It is true that the Midas touch usually ends up appearing more like a beating from the 'rod of distaste.' Not always though, and thankfully this splendid Bugatti isn't actually suffering from Gold sheet metal, but rather a decadent paint job. With a slathering of two-tone gold paint, this owner of this charming speed demon pampers it like a new born - an almost 2 million dollar new born. Kept in a special climate controlled garage in Kuwait, this gold Veyron is a pride of the desert.

With needs like an occasional $10,000 detail job, this isn't the type of super car you just ignore until you get the itch to drive fast. Instead, the proud owner will likely be spending much of his time with a delicate cloth buffing the Veyron's flanks while whispering to it in soft German. The occasional drive through the boulevards of Kuwait with the luxurious gold paint job may not necessarily be to show off, but rather as camouflage to blend in with the sand while pushing the Bugatti's massive 1001 horsepower 16 cylinder engine to its over 200mph limit.

Gallery at Zero Customs.

Via Motor Authority.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Investment Dar, the Kuwaiti investment group that owns a controlling interest in Aston Martin, is in talks to sell a stake in the company that could pave the way for new ownership, the Financial Times reports. Investment Dar paid Ford over $900 million for its majority stake in Aston Martin back in 2007, but the economic downturn has forced it to reconsider the position. The group has received several expressions of interest in a stake in the famed marque as a part of the company's plans to restructure its debt, sources tell the newspaper. Aston's sales volume in the UK, which accounts for about a third of the worldwide total, fell 25% in the year through October, forcing the company to cut its workforce by one third. Plans for restructuring are expected to be finalized by March 16. Nonetheless, Aston unveiled some new models at this week's Geneva Motor Show, including the DBS Volante and limited edition V12 Vantage (above).

In Kuwait's plans for Silk City (Madinat Al Hareer), no one will ever be more than three blocks from water or gardens. A vast National Wildlife Refuge is in the works. And medical treatment along with fresh, healthy food will be accessible on foot for 80% of residents. The centerpiece of the hugely ambitious project will be the tallest building in the world, the Mubarak al Kabir Tower, at 200 stories and comprised of seven distinct "vertical neighborhoods." (Fun fact: the tower will reach to 1,001 meters, an imposing physical reference to the Arabian Nights tale.) Add to that the four main quadrants of the city: Finance City, Leisure City (I'm totally moving there), Culture City and Ecologic City, and what is ostensibly an architectural feat becomes an experiment in crafting entire ways of life. With government investment of $132 billion, London-based design firm CivicArts/Eric R. Kuhne are ready to break ground ... and continue its labors until the estimated date of completion for Silk City, 2023.

Investors in the project state that their hopes to renew Kuwait's cultural influence are highly motivational, and the idea is based on the crucial links established over a thousand years ago when Kuwait was a center on the silk trade routes. Now planning to link itself with cities like Damascus and Baghdad, stretching ultimately all the way to China, Kuwait intends to reestablish its connectivity in more than just symbolic measure.

Clearly imitative of nearby architectural playgrounds like Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Silk City and all its outrageous goals does come off feeling a bit more commercial than its underlying motives might imply. They're tossing around terms like the "Arabian Riviera" and plan to incorporate such enclaves as "Film City" and multiple "pleasure facilities." Maybe it's that the intentions aren't just outrageous but highly-regimented. The planners are busy designing 28 different "lifestyle zones" specifically branded by interest (sports, film, media, etc.). While all the bells and whistles sound pretty awesome (in the true sense of the word) the overly manufactured quality of every detail -- especially the neighborhoods, oops "lifestyle zones," which force homogeneity not diversity -- make this huge community appear rather disconnected after all.

I guess we'll have to reevaluate in 2023. But judging from a fairly recent visit to Dubai, a model of speedy construction and ambitious contemporary architecture, I'd be willing to bet Silk City is operational much before then. Those oil prices don't hurt the timeline, either.

On the heels of Versace's newest palazzo project, fellow Italian fashion house Missoni is getting into the hotel act as well. The company, famed for its signature zigzag-striped knitwear (as modeled here by Kate Moss), is partnering with the Rezidor Hotel Group, owners of the Park Inn, Regent and Radisson SAS brands, on the project.

According to Rezidor, the 5-star Hotel Missoni will embody "a strong interest in design, an appreciation of detail, an understanding of food and wine, a belief in authenticity, a cognizance of culture from a contemporary point of view, and a strong and equitable set of social values." The first two branches are planned for Edinburgh in Scotland and Kuwait City, slated for opening in 2009.

Missoni creative director Rosita Missoni will spearhead the project in conjunction with fashionable Milan-based designers Matteo Thun & Partners. Thun has spec'd out a black, white and silver color scheme for the 129-room Edinburgh hotel, which is more business oriented, and "saturated" colors for the Kuwait City branch, which will be more leisure oriented. See the renderings below.

Burger Boat Company in Manitowoc, Wisconsin is set to launch the much-awaited Mirgab V yacht this Saturday. They have invited the public to the 10 a.m. launch and the new owners of Mirgab V the Alshaya family of Kuwait are holding a fireworks display in the evening to celebrate. The 144-foot tri-deck yacht  is the largest motor yacht in Burger's history. The yacht will summer in the Mediterranean on the French Riviera and also can be seen at the Monaco Yacht Show in September. The yacht cost over $20 million and includes 12 staterooms (seven for guests and five for crew), a glass circular elevator and a swim platform that converts to a stairway to the sea.