I have crewed on a Tiger. A Tiger I, to be exact.
In the early 1970s, the Spanish still had 5 Tiger Is and a pair of King Tigers, and had stripped the Is to keep the Konigstigeren operational. At the time the Israelis had re-engineered some Shermans captured from the Egyptians in the 1956 and 1967 wars with 500HP Cummins Diesel engines, and the Spanish were hopeful that something similar could be worked out for the five parts queens. Or, maybe, all seven.
NAPCO Industries of Minneapolis/Plymoth Minnesota was involved, and was trying to work out something using a Detroit Diesel engine used in light locomotive applications. Several German civilian employees of the US Army Ordnance tank repair shop at Mainz, Germany, who had -ahem- previous experience- with Tiger I/II maintenance were hired on, and a few US Army treadheads with an inclination for that sort of mischief were added to the stewpot, of which I were one, having turned in Army 2404-7 improvement reccomendations on the M48 and M60 tanks, as well as a couple of major rework ideas about the M114 Command/Recon Vehicle.
My understanding is that one tank was actually rengined with a Diesel, but I'm not at all sure with which setup, and I don't know how successful it was. I got out of the Army [first enlisted tour] in May 1970, and never did get to drive a Tiger II. I think they were also having ammunition supply problems, some artillery techs from the Spanish Santa Barbara Arsenal and ammo production facility frequently pestering us and getting in the way. Or possibly, they just wanted main gun ammo compatability with the US 90mm gun M47 tanks they were receiving as US military assistance aid at the time.
But I got to drive a running Tiger I, and have since. Motor starten!
My first flight instructor flew Me-110s during the war.
Way cool! I’d be thrilled just to *see* a Tiger running.