The START engines from Czechoslovakia (as Czechia was then) formed a short series which followed on from the earlier Atom and NV diesels which had been developed by Vladislav Hruška during the early post-WW2 years. The engines were so-named because their manufacture took place at the military-controlled national START Plant 06 in Prague.

The first engine manufactured at this facility had been Hruška’s 2.1 cc NV 21 diesel of 1950. After the famous MVVS workshop was established in Brno in 1953, MVVS developed their MVVS 1.5/1954 diesel as a replacement for the aging NV 21. In 1955 a 1.8 cc version of this engine was developed and put into production at the START plant under the designation START 1.8. This engine became quite widely used by Czech modellers. 

In 1957 a further development appeared in the shape of the START Junior 2 diesel of an increased 1.99 cc displacement. This model too was well received, finding many users.

Maris Dislers’ detailed review and test of both the START 1.8 and START Junior 2 models appears elsewhere on this website.