The Official Facel Véga Car Club UK

Established since 1977

About the Club
Facel Véga Car Club UK

Facel Véga Car Club UK

The FVCC was formed in 1977 under the name “Facel Véga Owners Club” by a few enthusiasts, and some of the founder members are still with the club today.

The aims of the club are to share the fun of classic cars, with the underlying serious purpose of preserving a historically significant vehicle of which only a small number remain. A register of cars which continue to exist is also maintained and members are asked to report sightings of this endangered species to the club historian – there are still a few “missing” cars to be located.

The History of Facel Véga

The Facel company (acronym meaning "Forges et Ateliers de Construction d'Eure-et-Loir") was legally founded on 20 December 1939 (war having been declared since 3 September 1939) by a major subcontracting company for military aviation – the Bronzavia company, headed by Henri Feuillée (1887-1975) – as an additional subsidiary in order to be able to meet the intensive arms orders of the Ministry of War. Its capital was 100,000 francs, its head office and factory were located in Dreux (Eure-et-Loir, hence its name). René Keller, General of the Air Force, was appointed non-executive chairman and Marcel Koehler, engineer, as managing director, both of whom were already directors of the parent company Bronzavia.

Shortly after the tragic events of June 1940, the Dreux factory was requisitioned by the German occupying army and Facel retreated to the suburbs of Paris not far from the Bronzavia factory and set up in Colombes in a second factory which would become its main factory after the war.

Bronzavia was obliged to collaborate in France, but this did not prevent its boss, Henri Feuillée, from sending his dynamic technical director since 1937, the young Jean Daninos (1906-2001) - who had started out at Citroën by participating in the design of the Traction-Avant coupés and convertibles - to "continue the war effort with the Allies", first in Great Britain and then in the United States.

On July 26, 1945, Messrs. Keller, president, and Kœhler, general manager, resigned to make way for Jean Daninos who was appointed chairman and general manager while Henri Feuillée received the title of "advisor to the president" within Facel. Ten days later, the MétalIon company was integrated into Facel.

While keeping a small aeronautical subcontracting activity, the new CEO oriented the firm's activity towards the subcontracting of small series bodywork on behalf of major automobile brands.

The Dyna Panhard

A contract was quickly concluded with Panhard for the manufacture of small series bodies of the first Dyna (design by Panhard). Released in 1947, it was the first French production car with a bodywork largely made of aluminum. Around 45,000 examples were produced.

The Bentley Cresta

In addition to these major productions, J. Daninos cultivated his secret garden: the high-performance luxury car. He chose the chassis of the Bentley 4.2-litre Mark VI, which he fitted with a fast-back body under license from Pinin Farina. Presented in 1948 as "Specially designed Facel-Farina Body, manufactured by Facel Métallon Co, Paris, and approved by Bentley Motors", only twelve examples of this high-luxury sports car were produced.

In 1952, Jean Daninos decided to produce a new grand touring car according to his own criteria and started working on the prototype of a luxurious 2+1 coupé. Realizing that no French engine could be suitable for his creation, which he wanted to have high performance, he turned to the relationships he had established during the war with American industrial circles, including the Chrysler Corporation for the supply of powerful and modern V8 engines.

The Véga is presented as an elegant and luxurious 2+1-seater coupé powered by a powerful 4,528 cm3 Chrysler V8 "De Soto Firedome" engine which, coupled to a Pont-à-Mousson four-speed synchronized gearbox, promised 180 hp at 4,400 rpm giving a theoretical speed of 198 km/h.

Building on the success achieved at the Motor Show, production was considered, but with a longer wheelbase than that of the Véga 54 (2+1 seats) in order to accommodate two additional seats in the rear (2+2 seats) and no longer just one arranged transversely as was the prototype.

It was from the FV2 type (with a panoramic windshield and a walnut burl dashboard) presented in September 1955 that Facel Véga, and no longer Véga, officially became the brand of the car. Then the models followed, types FV2, FV2B, FV3, FV3B, FV4, each time with a more powerful Chrysler engine: from 200 hp for the FV2 to 340 hp for the FV4.

At the Paris Motor Show in October 1956, a sumptuous sedan named Excellence was presented, with four doors opening in opposite directions, without a central pillar, giving it, with the windows down, the appearance of a coupe, but it would not be available until 1958. It took up the chassis of the FV coupe series, however enlarged and reinforced with a powerful Chrysler engine of nearly 6 liters of displacement.

