Facel Vega Facel II
Facel Vega represented the pinnacle of French luxury grand tourers in the 1950s and early 1960s. Founded by Jean Daninos, Facel Vega created hand-built, ultra-luxurious coupes that combined French coachbuilding artistry with massive American V8 power. The Facel II, introduced in 1962, was the ultimate expression of this philosophy — the fastest, most refined, and most expensive Facel Vega ever built.
The Facel II used a Chrysler 383 cubic inch (6.3L) V8 producing 355 horsepower — enough to propel the heavy hand-built coupe to 146 mph, making it one of the fastest production cars in the world in the early 1960s. Only Ferraris, Aston Martins, and Jaguars could match its performance. Power was sent through either a 4-speed Pont-à-Mousson manual gearbox (the choice of enthusiasts) or Chrysler's TorqueFlite 3-speed automatic.
The coachwork was magnificent — hand-formed steel panels fitted over a tubular steel frame, with no two cars exactly alike. The styling was dramatic: wraparound windscreen, stacked quad headlights, sweeping fenders, and acres of chrome. The interior was equally opulent — leather everywhere, wood veneer dashboard, full instrumentation, and air conditioning. These were genuine luxury cars, priced higher than contemporary Ferraris.
Disc brakes at all four corners (Dunlop units) provided stopping power worthy of the performance. The suspension was sophisticated for the era — independent front with double wishbones, live rear axle with leaf springs and a Panhard rod to control lateral movement.
Facel Vega's clientele was the international elite: Stirling Moss, Ringo Starr, Ava Gardner, Tony Curtis, and even the Shah of Iran owned Facel Vegas. But the company's decision to develop its own engine for the smaller Facellia model proved disastrous. The engine was unreliable, warranty claims bankrupted the company, and Facel Vega closed its doors in 1964 after building just 182 Facel IIs.
Today, the Facel II is recognized as one of the great grand tourers of its era — French style, American power, and exclusivity that money can barely buy.
The Facel II is an ultra-exclusive collector car with only 182 built. Authenticity verification is essential — consult Facel Vega registries. The Chrysler V8 is robust and parts are available, but everything else is bespoke and scarce. Coachbuilt bodies mean rust inspection is critical — check tubular frame and hand-formed panels. Automatic transmission (TorqueFlite) is more common but manual 4-speed is far more desirable. Dunlop disc brakes require specialist knowledge. Interior restoration is expensive — everything is custom leather and wood. Most cars have known history and celebrity provenance. Expect $50,000+ in maintenance reserves. Values have risen dramatically — clean examples now exceed $500,000.
Total Facel II production: 182 units (1962-1964). Used Chrysler 383 ci (6.3L) V8 with 355 hp. Available with 4-speed manual (Pont-à-Mousson) or TorqueFlite 3-speed automatic. Each car was essentially hand-built with variations between examples. Facel Vega went bankrupt in 1964 due to warranty claims from the unreliable Facellia engine (smaller model). The Facel II was the company's swan song.