I was hitch hiking from Fort Ord to L A sometime in the early 60's ( I am 77 now) and caught a rid with a guy driving a Facel Vega. He took me all the way to L A. Loved the car and the ride. Had never heard of this car until then but will never forget it either.
@@nygelmiller5293 I was like 18 yo at the time and didn't even know what a Facel Vega was. At that time there was very few imports VW being the biggest. And as for you trading places, I don't think that you would want my two forms of cancer which are no fun at all.
The best things about hitch hiking in the mid to late 1970s, as a working class English teenager, were those unforgettable lifts in cars I could only dream of owning. The two I'll never forget were both after dark, when I'd been waiting for hours with no luck. A brand new Ford Escort RS2000 from Bristol Gordano service roundabout all the way home to Manchester from a young man who worked for the UN. I also remember a lift in a Porsche 911 Turbo from near the Swiss border to Ville D'Orange in the South of France. I was in my late teens. Dangerous even then, but luckily nothing bad ever happened. I met many good people along the way.
It's not really "timeless" in the automotive sense, as that means it would not look out-of-place with the times in any motoring era. That's one of the most misused words in all of car enthusiast-dom. Clearly, not being "timeless" is the appeal here. However, I agree that it's a lovely design regardless.
Lol... I was well over half way through the video before I realized what I was hearing. It was in that short spot where there was no commentary when I got a good listen.
I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that Mercedes Benz may have ‘borrowed’ a lot of styling cues from this vehicle for their desirable 280SE coupes of the mid-late 1960s. What an interesting vehicle, of which I knew nothing. Thank you for sharing.
Normal Mercedes à faire un appel à facel Vega pour faire ses modèles c'est le concepteur est le designer de facel Vega qui travaillait aux États-Unis pendant la seconde guerre mondiale pour relancer l'industrie automobile en France donc il a fait la facel Vega en collaboration avec Chrysler il a donc été appelé par l'industrie allemande pour faire des modèles vendable en Allemagne c'est pour ça que toutes les Mercedes ressemble au facel Vega c'est le même concepteur des Mercedes c'est le même designer français
Hello from England! What an absolutely fabulous looking car! Many congratulations to the owner of this beautiful motor car for keeping it in such excellent condition! Thank you very much for this super post!
A French brand completely unknown by public in France ! It lasted only 10 years (1954 - 1964) producing less than 3000 cars. Some models are iconic: Facel II (fastest coupé in the world at this time) for example owned by Ringo Starr and this Excellence owned by Ava Gardner ! A particularity: Dashboards look wooden made but they are metallic and hand painted by an employee. FACEL means Forge and consruction workshop of Eure et Loire (a small region in France near the town of Dreux) VEGA is a reference to the star (very bright star).
Never heard of this car until now. What a beauty it is, really gorgeous. Thanks for showing👍. Greetings from the Čech Republic 🇨🇿 and stay healthy everybody 😷.
No, Clement! That's NOT Frank Sinatra on the radio! He's probably in the back seat, being chauffeured around! I'm sure if he heard of these rare cars, he'd have bought one, himself! (Then he could have heard HIMSELF on the radio!)
Fantastic dream car. Here in Portugal one of my relatives owned the 2 door, smaller version. As a kid, I loved to ride in that gorgeous convertible. It was indeed a good looking, classy vehicle. Probably nicer and better than the !Mercedes 230 SL (non yet made at that time). How about a video introducing the 2 door models ( FACEL VEGA and the smaller FACELLIA) to your fans?
Beautiful vehicle, never seen anything like it. I love the styling and the automatic transmission selection is amazing. Lovely music 🎶 great scenery. Thank you for sharing this 👍🇬🇧
I once saw a HK500 stored in a lock up in a village in Devon England. This was the late 70's, I wonder what became of it. I too had never heard of FV before but will never forget it.
Amazing car- to me it looks timeless. It reminds me of the Continental Mark II but it is even more sophisticated. Alors vraiment c'est une voiture superbe!
