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!