Continental Motors Company

The Continental Motors Company was an engine manufacturer based in Muskegon, Michigan. The company manufactured a wide range of engines from small industrial engines to large tank and aircraft engines. Continental's heavy truck engines were used by several fire apparatus manufacturers into the 1960s.

The company still exists as an aircraft engine manufacturer Continental Motors Inc, a subsidiary of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China.

Company History
The Continental Motors Company was begun in 1903 as the Autocar Equipment Company. Founder Ross Judson purchased a hayloft in Chicago, Illinois to serve as his production facility and built a prototype engine which he displayed at the 1903 Chicago Automobile Show. Receiving some orders for his engine he partnered with his brother in law A.W. Tobin and began production. By 1905 they were able to construct a larger factory in Muskegon, Michigan. The company name would also change to Continental Motors and Manufacturing in 1905 after discovering that the Autocar Company had been using a similar name since 1899. By the 1920s Continental had become a major supplier of automobile and truck engines, and would remain so into the 1950s. The company added aircraft and marine engines to its product line in the 1930s. By the 1950s automobile and truck manufacturers were moving away from the use of 3rd party engines prefering to use in house designs. Checker was the only automobile manufacturer still using Continental engines in the early 1960s. Sales of gasoline truck engines were also rapidly shrinking with more manufacturers bringing engine manufacture in house, and the growing popularity of diesel engines. Continental did offer some diesel truck engines, but they were not as popular as those from more established diesel manufacturers like Cummins and Detroit Diesel. The manufacture of truck engines would end by the early 1970s. After WW2 Continental had shifted much of its efforts into aircraft and specialty engines. In 1964 the Ryan Aeronautical Company purchased the company. In 1969 the company was sold again becoming a subsidiary of Teledyne Incorporated. The company operated as Teledyne Continental Motors, primarily as a manufacturer of aircraft engines. In 2010 Teledyne sold Continental to the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, it is now operating under the name Continental Motors Inc.

Fire Service Products
Continental supplied engines to a number of fire apparatus manufacturers and commercial truck manufacturers from the 1920s throught he 1960s. Most of these were large 6 cylinder inline gasoline engines. Coninental did offer a few diesel engines in the 1950s and 60s.

20R 380 cubic inch, inline 6, OHV, gasoline

21R 428 cubic inch, inline 6, OHV, gasoline

22R 501 cubic inch, inline 6, OHV, gasoline

24B 209 cubic inch, inline 6, L-head, gasoline

25B 244 cubic inch, inline 6, L-head, gasoline

29B 288 cubic inch. inline 6, L-head, gasoline

31B 318 cubic inch, inline 6, L-head, gasoline

32B 361 cubic inch, inline 6, L-head, gasoline

33B 381 cubic inch, inline 6, L-head, gasoline

34B 427 cubic inch, inline 6, L-head, gasoline

35B 501 cubic inch, inline 6, L-head, gasoline

38B 205 cubic inch, inline 6, L-head, gasoline

B6290 290 cubic inch, inline 6, L-head, gasoline

B6330 330 cubic inch, inline 6, L-head, gasoline

B6371 371 cubic inch, inline 6, L-head, gasoline

B6405 405 cubic inch inline 6, L-head, gasoline

B6427 427 cubic inch, inline 6, L-head, gasoline

T6427 427 cubic inch, inline 6, OHV, gasoline

TD6427 427 cubic inch, inline 6, OHV, diesel

R6501 501 cubic inch, inline 6, OHV, gasoline

R6572 572 cubic inch, inline 6, OHV, gasoline

RD6572 572 cubic inch, inline 6, OHV, diesel

R6602 602 cubic inch, inline 6, OHV, gasoline

V8603 603 cubic inch, V-8, OHV, gasoline

VD8603 603 cubic inch, V-8, OHV, diesel

R6749 749 cubic inch, inline 6, gasoline

R6820 820 cubic inch, inline 6, gasoline

SD6802 820 cubic inch, inline 6, diesel