@ALAIN TERIEUR Giscard n'a pas tué Facel, il les a laissés mourir. La firme a commis l'erreur fatale de lancer la Facellia avec un moteur Pont à Mousson non fiabilisé. Ils ont du remplacer beaucoup de moteurs sous garantie et ne s'en sont jamais remis.Le pouvoir gaullien de cette époque ne voyait que par les grandes firmes, l'aviation et l'atome ça a réussi au début puis la crise du pétrole et l'arrivée des socialistes a sonné la fin de la récréation. Des financiers anglais auraient envisagé de relancer la firme et Jean Daninos aurait été sollicité mais il n'a pas voulu (ou pu) participer financièrement . Nos gouvernants n'ont jamais trop aimé la bagnole -sauf Pompidou et Fillon- quant aux dirigeants actuels mieux vaut oublier...Dire que notre pays a été l'un des pionniers de l'automobile . Sic transit gloria mundi.
There's a famous picture of Dean Martin in his driveway of his Beverly Hills home (601 Mountain Dr) with his Facel Vega. Probably take around 1960 or so and at the height of his coolness.
This car looks a lot like a Studebaker Hawk or a Commander. Especially the lines, the model, the trimmings, the body and the wheel covers as well. Hi praise, for this magnificent classic masterpiece. Thank you! Johnny, Montréal, Canada!
@@mohammaddavoudian7897 I don't like most American cars. Typically too much chrome and/or fake wood. Tailfins are also a complete abomination to my eyes. However, my '62 GT Hawk is more restrained than such usual American fare and I'm glad of it.
The complete absents of separate body panels to the eye, present a unique body style without being obvious, these small touches are at the heart of great design. Never a volume manufacturer, it held a rare position within France's exclusive luxury, bespoke vehicle range, this is a stand-out for me. Whereas the Citroën DS series was the epitome of the mass-produced vehicle, production. While the DS model introduced some unique technologies in an unfortunately under powered car, but for which, its greater significance in history would have been assured. Its reputation as a package of near perfection of engineering, was never held in doubt otherwise.
in the late '60's went home with college roommate on break, showed me his step-fathers car collection, the jewel there, an Excellence, gleaming black with blue interior. We were allowed to briefly 'exercise' that magnificent beast. Always wanted one, but think I did my best alternative and have six 1964-65-66 Imperials.
Always loved these. I remember looking at this in car book when I was a child (53 now) and always admired them for their style and power. I may be wrong however I think they also came with a mother of pearl inlay in the dash. The two door is my favourite.
Oh, my God! Mother of pearl? This make never ceases to amaze! BUT did you ever hear of Norma and Bernard Docker from England, in the 50's? The most spectacular for traditional limousines. Daimler were the choice of royalty, before Rolls-Royce. Bernard Docker became the head of Daimler and became LORD DOCKER. So his wife of course became LADY Docker, and decided they should promote the brand in the grandest of ways! So she had a special version built, with GOLD plated bumpers and trim - instead of CHROME - and the car was the FIRST car to have DOUBLE GLAZING! It was certainly the first, to ever have black and white striped ZEBRA skin seats! Grand days, indeed!
@@nygelmiller5293 just had a look at the Docker Daimler’s. Wow. They were indeed beautiful although the gold and zebra perhaps too much. No wonder the royalty switched! Thanks for your comment👍🏻
Saw my 1st FV 2 door in Brussels on leave in 1960 from the Army in Germany. Still have the photos of the car and me framed..I was 18 then, am now 83. Still my favorite. Sinatra, Dino, Sammy. and a few others owned this model. Problems arouse with poor welding seams.
i also love the European styling of the 1953 Packard Caribbean convertible with two-tone paint. I think the Facellia was to come later than this early FV.
Was never big on French cars but that really is on beautiful car. It really is sad we don’t see classy looking car like this anymore I miss all that chrome and stainless so much.
Certainly by RR & Limousine standards, traditionally set by the British upper classes, the beautifully appointed interior rivals RR, simply by virtue of the use of the identical suppliers and the bespoke fitment. I am dully impressed by the details I was unaware of.
