Review: Speed Passion LM-1 LeMans

If you’re new to the hobby, the vehicle on these pages might seem a bit obscure to you. Heck, even if you’re an old-timer like me, it might still have been some time since you last saw one of these. That’s an unfortunate thing as the Pan Car had a long and illustrious life as one of the premier on-road classes way before touring cars ever hit the scene. With the inclusion of the TC’s AWD and how easy they are to drive, these low-slung, foam-rollin’ road rockets soon lost appeal as well as a place in our industry. There have been a few attempts to revive the class, but I think this is one of the best efforts so far…I mean, really, look at this thing. Isn’t it just gorgeous? Now let me tell you a little bit about how it drives…

AT A GLANCE
WHO MAKES IT: Speed Passion
WHO IT’S FOR: Everyone
PART NUMBER: SP001062
HOW MUCH: $199.99
BUILD TYPE: Kit

FEATURE BREAKDOWN
• The LM-1 rides on the all-too-familiar Pan Car platform. A 3mm black fiberglass chassis holds all the major components and connects to a similar rear pod plate via side links and a central pivot ball. The battery brace/chassis stiffener setup utilizes a 6-post traction system that can be tweaked for more or less traction by removing or adding posts. The pod features a nicely milled aluminum motor mount, however the rest of the pod pieces are plastic.

• The suspension system on the LM-1 is pretty typical of Pan Cars but the front does have a few other features that set it apart. Molded upper and lower arms reach out to a highly adjustable pillow-ball steering arm. This arm itself is quite adjustable, allowing changes for ride height, bump steer, camber and the option to run inline or trailing axles. Caster is also adjustable, but done from the inner part of the upper arm. Track width can also be set from 195-200mm. Finally, a short damper tube connects the left and right upper arms to help soften any up travel. As mentioned before, the rear suspension features fixed-length side links that can be set in one of two locations (inner and outer). Side springs attach to knurled thumbscrews for easy adjustment, and the rear axle rides all ball-bearing equipped axle-height adjusters. A threaded shock helps dampen the rear suspension and can be set in either long or short throw.

• The steering is one of my favorite parts of this car. I have used this setup previously on the Speed Passion SP-1 Formula 1 car and absolutely love how smooth, precise and adjustable it is. Unlike other Pan Cars, the LM-1 uses a ball-bearing equipped dual-bellcrank steering system, similar to what you would find on a high-end touring car. It doesn’t incorporate a servo saver, but you can replace the solid servo arm for one if you choose. Steel turnbuckles reach out to each arm.

• Since this is a direct drive car, there’s not much in the way of a serious drivetrain. The LM-1 features an adjustable ball differential; however you do need to remove the rear tire and axle insert to get to it. Additionally, the rear axle spins in a pair of bearing-equipped axle inserts. Speed Passion includes a full set of optional inserts, allowing you to easily adjust the rear ride height of the car (depending on track conditions or rear tire height).

• I can’t go without mentioning the stellar body. This multi-piece Lexan gem must be assembled after painting, but once done it is exceptional. Chromed headlight inserts are tucked in place and can be fitted with lighting if desired. A two-piece rear stabilizer fin attaches to the back of the car and keys into the multi-piece rear wing. Then there’s the paint job. My buddy Brad over at F1 RC Lab took the body to the next level with a gorgeous Gulf paint job. He’s done some amazing things with Formula 1 bodies but this is sheer beauty. To fully complement the paint, I masked off the wheels/tires and painted them black. The final product look awesome, and I’ll be driving this car for sure, but I’ll be in the middle of the track and only at 1/4 throttle. I fear messing this thing up!

PROS
+ The body is immaculate in its representation of a true LeMans Prototype
+ The suspension, both front and rear, are easy to tune and work on
+ The chassis can accept any electronics as well as a full or shorty LiPo pack
+ Pre-mounted foam tires included
+ Motor mounting design allows removal without removing the rear tire
+ Love the dual-bellcrank steering
+ Battery mounting system holds the battery securely in position

CONS
– Battery mounting system also requires quite a bit of work to remove the battery
– Includes 48P gears (would rather see 64P)

ON THE TRACK
For testing, we took the LM-1 to RC Madness in Enfield CT. They have a nice, indoor carpet track that was the perfect setting to give the LeMans car a thorough thrashing. The initial run was made without the use of any tire additives; I wanted to see how well the foam tires performed. The second run was with tire additives. This would, of course, make the car a completely different animal and allow me to see the car’s full potential. Since I knew that going in, I’ll be basing the review on the latter runs; maximum sauce = maximum performance!

