1962 Facel Vega Facel II

The French firm of Facel Vega produced approximately 2,900 automobiles during its relatively short life, all of which were luxurious, fast, and stylish. These V8-engined Facels were hand-built and necessarily very expensive, with prices hovering in Rolls-Royce territory, and popular with the rich and famous seeking something distinctive and exclusive.

Founded by Jean Daninos in 1939, Forges et Ateliers de Construction d'Eure-et-Loir (FACEL) specialized in manufacturing metal furniture and aircraft components. Following World War II, the company supplied car bodies to Simca, Panhard, and Ford France before becoming an automobile manufacturer in its own right with the introduction of the Vega at the 1954 Paris Salon. France's luxury car segment had been devastated by government legislation after WW2 and it had all but disappeared. This did not deter Daninos as he worked to revive what had once been a great French motoring tradition.

The Vega was named after the brightest star in the Lyra constellation and featured supremely elegant coupé bodywork welded to a tubular-steel chassis. It was a luxurious Grande Routière equipped with Detroit muscle sourced from a Chrysler V8 backed by a choice of a push-button automatic or manual transmission.

When the Facel II was introduced in 1961 at the Paris Motor Show, it was advertised as 'Le Coupé 4-places le plus rapide du Monde' ('The fastest 4-seat Coupé in the World'). Unfortunately, it was destined to be the last of the V8-engined models, production ceasing in 1964 after an unsuccessful venture into engine manufacture effectively bankrupted the company. Production was very exclusive with just 500-or-so of the preceding HK500 built between 1958 and 1961 and that of the Facel II a mere 182 (as few as 180). 27 of those were in the right-hand-drive configuration.

The Facel II, produced between 1962 and 1964, retailed at three times the price of the E-Type Jaguar. It featured a low profile with vertically stacked quad headlights and an elegant center grille. There was minimal brightwork on the bodyside, with a chrome stripe traversing the bottom and around the wheel wells. The bottom of the rear quarter panels and continuing into the back was a larger and more prominent piece of chrome trim. There were slight, rounded tail fins with built-in brake lights at the top of the curve. Wire wheels were at all four corners. The large, wraparound windshield was surrounded by chrome trim and slanted rearward at a graceful angle.

The 383 cubic-inch Chrysler 'Wedge' overhead valve V8 engine used a single Carter AFB carburetor and developed 355 horsepower at 4,800 RPM when backed by a TorqueFlite automatic gearbox. With the manual installed, the engine offered 390 horsepower. In the front was an independent suspension while the rear used a live axle setup. It used a Hydrosteer power steering and Dunlop disc brakes at all four corners. Among the list of standard amenities were electric windows, leather seats, and a radio aerial. The right-hand-drive British models had Armstrong Selecta-Ride shock absorbers adjustable from the curvaceous wrap-round dash. The dash was painted to look like wood but was in fact metal.

With the three-speed automatic gearbox, the Facel II had a top speed in excess of 135 mph. With a French Pont-a-Mousson four-speed manual gearbox, its top speed was over 150 mph.

Around the introduction of the Facel II, Jean Daninos was obliged to offer his resignation (in August 1961). Production of the Facel II continued through 1964 and ended when the company was forced into receivership. The demise of the company is attributed to warranty claims against the company's smaller Facellia with its problematic 'in-house' engine.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2021