Beautiful and nostalgic themed video ... It would be interesting to know if the wrap-around windscreen , popular in the US at the time was indeed made in the States and shipped to Europe with the engines.
No, but the installation of the windscreen was so difficult that one or two were broken each time they tried to install it before suceeding. That also was luxurious ...
The more I look at it the more I like it. If the company was around long enough to make a 2 version of this car or a sporty 2 door it would've been a showstopper
I remember when i was a kid i got into one of those big thunderbirds ..at 60 mph the felt like he was standing in the road. You don't get that feeling in the new cars even the big ones. There was some magic in the 50s and 60s big cars
This is not just a car, this is a piece of art.
the pieces of art were the early 60 thunderbirds.
A true dream of a car. Thank you for your charming presentation doing justice to the "Excellence".
I was hitch hiking from Fort Ord to L A sometime in the early 60's ( I am 77 now) and caught a rid with a guy driving a Facel Vega. He took me all the way to L A. Loved the car and the ride. Had never heard of this car until then but will never forget it either.
A chance of a lifetime, one might say.
Oh my God, you hitch-hiked, and got a ride in a Facel Vega? Could we switch round please, and could I be YOU?
@@nygelmiller5293 I was like 18 yo at the time and didn't even know what a Facel Vega was. At that time there was very few imports VW being the biggest. And as for you trading places, I don't think that you would want my two forms of cancer which are no fun at all.
The best things about hitch hiking in the mid to late 1970s, as a working class English teenager, were those unforgettable lifts in cars I could only dream of owning. The two I'll never forget were both after dark, when I'd been waiting for hours with no luck. A brand new Ford Escort RS2000 from Bristol Gordano service roundabout all the way home to Manchester from a young man who worked for the UN. I also remember a lift in a Porsche 911 Turbo from near the Swiss border to Ville D'Orange in the South of France. I was in my late teens. Dangerous even then, but luckily nothing bad ever happened. I met many good people along the way.
@@ianworley8169 Why are you all working class? I have yet to hear someone say their parents were physics or philosophy professors.
Such a timeless design. Six decades later it's still looks so appealing. Absolutely gorgeous.
It's not really "timeless" in the automotive sense, as that means it would not look out-of-place with the times in any motoring era. That's one of the most misused words in all of car enthusiast-dom. Clearly, not being "timeless" is the appeal here. However, I agree that it's a lovely design regardless.
The age of beauty, grace, class and elegance - and true originality - is behind us, sadly.
From Glenn Miller to Cardi B. The depth to which we've sunk is more than sad... it's a tragedy.
@@dwderp That's an understatement. The Planet of The Apes is now reality.
Facts!
No shit, the garbage they sell now, and not only cars is a disgrace
@@deborahchesser7375 Welcome to the future.
this sort of supreme automotive styling just does not exist anymore......Simply breathtaking
Perfect music for this ultra stylish car.
Lol... I was well over half way through the video before I realized what I was hearing. It was in that short spot where there was no commentary when I got a good listen.
True about Facel Vega: ua-cam.com/video/gfdgYDqPUaI/v-deo.html
Oh for the days of the automobile. That's when designers were artists.
I'm thinking I could fall in love with that car.
I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that Mercedes Benz may have ‘borrowed’ a lot of styling cues from this vehicle for their desirable 280SE coupes of the mid-late 1960s. What an interesting vehicle, of which I knew nothing. Thank you for sharing.
I had exactly the same thought!
Maybe because the head of Mercedes design of that period was a french. Paul Bracq.
I've always loved the 230 coupe myself...though a 250 or 280 would do quite nicely!
The FourWheelStyle
Normal Mercedes à faire un appel à facel Vega pour faire ses modèles c'est le concepteur est le designer de facel Vega qui travaillait aux États-Unis pendant la seconde guerre mondiale pour relancer l'industrie automobile en France donc il a fait la facel Vega en collaboration avec Chrysler il a donc été appelé par l'industrie allemande pour faire des modèles vendable en Allemagne c'est pour ça que toutes les Mercedes ressemble au facel Vega c'est le même concepteur des Mercedes c'est le même designer français
Wow... classy old style video.
