In the 1920s, Continental Motors made engines for other manufacturers' cars and trucks. The company's first production aircraft engine was a radial that flew in 1929.
In 1931, Continental introduced the engine that defined the company, the A40 four-cylinder, horizontally-opposed piston engine.

Continental was acquired by Teledyne in 1969 to form Teledyne Continental Motors. In addition to horizontally-opposed piston engines, TCM also produces small gas turbine engines for RPVs, missiles and small aircraft.