1963 Facel Vega Facel II

FACEL VEGA HK500

The Facel Vega II was a two-door four-seater grand tourer with a front engine driving the rear wheels. Prodction ran from 1961 to 1964 and was marketed as "Le Coupé 4-places le plus rapide du Monde" - "'The Fastest 4-seater Coupé in the World".

The Facel Vega II made its debut at the Paris Motor Show in Octover 1961 amd was the replacement for the HK500 and could be identified via its lower profile and new A-pillars. As with its precesdor, the body was designed by Jean Daninos designed coachwork and mounted on a tubular frame chassis. The suspension was by independent coil springs at the front with a live axle and semi-elliptic leaf springs at the rear. There were power assisted disc brakes fore and aft and the cam and roller steering boasted Hyrosteer as standard. The II was available in manal and automatic forms; the latter had despemnsed with the push button controiles fond on the HK500 to the relief of many drivers.

In single carburettor form the Facel Vega II boastes 355 bhp of power and a 134 mph top speed while drivers who craved even more performasncre could sopecificed the twin carbs which resulted in 390bhp and a top speed of 150 mph. A handful of IIs were fitrted with a 6.7 litre engine with over 400bhp. Optional extras included air condiitomning, wire wheels, a wood veneered fascia and wire wheels. The price in the UK for a RHD version was £5,570 13s 3d at a time when the average annalk wage was £799.

In 1964 the Facel Vega company went into receivership and the factory closed on the 31st October of that year after the constrction of only 183 IIs; a mere 27 of these were right-hand-drive.

Power for the Facel Vega II was from either a Chrysler 6.3 litre OHV V8 engine or a Chrysler 6.7 litre OHV V8 engine. The transmission was either a four-speed all-synchromesh Pont-a-Mousson box or push-button controlled three-speed "Torque Flite" automatic gears.

To best understand the eothos of the Facel Vega II, the English lanage owner's handbook encapsulates its appeal - 'Hold the steering wheel with both hands except when changing gear - Stay as close as possible to the centre of the road - Do not look at anything else but the road - Do not smoke - Do not change stations on the radio - Do not talk'. After its demise there would not be another French Grand Routier until the Citroen SM in 1970.

To embark on Facel Vega II ownership it is nessesary to have a certain level of resources or, at the very least, an understanding bank manager; in 2017 a RHD example sold at action for £315,100. This is assuming that you wold be able to find an owner who was willing to part with one of the most exclsive Grand Tourers in the world.

Alternatives to the Facel Vega II include the Aston Martin DB4 and DB5, the Bentley S2 and S3 Continental, the Bristol 407 and 408, the Jensen 541S and CV8, the Iso Rivolta, the Maserati 3500GT and Sebring and the Mercedes-Benz 300SL.