Hello from England!
What an absolutely fabulous looking car! Many congratulations to the owner of this beautiful motor car for keeping it in such excellent condition!
Thank you very much for this super post!
One of the beautiful automobiles ever manufactured. Thank you for this video.
Beautyful Facel Vega .
One of my all-time favorites. Unforgettable. And gorgeous.
A French brand completely unknown by public in France ! It lasted only 10 years (1954 - 1964) producing less than 3000 cars.
Some models are iconic: Facel II (fastest coupé in the world at this time) for example owned by Ringo Starr and this Excellence owned by Ava Gardner !
A particularity: Dashboards look wooden made but they are metallic and hand painted by an employee.
FACEL means Forge and consruction workshop of Eure et Loire (a small region in France near the town of Dreux)
VEGA is a reference to the star (very bright star).
I have never heard of this car, but wow it's gorgeous. This is when every single manufacturer had their own look. This car is beautiful.
Very appropriate soundtrack….Unforgettable!
I have long been a fan of this marque. Thank you for sharing this beautiful automobile. It is truly outstanding and a gorgeous work of art.
The car is a beautiful piece of style, engineering and overall chic, and 61 years later still holds its own in every way. Excellent it is. 👍👍
I saw my first Facel Vega at the pebble Concours D Elegance 50 years ago and fell in love with them, and still am!!!
Absolutely The MOST beautiful car of its period, indeed still one of the most beautiful
Muy cerca de la belleza del Continental de 1956 y 1957
I agree
Magnifique! Merci!
Never heard of this car until now.
What a beauty it is, really gorgeous.
Thanks for showing👍.
Greetings from the Čech Republic 🇨🇿 and stay healthy everybody 😷.
I mean, you had Tatra. Not exactly small potatoes by any car enthusiast worth his ration of gasoline.
What an exquisitely beautiful automobile.
Wow, as a car lover for many, many years, its always fantastic to see something new/ overlooked. Lovely thing.
It's such a beautiful classic that I think I hear Frank Sinatra on the radio. I think I was dreaming. It is truly a french beauty of a high class.
No, Clement! That's NOT Frank Sinatra on the radio! He's probably in the back seat, being chauffeured around! I'm sure if he heard of these rare cars, he'd have bought one, himself! (Then he could have heard HIMSELF on the radio!)
I’m pretty sure he owned at least one
@@rmick66 Mr, Sinatra did indeed purchase one, It was a gift to his second wife Ava Gardner,
There's a video on UA-cam of the car,
Fantastic dream car. Here in Portugal one of my relatives owned the 2 door, smaller version. As a kid, I loved to ride in that gorgeous convertible.
It was indeed a good looking, classy vehicle. Probably nicer and better than the !Mercedes 230 SL (non yet made at that time). How about a video introducing the 2 door models ( FACEL VEGA and the smaller FACELLIA) to your fans?
Beautiful vehicle, never seen anything like it. I love the styling and the automatic transmission selection is amazing. Lovely music 🎶 great scenery. Thank you for sharing this 👍🇬🇧
The push button transmission is straight from Chrysler. Standard equipment for them at the time
@@mikejohnson7206 wow! That's amazing Mike
@@mikejohnson7206 wow! That's amazing Mike
Beautiful Car... I wish that the Facel kept making cars...
When I was about 12 yrs old one pulled up outside my dads grocery store, I'm 70 now! 🇬🇧.
Incredibly beautiful! I want one!!!!
2 Facel Vega for sale in Normandie :)
Great car, great music. Very classy!
Wow, what a voyage to the past! Excellent filming too - I especially liked the view of Lloyd Wright's Wayfarer's Chapel at 4' 33".
What a beautiful and elegant design!
Le coupé est déjà extrêmement magnifique mais la limousine me plait encore plus !
I once saw a HK500 stored in a lock up in a village in Devon England. This was the late 70's, I wonder what became of it. I too had never heard of FV before but will never forget it.
oh and ive done it and fallen in love. its so beautiful.
