Continental Motors was the world’s largest manufacturer of automotive engines during the 1920’s. Its earliest venture in aircraft engines was the radial type, but Continental only became successful in aviation with the horizontally opposed type. The combination of the A-65 engine and Piper J-3 Cub airframe promoted great growth of sport aviation by providing a dependable, inexpensive airplane with adequate performance and sufficient quantity to support good service facilities at almost any airport.

The U.S. Army adopted this engine during World War II, under the designation O-170, as the standard engine for use in all light liaison aircraft. After the war, the A-65 powered such well known airplanes as the Piper PA-11 Cub Special, the Taylorcraft Model 47, and the Luscombe Model 8A Silvaire. The A-65 also powered a large number of home-built airplanes, with more than 10,000 A-65 engines built from 1938 to 1966. This artifact powered a Stinson L-13.