The O-240 was a new engine design derived from the six-cylinder
Continental O-360 and introduced in 1971. It is generally similar in overall dimensions to the
Continental O-200, but with a higher 8.5:1 compression ratio, designed to run on 100/130
avgas. The O-240 delivers 30% more power than the O-200 while it weighs only 12% more. It may be mounted in
tractor or
pusher configuration. The O-240 was produced under license in the
United Kingdom by
Rolls-Royce Limited and was used to power the Reims-Cessna FRA150 Aerobat, a more powerful aerobatic model of the
Cessna 150 constructed in
France by
Reims Aviation under license. Rolls-Royce acquired the rights to the O-240, but not the IO-240 in 1977. The
fuel-injected IO-240-A and -B were introduced in 1993. The A and B versions differ only in the type of fuel injector used. The IOF-240 is similar to the IO-240-B except that it employs an Aerosance
FADEC system to control the ignition and fuel injection systems. The engine was not selected to power any production North American-manufactured aircraft until the
Liberty XL2 entered production in 2006 powered by the IOF-240-B. ==Variants==