In 1958, the HK 500 coupé (type HK) appeared, considered the culmination of the series, with a powerful 5,907 cm3 Chrysler engine equipped with its automatic gearbox, the Pont-à-Mousson manual gearbox being optional. Dunlop disc brakes were adopted as standard a year later (type HK 1), while a few examples reserved for export received an even more powerful 6,286 cm3 engine.

It was a model of this version that, driven by Paul Frère (winner that year of the 24 Hours of Le Mans), reached the speed of 237.154 km/h on a section of motorway neutralized for this purpose, near Antwerp. Several Formula 1 drivers, such as Maurice Trintignant and Stirling Moss, chose it for their private trips.

The small Facel Véga convertible was studied at the end of 1957 and presented in Paris in September 1959 a few days before the opening at the Motor Show where it was the star, being very well received by the entire press and by enthusiasts, some of whom placed orders before even trying it. Its price was set at 19,500 francs, compared to 39,500 francs for the Facel Véga HK 500 and… 52,000 francs for an Excellence.

A major innovation, it was a 100% French Facel Véga, because the engine, proudly branded Facel Véga, had been designed by the engineers of the Fonderies de Pont-à-Mousson company under the direction of Jean Cavallier based on a study by the renowned engine designer Carlo Marchetti, a defector from Talbot.

Unfortunately, Facel quickly found itself in a difficult financial situation due to the abundance of engine changes under warranty and the fact that their reputation for fragility had quickly spread among enthusiasts and in automobile magazines. At the end of 1960/beginning of 1961, sales collapsed and, called upon again – after an initial loan of 200 million old francs obtained in July 1960 – the State granted a second loan of 86 million old francs in June 1961.

The government loan made it possible to present the Facel II at the October 1961 Motor Show, a car even more powerful than the HK 500 with a 6,267 cm3 Chrysler engine developing 390 hp, allowing it to exceed 240 km/h and taking up the slogan: "The fastest 4-seater coupé in the world". Lower and longer, the Facel II, superiorly finished, is considered one of the most beautiful French cars produced after 1945.

The recent Volvo 4-cylinder, type B18-B, was chosen for the Facel III. With a displacement of 1,780 cm3, it developed 108 hp at 5,800 rpm and fitted perfectly into the Facellia, providing slightly higher performance. After some facelifts to the bodywork and dashboard, inspired by the Facel II, this new little Facel Véga, named Facel III, was marketed in April 1963.

On October 31, 1964, the Facel factories closed their doors for good, having produced just under 3,000 cars in ten years. Facel Véga: the mere mention of this name made people dream in its time and continues to make lovers of beautiful and powerful cars dream today. They embodied a certain idea of "Grand Tourisme à la française" by allowing in the greatest comfort and on long journeys averages impossible for other cars, this at a time when speed was completely free on the roads.

Like a shooting star, the Facel Véga's trajectory was brief but brilliant, and its chic legacy endures, says Martin Buckley

To take command of a Facel Véga Facel II in the early Sixties was to experience earthbound jet travel in your own personal first-class compartment, with high-grade fixtures and fittings that, almost half a century on, have yet to be beaten for stylish flamboyance.

Relaxing on fine English leathers, caressing a slim, deeply dished wheel, admiring a dashboard that combined the cabinet-maker's artistry (in fact, it was painted metal) with the multi-dialled feel of a private aircraft, the Facel II owner of four decades ago was in the privileged position of driving not only the worlds most decadent and fashionable four-seater coupé, but also the fastest.

Consider the figures: the automatic 355bhp, 6.3 litre Facel II of 1961 would lunge past 60 in 7.8 seconds, hit 100 in 21 seconds, and had a terminal velocity of 134mph.

The Facel II is the most coveted of the 3,033 Facel Végas produced from 1954 to 1964. It is a marque that attracted more interest and generated more excitement than many more sober companies, with histories 10 times as long. In one stroke, Facel effortlessly gatecrashed the elite ranks of the world's most exclusive cars. Few first-time makers have ever established their identity with such a swift, sure touch as this Franco-American Grand Routier. As an exercise in upmarket branding, the new French supercar was a masterstroke.

It is 40 years since le patron, Jean Daninos, built his Facel Véga cars. So, why does this marque have such resonance as one of the mid-20th century's most glamorous automotive status symbols? The ownership profile had something to do with it. Facel never had to advertise much because its buyers did it for them. Peers and pop stars, matinée idols and off-duty Grand Prix drivers, old money and nouveaux riches.

