队合作，结果就搞出了这么一辆因为妥协而四平八稳的车。不过我们再也不会犯这种错误了。在我这辈子设计过的所有车型中，我很后悔没在这辆车上更坚持自己的主张。”

2009 Ford Flex

    Mays mixed fashion with function with this brave attempt to disguise minivan carrying capacity with a post-modern box. Sales of the Flex began in summer of 2008 as a 2009 model but, with the odd exception of California surfers, it has never found an audience.Car and Driver described the Flex as having "styling that seems to have been inspired by a refrigerator crate," and sales have always languished.

2009款福特Flex

    在这辆车上，梅斯勇敢地试着把一辆拥有载货能力的小型货车改头换面成一个后现代的大盒子，将时尚和实用混搭了起来。2008年夏天，Flex作为2009款开始销售，但除了加州的那些冲浪爱好者外，它一直就没怎么找到过买主。《人车志》杂志（Car and Driver）对Flex的描述是，“它的外形好像是受到了装冰箱的板条箱的启发，”而它的销量就从来没有过什么起色。

2013 Ford Fusion

    All traces of retro-futurism are gone from the hugely successful Fusion, whose streamlined exterior was created by British designer Chris Hamilton. While most of the attention was focused on the grille, which appeared to be lifted from an Aston Martin, it's the proportions -- sleek, swept-back greenhouse, wide stance -- the make the car a standout. "There are so many mediocre cars on the road," Mays told the Detroit Free Press, "so transparent and vanilla looking."

    "My design brief to the team was to do an absolute drop-dead gorgeous head turner." It created the best looking Ford sedan since the 1984 Taurus.

2013款福特Fusion

    Fusion大获成功来说，但它身上复古未来主义的一切痕迹却都消失殆尽了，这辆车流线型的外观出自英国设计师克里斯•汉密尔顿之手。尽管人们大都把注意力放在了似乎是模仿阿斯顿马丁（Aston Martin）的进气格栅上，实际上却是这款车的比例——那时髦的后掠式座舱，宽阔的车身——让它鹤立车群。梅斯对底特律《自由报》（Free Press）说：“路上平庸无奇的车太多了，它们看起来都一览无余、毫无特色。”

    “我交待团队的基本设计理念就是，搞出一辆回头率绝对超高的车。”在这个理念的指导下，这辆自1984年金牛（Taurus）以来最漂亮的福特轿车就横空出世了。（财富中文网）

    译者：清远