Pacific Shack - Graphic Design for online and print

DTM confirmed for Speedshow

2009-09-12T22:53:00.000-07:00

Mercedes Benz CLK DTM AMG

It is not often that we are presented with the opportunity to make available what can only be termed as a true “collectors edition” Mercedes Benz. This will be an astute investment for a private individual and will definitely be a prized asset to anyone’s stable of collectables.

Only 100 built and one of only 13 Right Hand Drive ones this car is unofficially faster than the SLR McClaren. It is also faster than Enzo Ferrari, the Lamborghini Murcielago and the 599 Ferrari. There are not many street legal road cars in the world that produce 700nm at 2000 rpm.

Take of the limiter and top speed is 320km/hr and 0-100 kmh in 3.7 and 700hp and 1000nm of torque. As this car was built by the DTM racing team it has the precise tolerances to handle this extra boost.

Details:

Silver, December 2005, New Zealand new, 16,500 kms, radar detector, jammers.

Further Info

The most successful car in the German Touring Car Masters (DTM) race series is set to transform its dominance on the track into a spectacular conquest of the roads. The CLK DTM AMG has inherited the genes of the DTM-winning Mercedes and possesses all the ingredients necessary to set the pulses of car and motorsport enthusiasts racing that extra bit faster. This ultra exclusive (100 only) AMG high-performance speedster is modeled both stylistically and technically on the car that romped away with the DTM title in 2003. Bernd Schneider drove the race-trim Mercedes-Benz CLK to the drivers championship.

This history of success was a forceful source of inspiration for Mercedes-AMG in the development of the extraordinary new CLK DTM AMG. With its wide stance and low-slung posture, large cooling air inlets, striking fender flarings, a diffusor-look rear apron and an imposing rear wing, the high-performance AMG gives off a powerful aura even when its standing still. A significant number of body components are made from the ultra-lightweight carbon-fibre-reinforced material CFRP, whilst the rear wing generates downforce at high speeds, further improving directional stability and road adhesion. For example, when the car is travelling at 200 km/h downforce of 36 kilograms is exerted on the rear axle.

The scene under the bonnet of the CLK DTM AMG is no less impressive. Eight cylinders, 5.5-litre displacement, a supercharger with low-temperature charge air cooling and numerous components which have honed their talents on the race-track make this a quite breathtaking creation in both style and substance. Developing output of 582 hp and peak torque of 590 lb-ft at 3500 rpm, the AMG V8 supercharged power unit speaks the language of the super sports car elite. Its torque development is particularly outstanding, with 690 Newton metres of pulling power on tap as low down as 2000 revolutions per minute and the 554 lb-ft mark reached and breached just 500 rpm further around the dial.

And the CLK DTM AMG has a bite to match its bark, powering from 0 to 60 mph in a mere 3.7 seconds and 0 to 124 mph in just 10.9 seconds. The sprint from 60 to 120 km/h is over in 3.8 seconds and maximum speed is electronically limited to 200 mph.

The AMG 5.5-litre V8 supercharged engine in the CLK DTM AMG is hand-crafted with meticulous precision in the AMG engine workshop. The work is carried out by mechanics and at work stations selected specially for the job as is the case with engine assembly in the racing department on the same assembly line as the AMG V12 biturbo unit and the AMG engine for the SLRMcLaren.

The AMG SPEEDSHIFT five-speed automatic transmission takes control of power transmission in the car and can be operated using paddles mounted on the AMG racing steering wheel. The extremely short shift times help ensure undiluted driving pleasure for drivers with dynamic inclinations. A short dab of the gearshift paddles is all it takes to change gear up with the right hand, down with the left. The driver can see the gear currently engaged on a display in the AMG instrument cluster. The CLK DTM AMG can also be driven in fully automatic mode, underlining its impressive practicality.