Yet the Facel II and its predecessors sold just as strongly to the sober, discerning international rich - diplomats, aristocrats and plutocrats - as to showbiz types such as Danny Kaye, Ava Gardner and Ringo Starr. The concept was simple: wholesome, virile new-world power - in the form of Chrysler's V8 - harnessed in a chassis that retained the old-world sensibilities of moderate size and firm, good-mannered handling. It wasn't rocket science - Facel wasn't the first to use American horses in a European chassis - yet, somehow, it cleverly bridged the gap between ponderous luxury saloons and the most expensive sports cars.

The First Facel Végas appeared in 1954. Jean Daninos, a playboy industrialist who had made his fortune during the war building aircraft components, wanted to create an international marque with the luxury to appeal to connoisseurs of all nationalities. He knew from the start that the main market for his new car would be outside France. It was a brave car to build in the post-war socialist climate, where large-engined non-essential machinery was hit hard by the taxman.

Though he kept himself busy running an industrial combine of 1,700 workers (building car bodywork for other firms, among other things), the Facel Végas were entirely the conception of this energetic industrialist. He was designer, stylist and boss rolled into one. Showing an assured eye for line and form, he created the trademark three-piece honeycomb grille and vertical headlights, setting a house style that would endure for the entire production run.

Technically, his cars would change very little, except to become even faster and more luxurious, culminating in the Facel II. Introduced at the Paris show of October 1961, only 181 cars were built over the next three years. Facels always sold well in the UK, where the marque was handled by a subsidiary of HWM Motors called Intercontinental Cars.

The first Facel II sold in the UK went to Lionel Bart, who insisted on having the car he'd seen on the Earls Court Show stand in 1961. That car was left-hook, but all of the other 26 - costing the equivalent of two E-Types and a Lotus Elan - were right-hand drive, the last one sold to Ringo Starr.

The death in a Facel Véga of the great French existentialist writer Albert Camus in January 1960 put the make under something of a black cloud, but it was the firm's blunders in the realms of higher-volume manufacture with a smaller sports car called the Facellia that finished it off. Pressured into using a frail and unproven engine of its own manufacture (red tape would not allow it to use an imported unit), Daninos paid the price in warranty claims, and Facellia sales could never justify the investment. Facel went into receivership in 1962, and limped on until 1964, when a final bid by Daninos to have a licensing deal to build Land Rovers in France was quashed by Charles de Gaulle, who was famously distrustful of the English and would not be driven in a presidential Facel because it had an American engine.

Would the Facel II have survived the Sixties if the Facellia had been drowned at birth? Perhaps, although younger, cheaper Euro-V8 competition was starting to catch up. Jensen, Iso, Gordon-Keeble and others all trod the same hybrid path, but today, the Bristol is the only survivor of this Sixties school of American-engined gentlemen's hot rods.

Yet, somehow, none of them ever quite recaptured the glamorous romance of the French original.

Benefits Of Becoming A Member

Why you should join the Facel Véga Car Club UK, connect with fellow enthusiasts, access expert knowledge, and explore the rich history of these rare French luxury cars. Discover a community passionate about preserving and celebrating the timeless elegance of Facel Véga automobiles.

Join the UK club and automatically become a member of the French club Amical Facel Vega with over 650 members and access to all their events and rallies in France with an informative club magazine sent to your home address.

Come on UK club events even if you don’t have a Facel Vega – for example the club joined with the Bristol club to show our cars at a Shuttleworth Historic Air Day.

We have on the club committee a number of ‘experts’ on the marque to provide help on technical issues, spare parts, and even DVLA support on registering your car.

Facel Véga Car Club UK
Facel Véga Car Club UK

FVCC Events

We host an array of engaging events for our members throughout the calendar year.

All available events are listed below:

  • May 2025 - Rally to The Channel Islands in conjunction with the Amicale

    – Details to be advised

Contact us

For general enquiries or to join the Facel Véga Car Club UK, please contact our Membership Secretary. Alternatively, you may use the enquiry form at the bottom of this page.

We aim to respond to all messages within 48 hours.

Club Treasurer - Freddy Page-Roberts
Email: f.pr@me.com or Call: +44 7780 605 357


Join us today!

To enquire about becoming a member of the Facel Véga Car Club UK, please complete the form below. We welcome enthusiasts of all levels, from long-time owners to those simply fascinated by these elegant French automobiles.

Kindly provide your contact details and any specific areas of interest or questions you may have. Our membership secretary will respond promptly to your enquiry.

Whether you own a Facel or simply admire these rare vehicles, we look forward to welcoming you to our passionate community of classic car enthusiasts.

Facel Véga Car Club UK