Who is Facel?
Good question, Facel was a French company that was founded on 20 December 1939 by another company called Bronzavia. Its sole purpose was to make special components for aircraft, due to Bronzavia being a manufacturer of French aircraft.
Facel stands for Forges et Ateliers de Constructions d’Eure-et-Loir, which translates to Forges and Construction Workshops of Eure-et-Loir, the town from which Bronzavia was based. After the war, Facel then started manufacturing short-run, specially styled bodies for companies such as Ford, Simca, Pandhard and Delahaye following a merger with Métallon. These bodies included coupes, cabriolets or any required styles by the paying manufacturers.
However, in 1953, Métallon left the partnership as unitary bodies without a chassis became general for mass-produced cars. After their departure and with the lack of customers, Facel set about designing their own car. Named the Vega and using engines made by Chrysler, Volvo and Austin. The Vega was then showcased in 1954.
The engine of choice was a big ol’ 4.5 litre Chrysler V8 – used because no French company at the time could supply Facel with a lump that suited their objectives.
Facel Vega FV
Originally just called Vega, then Facel Vega and eventually Facel Vega FV with a number denoting the iteration. The car was officially launched at the Paris Auto Salon in 1954 using the Chrysler 4.5 Hemi V8 mated to a 2-speed automatic or a 4-speed manual at extra cost. 180bhp was on tap with a top speed of either 107 or 120mph depending on which rear axle was selected.
The exterior styling is unequivocally American, with the interior being modeled from an airplane cockpit. Interestingly, the Vega was one of the first cars to include a centre console over the gearbox, something which is standard on nearly every car now.
In 1955, the FV1 was introduced and featured a now 200bhp 4.8 litre engine and with 47 cars being built, seven of those were convertibles. Unfortunately, the drop tops suffered from rigidity issues. The rest of the cars made between 1945-1955 were two door, pillarless coupes like the one pictured above.
Facel Vega FV2/HK500
Introduced in October 1955, the FV2/HK500 (also called FVS in the US) featured a panoramic (aka wrap-around) windscreen. It featured the same 4.8 litre V8 but this time it was now offered with a much healthier 250bhp. However, during 1956, the FV2B was revealed. This time the engine was a new 285bhp 5.4 litre V8 that provided the obvious power increase as well as a better amount of torque.
At the 1955 Paris Auto Salon, just one FV2 convertible was built and showcased at the event. Only two FV2B convertibles were built for American customers.
Facel Vega FV3
The FV3 was also showcased in 1958 and was the successor to the popular FV2/HK500 model, and was designed to be a more refined and luxurious vehicle.
The Facel Vega FV3 was powered by a 5.9-liter V8 engine that was capable of producing up to 250 bhp. It had a top speed of 120 mph and could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just under 10 seconds. The car featured a four-speed manual transmission or a three-speed automatic transmission, and retaining rear-wheel drive.
Design language was the same as the previous models, with only the eagle-eyed amongst us being able to spot the differences. The FV3 was produced in limited numbers, with only around 400 cars built in total.
What happened to Facel?
Despite its success, Facel struggled financially during the 1960s, and eventually went bankrupt in 1964. The company’s assets were sold off to various buyers, and the Facel name has since been used by a number of different companies in different industries.