My first F103 Chassis
I always had a passion for Tamiya’s F103 Chassis, either as a Group C Car or as a Formula 1 Car. There are plenty of old pictures dozing on my hard drive from various F103 buildings throughout the years.
I actually bought my first F103 Chassis second hand for a very reasonable price. It was in January 2003 during my studies in automotive engineering in Zwickau. After the new year had begun I took a side trip to the local hobby shop where this beautiful model was on display. The car was in an excellent condition and affordable as well. Since I was still studying and hadn’t got much money to splurge how could I resist this brilliant opportunity?
What fascinates me ever since about Pancars is their simplicity. A lightweight car with direct drive means that it can be driven fast with reduced motor power and battery capacity but increased runtime.
Back in the days I owned two 1700mAh NiCd Battery packs and two 3000mAh NiMh as well as a very slow charger. So we charged our batteries at home, then put them together with the car, the radio and some tools in our rucksacks and went for a bike trip to the Racetrack in Zwickau. The F103 meant that you could have fun racing a whole afternoon long with minimalistic equipment.
A picture of the Racetrack in Zwickau in 2003.
First F103 configuration in 2003:
- Tamiya Audi R8 Bodyshell
- Tamiya F103 Type A rubber tires
- F103 foam tires from Conrad (unknown manufacturer)
- glass fibre chassis
- lubed friction damper
- old-style front-axle
- Carson Max Speed ESC (no limit)
- GM Racing GP 17 17x2 turn brushed motor
- Sanyo 1700mAh NiCd
- Sanyo 3000mAh NiMh
This picture shows the F103 standing beside two HPI Super EP.