X-Nico

5 unusual facts about Continental Motors


Chevrolet Corvair engine

The flat horizontally opposed ("flat engine") air-cooled engine design, previously used by Volkswagen, Panhard, Citroën and Porsche as well as Lycoming and Continental aircraft engines, offered many advantages.

Continental Motors

Continental Motors, Inc., formerly Teledyne Continental Motors, spun off from Continental Motors to produce aircraft engines, still operating

Continental Motors Company, a defunct American automobile engine manufacturer, and briefly a complete automobile manufacturer

Continental Motors, Inc.

Although Continental is most well known for its engines for light aircraft, it was also contracted to produce the air-cooled V-12 AV-1790-5B gasoline engine for the U.S. Army's M47 Patton tank and the diesel AVDS-1790-2A and its derivatives for the M48, M60 Patton and Merkava main battle tanks.

Continental O-520 – six-cylinder, 320-horsepower, 100-octane, 1500-hour design time between overhauls.


Allison Engine Company

In the late 1920s the United States Army funded the development of a series of high-power engines, as part of its hyper engine series, which it intended to produce on Continental Motors' production lines.

Commonwealth Skyranger

The Skyranger was originally produced in 1940 and was furnished with a variety of opposed engines made by Continental Motors and the Franklin Engine Company.


see also

Continental Motors Company

In 1905, Continental Motors was born with the introduction of a four-cylinder, four stroke cycle L-head engine operated by a single camshaft.