STEERING
Before powering away for a test run, I made a few test circles on the track to make sure the left-and-right steering EPAs were equal. Once set on the transmitter, I slowly pulled away and started a few reconnaissance laps to get the feel of the car. The addition of the tire additive made a huge difference on the LM-1; it was still a little darty but had way more traction in the rear…I can deal with this! I made a few adjustments on my 3PL and started to push the car a bit more. The combination of the dual-bellcrank steering and the Futaba digital servo made the steering extremely smooth and not overly aggressive. I’ve never really used a pillow-ball-style suspension on Pan Cars simply because of the weight, but the ease with which I can make adjustments has me re-thinking that.

ACCELERATION/BRAKING
If you’ve driven a Pan Car before, you know that these things are like rocket ships on the rug. They weigh nothing, are direct drive and have foam tires; that equates to some serious acceleration. The wide stance and big foam tires provide some exhilarating performance even with a 17.5T brushless motor; I can’t imagine this thing with a modified motor. If you’re lacking some rear grip (I can’t imagine how), you can move the battery back quite a ways from the stock position. The Speed Passion Reventon S/Competition MMM 17.5T combo is strong and packs a punch from the shorty LiPo. I did have to fiddle with the gearing a bit but never found a precise setup; this is where the 64P gears would be a welcomed addition. Braking in Pan Cars is almost non-existent. Need to turn? Lift the throttle and crank the wheel. You can use the brakes but because of the RWD configuration, you might need to make some adjustments to the brake strength via the transmitter. I turned mine down to approximately 65 percent and that seemed pretty good.

HANDLING
Once the tires were cooked and my driving groove was set,
the LM-1 was a blast to drive. It’s extremely nimble and pulls hard out of the corners. The body taps the ground here and there depending on the massive G-forces you’re pulling in the corners and can cause a momentary loss of grip. Just take note of that and adjust your driving accordingly. Other than that, the LM-1 is a top-notch Pan Car. It sports excellent handling traits into and out of the corners and is a rocket down the straights. I didn’t play too much with tuning simply because I didn’t want to start to over-drive the car and potentially destroy the body, but thankfully I have a spare painted white. I’ll be heading back down to the track to really push the limits of this car.

DURABILITY
There’s not much that can go wrong on a Pan Car mainly because there’s not much to it. As I mentioned a little earlier, the only real problem points that MIGHT come up are the front suspension arm inserts or even possibly, the steering arms. Both are made of plastic and will be the main item stressed in an offset front end hit. The only other thing you’ll be buying a lot of are the foam tires. This car is really fun and, like me, yours will probably see quite a bit of track time.

SPECS & TUNING OPTIONS
DIMENSIONS
LENGTH: 14.6 in. (370mm)
WIDTH: (F) 7.7-7.9 in. (195-200mm), (R) 7.9-8.1 in. (200-205mm)
WHEELBASE: 10.8-11 in. (275-280mm)
WEIGHT: 42.3 oz. (1200g)

BODY, WHEELS AND TIRES
BODY: Clear Lexan LeMans
WHEELS: Plastic multi-spoke
WHEEL ADAPTER TYPE: (F) Bearingsupported, (R) 14mm hex
TIRES: Foam

SUSPENSION
TYPE: (F) Kingpin coil-over, (R) Side-link pod
SHOCK POSITIONS: (F) 1-tower, 1-arm, (R) 1-tower, 1-arm
CAMBER: Fixed
ROLL: Fixed
WHEELBASE: Adjustable
RIDE HEIGHT: (F) Shims, (R) Axle-height inserts
MISC: NA

STEERING
TYPE: Dual bellcrank
TOE: Turnbuckle

CHASSIS
TYPE: Flat
MATERIAL: Fiberglass
THICKNESS: 3mm

DRIVETRAIN
TYPE: 2WD
TRANSMISSION: Direct drive
DIFFERENTIAL: Ball-type
GEAR RATIO: Optional pinion gears
BEARINGS: Metal shielded
CLUTCH TYPE: Conical-washer slipper

WRAP UP
Speed Passion’s LM-1 is not only a great Pan Car, it’s a beautiful replica once you drop the LeMans body on it. I have to think this is one of those cars that could entice a growing sub-segment of our hobby, similar to what Formula 1 has done. The price rings in quite a bit below other Pan Cars (and World GT equivalents), so it is an affordable option for someone wanting to get into this class. Spec class LM-1 racing, anyone? Let’s do it!

Links
F1 RC Lab f1rclab.com, brad@f1rclab.com
Futaba futaba-rc.com, 217-398-8970
Speed Passion speedpassion.net, usa@kinggoldenltd.com
TrakPower trakpowerusa.com, 217-398-8970