In 1930, Continental began development of air-cooled horizontally opposed engines for low-powered aircraft. For example, the Continental A-40 made the classic Piper Cub possible. In 1980, Continental began evaluation of the liquid-cooled concept for future general aviation aircraft, and, in 1984, the engine was chosen for the Voyager aircraft.

The advanced design incorporated a lightweight, liquid-cooled cylinder, permitting combustion chamber improvements and minimizing fuel consumption by reducing cooling drag and wear characteristics, as well as providing longer life and time-between-overhaul. The design also allowed the high altitude capability necessary for the Voyager aircraft.

The exhibited Voyager-200 engine is an exact duplicate of the rear engine installed in the aircraft. The fuel efficiency of this power plant was one of the key elements that made Voyager's nonstop, unrefueled round-the-world flight possible. Except for a 4-minute interval near the end of the flight when the fuel flow was interrupted, the engine ran continuously during Voyager's 9-day flight in late-1986.