1960 Facel Vega Excellence Hardtop Sedan

The automotive landscape changed drastically in the immediate post-World War era, and for France, much of the luxury market had fizzled away. The top pre-war luxury car makers of Delahaye, Talbot-Lago, and Bugatti found themselves on uncertain financial footing when peacetime resumed. Facel, an acronym standing for FACEL 'Forges et Ateliers de Construction d'Eure-et-Loir' (in English: forge and construction workshop of the department of Eure-et-Loir), was founded by Jean Daninos in 1939 initially as a metal stamping company that built bodies for the likes of Panhard, Simca, and the aforementioned Delahaye. In 1954, after much of their coach-building business had dried up and the market was beginning to accept luxury automakers once again, Facel decided to go into the production of complete cars. The company's first attempt at building cars was a sporting coupe designed by Daninos and equipped with a reliable Chrysler Hemi V8 engine. The pillar-less FV and HK500 models became favorites with wealthy industrialists and the social elite. Two years after the introduction of the first Facel Vega coupe, the company expanded into the four-door market with the introduction of the Excellence sedan. With a 125-inch wheelbase and measuring just under 17.5 inches in length, the Excellence was made to American proportions. It had pillarless suicide doors, slab-sided styling, a wrap-around windscreen, and subtle fines. The interior had soft and sumptuous leather seats, chrome fixtures, and the classic Facel Vega dashboard that featured an aircraft-like complement of gauges. The first seven examples were equipped with Chrysler's 392 cubic-inch Hemi V8, and when it was discontinued it was replaced by the 361 CID 'Wedge' V8 with 360 horsepower. The transmission options included a TorqueFlite automatic or Pont-à-Mousson manual.

Production of the Facel Excellence began in May of 1958 and from 1959 on, optional disc brakes became available. In July of 1961, the final version of the Excellence was introduced - the EX2 - which smoothed out the tail fins, added turn-down door handles with improved latches, dropped the wrap-around windscreen, and incorporated chassis improvements derived from the HK500 and Facel II. Beneath the bonnet was a 383 cubic-inch V8 delivering 390 bhp.

This particular Facel Vega Excellence is a late production EX1 equipped with the Wedge V8 and has many of the styling and mechanical elements of the EX2. It is devoid of the wrap-around windscreen and tail fins and has turn-down door handles and quarter windows in the front of the doors. There are four-wheel disc brakes, an integral power steering box, a three-speed Chrysler TorqueFlite Automatic transmission, and an independent coil spring suspension with a live rear axle.

This Facel Vega is finished in Burgundy over Black leather. When new, it was delivered to the French consulate and used by Hervé Alphand, the ambassador to the United States from 1956 to 1965. Purchased by Fred Kanter, from a seller in Long Island in 1975, the car was carefully garage-kept and saw minimal use. The car remained in Mr. Kanter's care for nearly four decades before it was sold by Bonhams auction to the current caretaker in 2012.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2022