1960s Classic Saloon Cars Archives

Facel Vega Facel II

You know when a car has cracked it. Celebrities and royals are first in line. So it was with the Facel Vega Facel II. Among them was a certain Ringo Starr – drummer in a band called The Beatles, apparently. Along with racing drivers, too, of course. Stirling Moss and Rob Walker both owned a Facel II.

The Facel II fared well at the track, as well as on road. It was, after all, powered by a tractable V8 engine. And its top speed was 140mph. A 4-speed manual Pont a’ Mousson gearbox was hooked up to the 390bhp Chrysler 300 block.

Not that the Facel II’s V8 motor did not have its work cut out for it. With four passengers – and a full tank of fuel – the car weighed in at almost two tons. Thoughtfully, Facel Vega had fitted Armstrong Selecta-Ride rear dampers. A full set of Dunlop brake discs did the stopping honours. The Facel II came with power steering, leather seats and electric windows – all as standard. Design-wise, the car’s cockpit instrumentation was on an aeronautical theme. This particular Facel Vega, then, was fast, comfortable – and supremely stylish. Saying that, it cost as much as several comparable cars put together. So, just 160 Facel IIs were built … in true exclusive French style!

Lincoln Continental

It is not often that a car plays its part in history. Sadly, though, that was the case for the Lincoln Continental. For, it was while riding in the stretched Presidential version – through Dallas, Texas, in ’63 – that John F Kennedy was fatally shot. The Continental was tailor-made for affairs of state. The MkII Continental – released in ’56 – came with virtually every mod con going. Naturally, it was graced with a price tag to match. What distinguished it was its pristine lines and sober styling. Chrome and fins were in evidence. But nothing like so much as on most other highway exotica, of the time. The Continental packed serious gravitas. In short, it had class!

’61 ushered in the most iconic Continental of all. That was the legendary ‘clap-door’ model. It acquired the tag on account of its rear-hinged back door. To say the least, it needed to be opened with care. Backwards-looking visibility was not its strong suit. Beware passing motorcycles! The second the new Lincoln was launched, celebrities’ minders strong-armed their way to the showrooms. Before long, everyone who was anyone had gone Continental. The new car had the lot! Shapely elegance, lashings of luxury – and, courtesy of Ford – a rorty V8. The Continental’s top speed was 125mph. Its 3-speed automatic gearbox made it a breeze to drive – especially if you were in the ‘power-top’ convertible version. The Continental saloon ate straightaways for breakfast. Corners – it has to be said – were slightly less to its taste. 7.0- and 7.5-litre engines were fitted. Maximum output was 365bhp. So – performance-wise – the Continental was no slouch. And that was with 5,215lb of body mass to move.

The Continental was a crowd-puller from the get-go. With its bulbous nose – and ‘egg-crate’ grille – it was a magnet for passers-by. Subsequent models, though, were less charismatic. The MkIII Continental, for example, had all of the size – but less of the charm – of its spotlessly-styled predecessor. So meticulously built was the original that Lincoln lost money on it. Into the ’60s – and the Continental continued to pick up plaudits. It comprised, after all, the best of both worlds – American scale and European refinement. Brawn mixed with chic, so to speak. All in all, the Lincoln Continental was one of a kind. A fitting backcloth, then, for that doom-laden day in Dallas – when the whole of the world held its breath!

Buick Riviera

Its name alone told you all you needed to know about the Buick Riviera. It was a classy automobile! Built at a time when in your face fins and chrome were ubiquitous, the Riviera oozed cool sophistication. Automotive haute couture, so to speak. Spotlessly clean, in design terms, its shape was especially powerful in profile. The Riviera’s elegantly-drawn body was along the lines of, say, a Jaguar or Bentley. So European were its looks that it might almost have been described as the Rolls-Royce of American cars! Interior décor, too, was in the continental style – complete with rounded dashboard dials and floor-mounted gear-shift. Electric windows and power steering came as standard, naturally!

But, the Riviera’s charms were more than skin-deep. In highest-spec 7.0-litre guise, its V8 engine produced no less than 365bhp. Top speed was a cool 130mph … pretty good going for a five-seater saloon car. A two-speed automatic gearbox kept it all on an even keel. Not that the Riviera was perfect, of course. Handling was average – not helped by the live rear axle. And its drum brakes were prone to high-speed fade.

The Riviera, then, was a satisfying blend of American and European. The best of both worlds, Buick hoped. For all its cosmopolitan chic, there was still more than a hint of muscle-bound machismo. Straddling the ‘pond’, you might say. At the time, it was the bee’s knees in transatlantic travel. Indeed, many a Mediterranean tourist would not be seen in anything else. Would they, chéri?