Always liked that car when I was a kid ... never new what it was, but looked unique, & still looks good today. Wow Beautiful!
Amazing car- to me it looks timeless. It reminds me of the Continental Mark II but it is even more sophisticated. Alors vraiment c'est une voiture superbe!
Marchal, la Voix de son Maître, Robergel. And tailfins 😀. Merci pour ce film !
J'ai travaillé chez Facel de 1958 à 1963 comme sellier à usine de Dreux , toujours bulletins de salaire de époque .
@ALAIN TERIEUR Giscard n'a pas tué Facel, il les a laissés mourir. La firme a commis l'erreur fatale de lancer la Facellia avec un moteur Pont à Mousson non fiabilisé. Ils ont du remplacer beaucoup de moteurs sous garantie et ne s'en sont jamais remis.Le pouvoir gaullien de cette époque ne voyait que par les grandes firmes, l'aviation et l'atome ça a réussi au début puis la crise du pétrole et l'arrivée des socialistes a sonné la fin de la récréation. Des financiers anglais auraient envisagé de relancer la firme et Jean Daninos aurait été sollicité mais il n'a pas voulu (ou pu) participer financièrement . Nos gouvernants n'ont jamais trop aimé la bagnole -sauf Pompidou et Fillon- quant aux dirigeants actuels mieux vaut oublier...Dire que notre pays a été l'un des pionniers de l'automobile . Sic transit gloria mundi.
Beautifully narrated! Thank you from France!
Dam thats one gorgeous car!
There's a famous picture of Dean Martin in his driveway of his Beverly Hills home (601 Mountain Dr) with his Facel Vega. Probably take around 1960 or so and at the height of his coolness.
Exceedingly pleasant and informational video.
... what a loveliness of car this is!
A breathtaking beauty! Tres chique!
Absolutely beautiful
Very nice video featuring a beautiful car. Thank you
This car looks a lot like a Studebaker Hawk or a Commander. Especially the lines, the model, the trimmings, the body and the wheel covers as well. Hi praise, for this magnificent classic masterpiece. Thank you! Johnny, Montréal, Canada!
I remember being fascinated when I saw the article and pictures in the French automotive magazine L'Automobile we received at home in the 50s.
Nat King Cole's Unforgettable playing in the background
Utterly utterly beautiful 😍
An absolute gem. I love American cars. Beautiful, comfortable and nostalgic.
This one is a French car.
@ALAIN TERIEUR Thanks for the information (I didn't know), but I still love American cars!
@@patrickcaradec6174 Yes, thanks for the information, but that doesn't stop me from loving American cars!
@@mohammaddavoudian7897 I don't like most American cars. Typically too much chrome and/or fake wood. Tailfins are also a complete abomination to my eyes. However, my '62 GT Hawk is more restrained than such usual American fare and I'm glad of it.
@@jakekaywell5972 Thanks for the info. I love the 40s, 50s and 60s cars (American).
stunning !
The complete absents of separate body panels to the eye, present a unique body style without being obvious, these small touches are at the heart of great design. Never a volume manufacturer, it held a rare position within France's exclusive luxury, bespoke vehicle range, this is a stand-out for me. Whereas the Citroën DS series was the epitome of the mass-produced vehicle, production. While the DS model introduced some unique technologies in an unfortunately under powered car, but for which, its greater significance in history would have been assured. Its reputation as a package of near perfection of engineering, was never held in doubt otherwise.
Truly Beautiful car. As Beautiful as the tucker was.
As you said "What's not to like....?" Facel Vega simply gorgeous cars.
in the late '60's went home with college roommate on break, showed me his step-fathers car collection, the jewel there, an Excellence, gleaming black with blue interior. We were allowed to briefly 'exercise' that magnificent beast. Always wanted one, but think I did my best alternative and have six 1964-65-66 Imperials.
Wow very very nice, beautiful
Wow! Absolutely beautiful!!!
Beauty on wheels!