Flawless responses, impressive sensitivity and unrivalled strength are the principal attributes of the newly developed AMG high-performance composite braking system. This technology, based on axial and radial connections between the grey cast iron discs and aluminium bowls, has the advantage of cutting weight by some 20 percent and increasing heat resistance. All discs are internally ventilated and perforated. The front axle is equipped with 360 x 32-millimetre discs and six-piston fixed callipers, the rear axle fitted with 330 x 26-millimetre discs and four-piston fixed callipers. The standard Brake Assist system has been adjusted according to the characteristics of the new braking system.

Opening the door, the driver is greeted by a functional, predominantly black interior with an array of trim elements in the carbon-fibre-reinforced material CFRP. Refined matt aluminium-look touches lend the interior ambience the dash of exclusivity you would expect from an AMG high-performance car. The CFRP AMG sports bucket seats have leather trim and team up with the four-point safety belts to provide unrivalled lateral support for the driver and passenger. The sports pedals and AMG racing steering wheel offer optimum control over the vehicle, whilst the oval, powerfully formed steering wheel rim is trimmed in high-grip suede. Added to which, the driver can use two buttons integrated into the steering wheel spokes to access information on the trip computer.

My first week on Twitter - what have I learnt?

2009-05-02T19:49:00.000-07:00

I've just completed my first week on Twitter - and what do I think? Well i quite like it. I started off by (like alot of other people) ignoring it. Everyone I speak too tell me:
1. They have heard of it - and don't get it
2. They have clients - who have never heard of it - so what's the point?
3. It's just the next fad - Facebook, Myspace, etc. and why be part of it?

So straight away Twitter is losing 3-0.

But I stop and think.

Rewind 6 weeks ago. I am walking my dog down the park and I bump in to a fellow dog walker. Conversation revolves around business. I run a small graphic design company called Pacific Shack. He has just taken over a local wine shop. He tells me he has now placed 100% of his marketing spend to online - and 0% for print. Well - what a sign of the times.

And then he mentions Twitter. Infact he doesn't mention it - he raves about it.

Back to present day and I read about the impact Twitter is having in the local press. My thoughts are with my friends who have told me why bother - and the local entrepreneur who runs the wine shop.

Well with nothing to loose - I decide to start an account. That was easy - and straight forward.

And then the addiction kicked in. I found how easy it was to find people with similar interest to me. I love the web and I love graphic design and making things work. So very quickly I find myself in bed with my laptop at midnight one night surfing Twitter. I am searching for others and finding them easily. And then I start learning what they know.

I read their posts - and quickly discover Twitter is not just about what you are doing in between lunch and dinner. It's also about sharing information. I start reading what fellow Twitterers have to say and I'm soon looking at their links and finding all sorts of useful stuff which is useful to my job. I am gaining more knowledge which I can use to help my clients.

So I start following them - and they start following me.

Cool! I am getting followers. That must mean something? So I learn about them. What do I find?

Well most of them are people who want to learn what I might post. I did get a few to begin with who were offering me promises of saving heaps of $$$ on my tax - if I lived in the US. Are these Twitter spammers? They soon drop off. Who are my other followers?

They are people like me. They enjoy finding out new ways of online marketing, SEO, coding and the latest cool looking websites. Some loves Macs - others love PCs. Some are from New Zealand - some are overseas.

So at the end of the first week I am now following 100 and I have 95 followers. Cool! This is very neat! Twitter is helping me to build a new network. Fantastic!

Twitter has also:
1. Put me intouch with someone who has invited me to a local business network.
2. Allowed me to get in touch with Judge Jules on Radio 1. I 'Twittered" him - and he gave me a mention during the show.
3. Given me local weather information from a local weather station on the next street where I live and work.
4. Connect my Tweets back to my website and my blog.

So to sum up what do I think of Twitter?

It's brilliant. It's texting on the web.

How To Attract 500 Followers on Twitter in 24 Hrs! (*Tutorial)

2009-04-27T04:07:00.000-07:00

Interesting series which came out the end of 2008 on how to generate more followers on your Twitter account.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tO4ngxBDrw