The 2.5 cc Super Tigre G.20 competition glow-plug motor first appeared in 1950 as one of the first products of the then newly-established Micromeccanica Saturno company of Bologna, Italy. This company was established in 1949 by designer Jaures Garofali following his withdrawal from the OSAM partnership which had manufactured the earlier Super Tigre engines.
The G.20's name reflects the fact that it was Garofali's 20th design to reach production. It was to go on to enjoy a long production life, passing through a number of design iterations along the way. It became one of the most widely used 2.5 cc competition engines of them all worldwide, establishing many records and winning numerous contests.
One of the more notable variants of this engine was the illustrated 1956 Super Tigre G.20 S (for "Speed") model with which the Italian team contested the 1956 World Control Line Speed Championships, albeit with limited success against formidable opposition from elsewhere. This proved to be the ultimate development of the original design from 1950 before more sweeeping design changes began to appear in 1957 with the significantly revised Super Tigre G.20 V model.
The full history of the classic Super Tigre range up to the early 1960's has been presented on this website in a separate article. A full analysis and test of the 1956 Super Tigre G.20 S model is also available here.
