The T.Y.C. 2.5 cc diesel was manufactured in the central Chinese city of Chongqing during the late 1970's. Although it bears a fundamental design resemblance to the Silver Swallow diesels which were in simultaneous production in Shanghai, China, it appears that the T.Y.C. 2.5 cc diesel was actually a completely independent production. Its manufacture appears to have had some connection with the Three Leaves company, which produced a wide range of products, including full-sized aero engines. The actual words represented by the initials "T.Y.C." remain obscure. 

The T.Y.C. 2.5 cc diesel is a handsome and very well-made unit which runs far better than one might expect. If it had been exported in quantity to overseas markets such as the USA, Britain and Australia, it would almost certainly have been well received. However, it appears that the manufacturers never succeeded in establishing a world-wide distribution network. As a result, the engine is encountered relatively rarely today outside of China.

An in-depth article on the T.Y.C. 2.5 cc diesel, including a full test of the engine, may be found elsewhere on this web-site. A certain amount of information on this engine may also be found here on the late Ron Chernich's marvellous "Model Engine News" (MEN) web-site.