1963 Facel Vega Facel II

Facel Vega was successful because it excelled in all categories; it was the Paragon of exclusivity, luxury, and quality. Capable of cruising effortlessly at 100 miles per hour, it was smooth, silent, and comfortable. It had understated elegance and attractive styling, with a price tag that was far and above most other vehicles on the road. When buying a Facel II, one had to forgo logic, and 'think with the heart and not the head.'

The French firm of Facel produced approximately 2,900 automobiles during its relatively short existence, and each was hand built, very expensive, luxurious, fast, and stylish. The company was founded in 1939 by Jean Daninos, with the name 'FACEL' representing Forges et Ateliers de Construction d'Eure-et-Loir. Initially, they specialized in the construction of aircraft components and metal furniture.

After World War II, FACEL produced car bodies for Panhard, Simca and Ford France. At the 1954 Paris Salon, Facel became an automobile manufacturer in its own right, with the introduction of the Vega. The market was primed for the Vega, as Government legislation had hastened the demise of most of France's few surviving luxury car manufacturers after WWII. With little competition and a desire to revive what had once been a great French motoring tradition, Jean Daninos created a luxurious Grande Routière, the Vega, named after the brightest star in the Lyra constellation.

The Facel Vega used a tubular-steel chassis, a double wishbone suspension at the front, a live axle at the rear, and elegant two-door hardtop bodies. Since a French company was not producing adequate engines at the time to satisfy Daninos's objective, a DeSoto 276 cubic-inch Hemi unit was installed. Due to the punitive Tax horsepower system in France, most examples (77 percent) were exported.

The Vega was given a larger 331 cubic-inch (5.4 liter) Chrysler Hemi engine in 1956, along with modifications to many other mechanical components and an updated transmission. That was the same year the company introduced a four-door model dubbed the Excellence. It had a pillarless design with rear-hinged suicide-style doors at the rear and no center pillar.

In 1959, an even larger 354 cubic-inch (5.8 liter) V8 was installed, soon followed by a 383 cubic-inch 6.28 liter) Chrysler Typhoon engine. The final iteration of the V8 luxury coupes arrived in 1962 with the Facel Vega II.

The Facel Vega Facel II
During a brief production lifespan, lasting from 1962 to 1964, approximately 180 examples of the Facel II were built, including 26 with right hand drive configuration. Introduced in 1961 at the Paris Motor Show, the Facel II was powered by a Chrysler overhead valve (OHV) 383 cubic-inch (6.3 liter) Typhoon engine (single Carter AFB carburetor) developing 355 horsepower at 4,800 RPM and paired with a TorqueFlite automatic transmission. When fitted with the French Pont-a-Mousson four-speed manual gearbox, the engine produced approximately 390 horsepower.

Examples built near the close of production received the Chrysler RB 'Wedge' engine displacing 413 cubic inches (6.7 liters).

The Facel II was a grand tourer that was advertised by the company as 'Le Coupé 4-places le plus rapide du Monde' ('The Fastest 4-seater Coupé in the World').

Resting on a 104.7-inch wheelbase platform with an overall length of 187 inches, a width of 69.3 inches, and standing 50.4 inches tall, the Facel II had a 'dry' weight of nearly two tons. Nevertheless, its potent engines allowed it to reach top speeds of over 135 mph, and with the 6.3-liter and four-speed gearbox, it could exceed 150 mph. It could out-accelerate most other two-seat GTs, including the Aston Martin DB4 and the Mercedes-Benz 300SL 'gullwing.' Stopping power was via Dunlop disc brakes, and the Armstrong Selecta-Ride shock absorbers could be adjusted from the dash while driving (right-hand drive British models). The list of standard amenities included electric windows, electric radio aerial, and Hydrosteer power steering. The metal wrap-around dash was painted to look like wood, and most of the knobs and switches were airplane inspired.

1964 was the final year for the Facel Company as it was forced into receivership mostly due to warranty claims against its 'in-house' engines powering the Facellia, a smaller model introduced in 1960. It had styling similar to the Facel HK500 and was offered as a 4-seat coupe, 2+2 coupe, and cabriolet. It was intended to be a mass-produced all-French sports car, but the issues with the engine quickly brought the company's ambitions to a halt. Jean Daninos resigned in August 1961, and the closed its factory in October 1964.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2023