When De Vaux-Hall Motors failed, its engine supplier, Continental Motors, took over the car: from February 20, 1932 the Continental De Vaux Company built the De Vaux 6-75 and then the new 6-80 (see DeVaux Serial Numbers), and from 1933 it sold the car under its own name. The Continental Automobile Company, Detroit, built cars at Detroit, Grand Rapids and Muskegon, Michigan: three models for 1933 (the four-cylinder Beacon and the six-cylinder Flyer and Ace) and a single four-cylinder model, the Red Seal, for 1934. All used Continental Red Seal engines, the same family that powered most Durants. In Canada, Dominion Motors built the same cars as the Frontenac.
On this page: Beacon · Flyer · Ace · Red Seal (1934) · Sales literature · Known cars
1933 Continental Beacon (Model 40)
The low-priced four: a Continental Red Seal C400 engine, 25 to 30 miles per gallon, three-point chassis suspension and an exclusive spring design. The Beacon was built in 1933 and 1934, and Dominion Motors sold it in Canada as the Frontenac C-400.
| Body style | 1933 price |
|---|---|
| Roadster | $355 |
| Business Coupe | $380 |
| Two Door Sedan | $395 |
| Four Door Sedan | $415 |
| De Luxe Business Coupe | $425 |
| De Luxe Two Door Sedan | $440 |
| De Luxe Four Door Sedan | $460 |
- Engine: 4-cylinder L-head, 40 horsepower, bore 3-3/8 in., stroke 4 in.
- Wheelbase: 101½ in.
- Brakes: Steeldraulic, four wheel
- Wheels and tires: five wire wheels, 5.25 x 17
- Fuel tank: 10½ gallons
- Upholstery: corduroy velour
- Serial numbers: C-40-1001 to C-40-5092
1933 Continental Flyer (Model 60)
The six-cylinder companion to the Beacon on the same 101½ in. wheelbase: a Continental Red Seal C600 engine, a new balanced chassis mounted at three points, double cantilever rear springs and a safety all-steel body. Built in 1933 only; the Canadian version was the Frontenac C-600.
| Body style | 1933 price |
|---|---|
| Roadster | $450 |
| Business Coupe | $490 |
| Two Door Sedan | $510 |
| Four Door Sedan | $535 |
- Engine: 6-cylinder, 65 horsepower, bore 3 in., stroke 4 in.
- Wheelbase: 101½ in.
- Brakes: Steeldraulic, four wheel
- Wheels and tires: five wire wheels, 5.25 x 17
- Fuel tank: 10½ gallons
- Serial numbers: C-60-1001 to C-60-2746
1933 Continental Ace (Model 81)
1933 Continental Ace De Luxe Sedan
1933 Continental Ace Sedan
The largest Continental: an 85 horsepower Red Seal 41A six on a 114 in. wheelbase, advertised as capable of a sustained 85 miles per hour. Built in 1933 only, and in Canada as the Frontenac 6-33.
| Body style | 1933 price |
|---|---|
| Coupe (with rumble seat) | $725 |
| Four Door Sedan | $725 |
| De Luxe Four Door Sedan | $865 |
- Engine: 6-cylinder, 85 horsepower at 3,600 rpm, bore 3-3/8 in., stroke 4 in.
- Wheelbase: 114 in.
- Wheels: five wire wheels (standard); six 12-spoke wood wheels (De Luxe)
- Tires: 5.50 x 17
- Fuel tank: 15 gallons
- Serial numbers: 81-1001 to 81-1651
1934 Continental Red Seal (Model 41)
For 1934 Continental offered only a four-cylinder car, again powered by the Red Seal C400, before leaving the car business and returning to engines. One last car, a 1937 sedan (serial 1001) based on the 1934 Red Seal, was built later.
| Body style | Price |
|---|---|
| Coupe | $425 |
| Coupe (with rumble seat) | $485 |
| Two Door Sedan | $445 |
| Four Door Sedan | $495 |
- Engine: 4-cylinder, 38 horsepower at 2,600 rpm, bore 3-3/8 in., stroke 4 in.
- Wheelbase: 101½ in.
- Brakes: Steeldraulic, four wheel
- Wheels and tires: five wire wheels, 5.25 x 17
- Fuel tank: 10 gallons
- Serial numbers: 41-1001 and up
Full serial number ranges are also on the Continental Serial Numbers page. A Continental engine cross reference (PDF) lists which Continental engines were used in which makes and years.
Sales literature and owner’s manual
Period Continental literature known to the club. Click a picture to enlarge it. No 1933 or 1934 repair manuals or parts books are known; if you have one, please let us know.
1933 Continental Ace sales brochure (A-33-1301)
1933 Continental Ace sales brochure (A-33-1302)
1933 Continental Beacon sales folder (A-33-1303)
1933 Continental Beacon sales folder (A-33-1304)
1933 Continental Flyer sales folder (A-33-1305)
1933 Continental Flyer owner’s manual (C-33-1301)
1933 Continental coupe, period photograph (G-33-1301)
Known surviving cars
Continentals known to the registry. Few survive; if you own one or know of one, please contact one of our technical advisors so it can be added.
| Year | Model | Body style | Serial number | Engine number | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 | Beacon | Two-Door Sedan | 188-1345 | ||
| 1933 | Beacon | Two-Door Sedan | 188-1654 | C400-4410 | Built at Grand Rapids; stripped of paint (originally probably black) and being made into a street rod |
| 1933 | Beacon | Four-Door Sedan | 40-4301 | C400 2825 | Navy blue with black fenders, wire wheels, original colors; Australia |
| 1933 | Flyer | Four-Door Sedan | 60-2587 | C600 2076 | Blue with black fenders and blue wire wheels; New Zealand |
Related pages
- DeVaux, the 1931–32 car the Continental grew out of
- Frontenac, the Canadian twins of the Continental models
- Continental Serial Numbers
- Serial numbers for every Durant family make
Sources: Branham Automobile Reference Book (1937), pp. 40–41; Continental advertisement, New York Times, January 8, 1933; Durant Family Registry, Durant’s Standard vol. 17 no. 3; G. N. Georgano, Encyclopedia of American Automobiles; Wagner, pp. 58–63; club registry records.