Facel Vega built French grand tourers with American V8 power, and it did so for only about 10 years. In that time the company made roughly 2,900 cars, according to Hagerty. Some of its models ran to hundreds of cars. Others barely reached a few dozen.

Jean Daninos founded the company, called FACEL, which first made machine tools and car bodies for other brands. Then it put its own name on a car. Each model below shows a different side of a short, ambitious life that ended on October 31, 1964.

Here are the seven Facel Vega models, from the first Hemi coupe to the last small six-cylinder car.

1. 1954–1958 Facel Vega FV series

The first Facel-branded car, the FV1, debuted in July 1954 with a 276-cubic-inch Chrysler Hemi V8. It cost $7,000 at the time, and the FV coupe carried on through 1958. Over those years the car changed often. In fact, it moved through sub-series named FV, FV1, FV2, FV2B, FV3, FV3B and FV4.

Each step brought a bigger engine. Below the Radar’s model history lists a 4,528cc De Soto Hemi in the first cars and a 6,430cc Hemi in the FV4 from November 1957. Its sub-series counts add up to a few hundred FV cars in all. Also, the site notes that Facel’s V8 GT line used eight different Chrysler engines over its run.

2. Facel Vega Excellence (1956 debut)

The Excellence was Facel’s four-door, and it was rarer than Facel’s big V8 coupes. It debuted at the 1956 Paris Auto Show with a 6.3-liter, 360-hp Chrysler Hemi V8. However, Facel built only 12 of that first generation, according to Hagerty.

A second generation then switched to a 5.9-liter Chrysler wedge V8, also rated at 360 hp. Buyers could pick a TorqueFlite automatic or a Pont-a-Mousson four-speed manual, and about 137 cars followed through mid-1961. Finally, a third generation arrived in July 1961, and only eight were made. That puts the Excellence at roughly 157 cars across three generations.

3. 1959–1961 Facel Vega HK500

The HK500 replaced the FV, and it became the best-selling of Facel’s big V8 coupes. In total, 490 were made between 1959 and 1961. Its 5,907cc V8 claimed 360 bhp, while a later 6,286cc engine was rated at 330 bhp with the TorqueFlite automatic and 360 bhp with the four-speed manual.

Those figures come from Below the Radar, which also quotes a 142 mph top speed and a 1960 British price of £4,739. RM Sotheby’s confirms the 490 total in its 1960 HK500 lot description. In addition, the auction house lists Facel owners such as Tony Curtis, Danny Kaye, Ava Gardner and Stirling Moss.

4. 1959–1963 Facel Vega Facellia

The Facellia was Facel’s bid for volume. Facel presented it on September 28, 1959, and production ran from 1960 to the spring of 1963. Management expected about 2,500 cars a year, compared with about 100 for the big V8 cars. Meanwhile, about 1,000 orders came in before production began.

Its 1,646cc four-cylinder came from Pont-à-Mousson, rated from 115 to 131 SAE hp by version, according to L’Automobile Sportive. Many of those engines failed, and Facel replaced them under warranty. Hagerty says the twin-cam often burned pistons because of poor block cooling. As a result, warranty claims pushed the company into receivership in 1962.

5. 1962–1964 Facel Vega Facel II

The Facel II replaced the HK500 as Facel’s big V8 coupe. Some 180 were built between 1962 and 1964, according to RM Sotheby’s. The auction house rates its 6.3-liter, 383-cubic-inch Chrysler V8 at 355 hp. It also quotes 0 to 60 mph in 7.8 seconds and a 134 mph top speed.

The Facel II’s reference entry adds a 390 hp rating with the manual gearbox. Later cars moved to a 413-cubic-inch Chrysler wedge V8. Ringo Starr owned a right-hand-drive Facel II. By comparison, RM Sotheby’s believes only about 26 Facel IIs of any kind had right-hand drive.

6. 1963–1964 Facel Vega Facel III

The Facel III was the cure for the Facellia’s engine trouble. Facel kept the small body but swapped in a Volvo engine and gearbox in the spring of 1963. That way, buyers got the same shape with a reliable Volvo motor.

Classic & Sports Car lists the engine as the 1,780cc unit from the Volvo P1800, rated at 108 bhp, with production in 1963 and 1964. Likewise, Old Classic Car calls the P1800 engine simple, rugged and reliable. Still, the reliable engine came too late to repair Facel’s finances.

7. 1964 Facel Vega Facel 6

The Facel 6 was the company’s final attempt. It took the Facel III body and added a BMC six-cylinder, a smaller-bore version of the Austin-Healey 3000 engine. Hagerty describes it as a 3.0-liter six from BMC. On the other hand, a French restorer’s history of one car gives the figure as 2,860cc and 150 SAE bhp.

Hagerty says only 26 were built. However, other references count more: Old Classic Car says about thirty, and Classic & Sports Car says 32. Classic Car Garage puts it at 44, with Facel in receivership in 1964. Either way, Facel closed its doors on October 31, 1964, with the Facel 6 its last new model.

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This article was created with the help of AI and was reviewed and edited by Fast Lane Only editors before publication.