Another one from Tim Dannels, who never ceases to challenge us!  The tag attached to this engine says that it is a “Romanian Jaguar”.  Despite this, Tim can’t find it in his Romanian files. However, it certainly does look like a Jaguar clone, albeit with a few changes. The cooling jacket has a different profile and lacks the nice dark blue coloration with compression setting numbers and the Jaguar name on top. The spinner too lacks the standard coloration. The needle valve looks to me like an O.S. item.

The case certainly matches all the bumps and bulges of the German engine – even the cooling jacket doesn’t stray too far from that of the Jaguar. So the question becomes – could this be an earlier or later Jaguar dating from a period when economics forced the abandonment of the fancy dark blue coloration and printing?  Or did they follow the lead of others by making engines for other people to sell?  Yet again, is this simply a genuine Jaguar to which someone has fitted a replacement home-made cooling jacket and spinner to replace damaged originals?

My mate Maris Dislers has drawn attention to engine #1215 on page 129 of Jim Dunkin's invaluable 2.5 cc book. That engine is called an Aero-Tiger model, but it was made in Germany by the Jaguar manufacturers Rohner & Gross. It's a variant of the Jaguar line with what appears to be the same cylinder jacket profile as the "Romanian Jaguar".

Maris sees the mystery engine as simply another Rohner product for a particular reseller. The supposed Romanian connection might have arisen simply because the mystery engine has a slight resemblance to the fins on the Romanian IOR 2.5 diesel, on which the top fin sticks out a little. Back then, the Romanians had IOR make competition-grade engines for the national team, much as Zeiss did in East Germany at Jena. It's highly unlikely that they would have diverted resources to making stuff like Jaguar clones.  

So this looks as if it's likely simply a Jaguar variant by another name. Any better suggestions?!?  If so, don’t be shy about speaking up!!