Always loved these. I remember looking at this in car book when I was a child (53 now) and always admired them for their style and power. I may be wrong however I think they also came with a mother of pearl inlay in the dash. The two door is my favourite.
Oh, my God! Mother of pearl? This make never ceases to amaze! BUT did you ever hear of Norma and Bernard Docker from England, in the 50's? The most spectacular for traditional limousines. Daimler were the choice of royalty, before Rolls-Royce. Bernard Docker became the head of Daimler and became LORD DOCKER. So his wife of course became LADY Docker, and decided they should promote the brand in the grandest of ways! So she had a special version built, with GOLD plated bumpers and trim - instead of CHROME - and the car was the FIRST car to have DOUBLE GLAZING! It was certainly the first, to ever have black and white striped ZEBRA skin seats! Grand days, indeed!
@@nygelmiller5293 just had a look at the Docker Daimler’s. Wow. They were indeed beautiful although the gold and zebra perhaps too much. No wonder the royalty switched! Thanks for your comment👍🏻
Face Vega is in itself is a rolling art and craftsmanship but the music in video earned two more thumbs from me...
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I love the painted steel "wood" dashboard.
The dash is the star feature, of these amazing cars!
Le tableau de bord est en bois véritable. Bonjour de France.
Wonderful car.
Never even heard of this! Stunning!!
Tres belle auto. Thank you for sharing
Saw my 1st FV 2 door in Brussels on leave in 1960 from the Army in Germany. Still have the photos of the car and me framed..I was 18 then, am now 83. Still my favorite. Sinatra, Dino, Sammy. and a few others owned this model. Problems arouse with poor welding seams.
That car in Rancho Palos Verde...oh my.
i also love the European styling of the 1953 Packard Caribbean convertible with two-tone paint. I think the Facellia was to come later than this early FV.
Love this car. Euro-American grace, style and performance.
Fancy a Sunday drive?
Absolutely stunning car.
beautiful car
Love these things
Was never big on French cars but that really is on beautiful car. It really is sad we don’t see classy looking car like this anymore I miss all that chrome and stainless so much.
Nice. After seeing this, I’m imagining one in a darkish blue, with the Borrani wheels.
J'adore !
Absolutely gorgeous - drop dead! I wish it were mine!
Wonderful car !
Certainly by RR & Limousine standards, traditionally set by the British upper classes, the beautifully appointed interior rivals RR, simply by virtue of the use of the identical suppliers and the bespoke fitment. I am dully impressed by the details I was unaware of.
That's sooo beautiful! 🙂
Excellence nom bien porté. Le must du raffinement dans la construction automobile.
Großartig 👍🏼✨✨✨
The grilles and fenders were made near me in Amboise France as was the prototype car.
Lovely
Lovely !
Stunning
Fascinating!
This is the first I see that they made a 4-door! Love the coupe instead.
3:58 Is it fold down picnic tables and a drinks cabinet we can see in the back of the front seats? -A bit like some of the big ole Jags.
Beautiful and nostalgic themed video ... It would be interesting to know if the wrap-around windscreen , popular in the US at the time was indeed made in the States and shipped to Europe with the engines.
No, but the installation of the windscreen was so difficult that one or two were broken each time they tried to install it before suceeding. That also was luxurious ...
@@felix25ize that sure looks like a 57 through 66 Imperial windshield.
I wish the hard top sedan and coupe would make a comeback
The more I look at it the more I like it. If the company was around long enough to make a 2 version of this car or a sporty 2 door it would've been a showstopper
I remember when i was a kid i got into one of those big thunderbirds ..at 60 mph the felt like he was standing in the road. You don't get that feeling in the new cars even the big ones. There was some magic in the 50s and 60s big cars
As long as the driver did not use the brakes nor try to make a corner.
Sublime.
Got a picture of Dean Martin standing next his. COOL!
unfortunately i've long had the knowledge of and taste for a FACEL-VEGA.....but never the funding.....the awareness drives the frustration
Muy buen video. Para hacer lucir esta belleza feancesa.
Perhaps the best cars in the world! Perhaps the best cars of all time!