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Aston Martin still aiming for a Lagonda SUV

Aston Martin still aiming for a Lagonda SUV (pictured) Aston Martin has never had the easiest of financial journeys, and that’s no different today than it ever was in the David Brown days. Only last week we reported that Aston Martin made a thumping big loss in 2012, despite its cars having iconic status and generally considered to be the most beautiful cars made. But there is light at the end of the very long tunnel of AML’s financial woes, and that revolves round the recent investment by Investindustrial in Aston Martin and its subsequent tie-in with AMG.

Lincoln MKZ concept

The Lincoln MKZ concept previews not only the 2012 production MKZ model, but also Lincoln's future design direction. Lincoln Design Director, Max Wolff explains: “Our movement as a brand is toward something we call elegant simplicity. It’s something warmer and more restrained, which is moving away from complex designs and traditional luxury.” This is reflected in the Cognac hue of the show car.

One Lap of the Web: Let's visit Amelia Island in a short bus camper

-- Ken Kesey and friends spent most of the countercultural 1960s driving across the country in a 1939 International Harvester school bus painted in psychedelic colors. Portland, Maine architect Will Winkelman might do less drugs (we don't know), but the 1959 Chevrolet Viking short bus he designed might fit Kesey and his Merry Pranksters, especially if you stacked them head-to-toe. For his client, Winkelman designed a Moroccan theme of colorful patterns and textures across the curtains and twin beds, beaded light fixtures and wood paneling everywhere, approaching the project as one might approach boat-building or a particularly run-down Detroit "fixer-upper." The result has plumbing, power, an olive-drab paint scheme that blends into the New England woods, and the overall sense of a guest bedroom that you can escape in whenever you tire of your host's company.