1965 Facel Vega II

The Facel Vega ‘Facel II’ is a grand touring car produced by French automaker Facel Vega between the years 1962 and 1964.

By 1962, the Paris-based company was facing bankruptcy. The Facel II was to be the company’s last attempt to create a luxury GT car in the French tradition. Jean Daninos, president, said of the Facel II, “The HK 500 was the most interesting car we ever made but the Facel II was by far the best. It was totally ‘elegant’ .”

The Facel Vega ‘Facel II’ was built with approximately 180 examples, including 26 in right-hand-drive configuration (5 RHD examples had the Pont-a-Mousson manual gearbox and 6.7-liter engine). They replaced the HK500 which had been introduced in 1959 and was essentially an upgraded FVS. The HK500 was initially powered by a 5.8-liter V8 with 335 horsepower, soon updated with a 6.3-liter Chrysler unit with 360 horsepower. 489 examples of the HK500 were built before they were replaced by the Facel II.

The interior was luxurious and well-appointed, with many of the controls inspired by airplane components. Accouterments included electric windows, radio aerial, curvaceous wrap-around dashboard, and leather seats.

The demise of the company began in the early 1960s when it ventured into manufacturing its own engines. The smaller Facellia was a sports car introduced in 1959 at the Paris Motor Show. It was offered as a cabriolet, 4-seat coupe, and 2+2 coupe. Its wheelbase measured 96.5-inches and its styling was very similar to its larger sibling, the HK500. In the United States, the Facellia had a price of approximately $4,000 while the larger version, the Facel II, was around $5,500. The role of the Facel II (and the HK500) was an ultra-exclusive, luxurious, grand tourer, while the Facellia was intended as a mass-produced sports car, similar to the Porsche 356B and Triumph TR3.