The Rawlings range consisted of two basically conventional sideport diesels which were built in very small numbers by the English firm of G. W. Rawlings & Partners of Kenilworth, Warwickshire from mid-1948 to mid-1949. Designated the R18 and R30, they had displacements of 1.81 cc and 3.14 cc respectively. Both models were built to a common design, differing only in their bores. They were manufactured to some of the highest standards ever seen in the British model engine industry - their manufacturers were former precision instrument makers who put that expertise to very good use in the manufacture of their relatively complex diesel designs.

The quality and relative complexity of these engines forced the manufacturers to offer them at relatively high prices by comparison with available alternatives. Moreover, as conventional sideport designs in functional terms, they were somewhat out of date even at the time of their release. These factors combined to limit their marketplace presence to only a year or so. It's estimated that only around 150 examples of each model were produced before the manufacturer moved on to other endeavors.

A detailed review of the Rawlings diesels will appear on this website in due course.