1963 Facel II  |
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1962 Facel Vega Facel II news, pictures, and information | ||
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 |  |  | Hardtop Coupe |
Designed and built in October 1962 with a Chrysler 6.7 liter V8 engine and dual Carter four-barrel carburetors, 390 horsepower, 4-speed all-synchro Pont a Mousson transmission. There were 2,900 Facel Vegas produced from 1954 until 1964 when Facel went bankrupt and ceased production. Of that number only 184 were Facel IIs. It is believed only 13 Facel IIs had this combination of engine/transmission and this car is one of only two in the United States with a manual transmission. In 1965 the car appeared at Sotheby's auction in London and was acquired by Mr. Hans Beyer Clausen of Denmark who kept the car until his passing in 2006. His widow sold the car to a gentleman who eventually consigned it to a dealer/restorer in Holland. It was acquired by the present owner and imported to the United States in March of 2007. When acquired the car had 29,000 original miles and now has approximately 32,000 miles.
 |  |  | Hardtop Coupe Chassis Num: HK2B146 |
The Facel II was launched in 1961 and remained in production until 1964 with a mere 182 examples produced.
This car, chassis number HK2B138 is the 138th of the final 'B' series. The first owner was a lady from Frankfurt who bought the Facel from Auto-Becker in Düsseldorf, while the second was an Iranian who took the car to a museum in Iran and brought it back to Germany in 1978. The current owner purchased the car in 1992.
Powering this car is a 6.3 litre, 390 horsepower Chrysler V8 engine mated to a four-speed Pont-a-Mousson manual gearbox. There is an electronic ignition, power steering, electric windows, Jaeger instrumentation, original radio, and 7x15 wire wheels. The car was given a total restoration between 1993 to 1998. The body was removed from the chassis and stripped to the bare metal. The engine and chassis were overhauled and all of the electrics were re-wired. Since the restoration has been completed, the car has traveled around 5,000 kilometers.
In 2012, the car was offered for sale at the Monaco sale presented by Bonhams. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of €253,000 including buyer's premium.
By Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2012
In the mid-1950's the French metal produced Facel, Forges et Ateliers de Construction d'Eure et Loire, entered the car manufacturing industry. Created by industrialist Jean Daninos, they had achieved success in building complete body-shells for manufacturers such as Simca and Panhard.
In 1954 Facel introduced the Vega, a luxury Grand Tourer with elegant design and powered by an American power-plant. Most of the vehicles were intended for export due to taxation existing in France. Vehicles were taxed based on the amount of horsepower they produced. A Chrysler/DeSoto V8 engine with various displacements was used to power the Facels.
In 1958 the car received a face-life and re-engineering and was transformed into the HK500. The Vega II followed soon after bringing with it a 383 cubic inch Chrysler V8. During this time, it was regarded as the world's fastest sedan.
The 383 cubic-inch Chrysler V8 power plant was capable of producing 360 horsepower. The Facels could race from zero to sixty in 8 seconds and achieve a top speed of 140 mph. Finned alloy drums were used until 1960 when they were replaced by disc brakes.
The HK-500 carried a price tag of $9,795 meaning only the well-to-do were capable of affording one of these masterpieces. From 1958 through 1961, only 458 HK500's were produced ensuring the vehicles exclusivity in modern times.
Brasseur and Danios were responsible for creating the styling of the vehicles body. The chassis was the result of Lance Macklin of HWM. The interior was elaborate, elegant, and trimmed in wood and leather. The instrument panel was exquisite, inspired by Duesenberg airplane instrument panels.
A smaller edition, the Facellia, was introduced in the early 60's featuring a Facel derived twin-cam engine. The combination, coupled with poor reliability, did not work and Facel went out of business.
By Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2007
For more information and related vehicles, click hereIn 1954 Facel introduced the Vega, a luxury Grand Tourer with elegant design and powered by an American power-plant. Most of the vehicles were intended for export due to taxation existing in France. Vehicles were taxed based on the amount of horsepower they produced. A Chrysler/DeSoto V8 engine with various displacements was used to power the Facels.
In 1958 the car received a face-life and re-engineering and was transformed into the HK500. The Vega II followed soon after bringing with it a 383 cubic inch Chrysler V8. During this time, it was regarded as the world's fastest sedan.
The 383 cubic-inch Chrysler V8 power plant was capable of producing 360 horsepower. The Facels could race from zero to sixty in 8 seconds and achieve a top speed of 140 mph. Finned alloy drums were used until 1960 when they were replaced by disc brakes.
The HK-500 carried a price tag of $9,795 meaning only the well-to-do were capable of affording one of these masterpieces. From 1958 through 1961, only 458 HK500's were produced ensuring the vehicles exclusivity in modern times.
Brasseur and Danios were responsible for creating the styling of the vehicles body. The chassis was the result of Lance Macklin of HWM. The interior was elaborate, elegant, and trimmed in wood and leather. The instrument panel was exquisite, inspired by Duesenberg airplane instrument panels.
A smaller edition, the Facellia, was introduced in the early 60's featuring a Facel derived twin-cam engine. The combination, coupled with poor reliability, did not work and Facel went out of business.
By Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2007
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| 1963 Facel II |
