"Facel Vega was a French builder of luxury cars. Their advertising slogan was "For the Few Who Own the Finest". French design with American drivetrains that peaked at 392 cu in hemi engines and a 727 Torqueflite in the Facel Vega II of 1961.
Owners include Pablo Picasso, Ava Gardner, Ringo Starr, Joan Fontaine, Stirling Moss, Tony Curtis, and several Saudi princes.Before World War 2 France bred some of the great classic sports and luxury cars: vehicles made by Bugatti, De!age, Delahaye, Hispano-Suiza and Hotchkiss were spoken of in the same breath as Rolls-Royce and Mercedes-Benz. However, when the debris of war was cleared away in 1945, several of the great names never reappeared, and those that did lasted only a few years before withering away.
There were two main reasons for this: the French economy left few people wealthy enough to buy expensive sports and luxury cars; but mostly it was the French car taxation system which killed off the makers of luxury cars. The government imposed a punitive tax on cars over 15 hp which ranged up to nearly a tenth of the price of a luxury car - and this was not a oncer - but a tax payable each and every year you owned it!
The tax virtually killed off all French cars with engines over 2.8 litres. Although several makers attempted to build special cars with engines below this limit, they were unsuccessful, largely because of the low specific output of most non-racing engines, which meant that few cars could aspire to real high performance or carry a large luxury body.
Mechanically, this two-door coupe featured a ladder-type chassis frame of large-diameter steel tube, stiffened with various cross bracing struts and having built-up superstructures for the rear suspension, scuttle and front suspension. This front suspension was by double wishbones and coil springs, while the live rear axle was supported on semi-elliptic leaf springs. For the power unit, Facel chose the Chrysler 4½-litre V8, which gave 180 bhp at 4500 rpm, while for transmission there was a choice of the Chrysler Torqueflite three-speed automatic or the four-speed Pont-a-Mousson manual gearbox. Facel were not fully fledged car manufacturers so they had to rely on component makers for many of their parts. The rear axle was a British Salisbury unit, the worm-and-roller steering was the German Gemmer, the drum brakes were French-made Lockheed units, the dampers came from Alinquant - and many other manufacturers supplied parts.
In spite of its 'kit of parts' genesis, the car received rave reviews from testers, who naturally found it a good deal faster than many European exotics, although few of the early testers criticised the inadequate brakes and low-geared steering of the Facel Vega. Production began in 1955, and exports soon took up a good proportion of Facel sales - although right-hand drive was not available until 1957. The early cars appealed mostly to those who required a fast, silent tourer rather than an out-and-out sports car, as the braking and handling would not have satisfied the sports-car driver. However, the interior was lavishly equipped and a mass of instruments were set in a walnut-panelled facia.
Electric windows, a good heating and ventilation system, cigarette lighters and ashtrays were fitted as standard items. The problems were gradually ironed out of the chassis, but the makers were always at a disadvantage, in that they relied on the products of other manufacturers. The Detroit horsepower race was just getting under way and engine sizes leaped dramatically, so that, by 1957, the engine size had grown to 5.4 litres and the power output to 250 bhp. This meant that, despite the fitting of a brake servo and improved linings, the brakes were still inadequate for the power.
However, the suspension was improved and British Hydrosteer power steering became an optional extra. Roadholding was improved by the adoption of Michelin X tyres. Variations on the basic theme were tried by the factory. A pretty convertible was designed as early as 1955, but only the prototype was ever built. However, the Excellence, which first appeared in 1957, was produced spasmodically until the firm went out of business. The Excellence was designed as a four-door saloon, necessitating an addition of 1ft 8in to the 8ft 8in wheelbase of the Facel Vega. Unfortunately, it was decided to use the pillarless type of construction for the Excellence, with the result that the body had insufficient rigidity, causing the doors either to jam or to refuse to shut.
Although more strengthening was incorporated, the problem was never overcome and production remained at a very low level. By 1958, right-hand drive was available and George Abecassis of HWM, at Walton-on-Thames, took on the British agency. This immediately increased sales, as Abecassis was a noted racing driver in the UK who also sold other exotic cars, such as Aston Martin, while another British racing driver, Lance Macklin, was employed by Facel in Paris as a salesman and development driver. Between them, these two persuaded Stirling Moss to buy a Facel in 1959, which again added to the reputation of the company. Later, Moss's entrant, Rob Walker, also bought a Facel Vega, which he used for many of his Continental trips to race meetings for several years, although as a garage owner himself, he had the choice of many other fast and luxurious cars."
