FV The Facel "Vega" was launched at the 1954 Paris Salon, although the first prototype had been completed in October 1953. Originally the model name was "Vega", but they gradually became "Facel Vega" with "FV" followed by a number indicating the iteration. By 1956, the cars were called
FVS (for Facel Vega Sport) in the United States. The 1954 versions of the Facel were fitted with a
DeSoto Firedome (Chrysler) 4.5 litre
Hemi V8 engine, paired with either Chrysler's two-speed Powerflite
automatic transmission or, at extra cost, a four-speed
manual made by Pont-à-Mousson. At this stage, the FV was capable of a top speed from , depending on which rear axle ratio was installed. The chassis, designed by
Lance Macklin, was tubular framed, featuring coil springs and double wishbones at the front, with a leaf-sprung live rear axle. The styling, by Daninos himself, was somewhat American and perhaps a bit heavy, with rudimentary tail fins. The body was an expanded version of the earlier, Facel-bodied
Simca/Ford Comète. An abundance of stainless steel brightwork was fitted. The dashboard was aircraft-inspired, and one of the first to feature a middle console over the gearbox. On FV and FV1 models, the dashboard was entirely upholstered in leather. The rear seats folded flat to provide a luggage platform and additional access to the boot. In 1955 the engine capacity increased to 4.8 litres and (
FV1). The FV1 was also longer than the original design47 of these early FVs were built in 1954 and 1955. Seven were convertibles, but as these suffered from rigidity troubles all but a handful of the rest of the large two-door Facels were pillarless coupés. File:Facel-Vega FV Rear-view.JPG|Rear view of early
FV File:Facel Vega FV1 Cabriolet (34945594855).jpg|FV1 Cabriolet
FVS Introduced in October 1955, the
FV2 featured a panoramic (aka wrap-around) windshield. The
trompe-l'œil dashboard was metal, hand painted to look like
burled wood by Marcel Bigot, the head of Facel's paint department. Referred to as the
FVS in the United States, the car featured the same 4.8-litre engine as in the FV1, albeit now offering . One FV3 convertible was also finished, in spite of Daninos' reluctance to offer the bodystyle due to its lack of rigidity. File:1956 Facel Vega FV2B no56106.jpg|Early Facel Vega FVS (1956 FV2B), combining the first front design with panoramic windshield File:1957 FACEL VEGA FV 2B Cabriolet.jpg|One of the two Facel Vega FV2B Cabriolet (wearing an FV3 front), chassis no. 57097 (originally 56097).
HK500 For 1959, the
Facel Vega HK500 was introduced. Essentially, it was just a renamed, upgraded FVS. Equipped at first with the 5.8-litre V8 from the FVS, the HK500 soon received a 6.3 litre Chrysler V8, giving it a top speed of 147 mph (237 km/h). It could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 8.5 seconds. Initially, disc brakes were optional, becoming standard in April, 1960. The
Facel Vega II replaced the HK500 in 1962, after 489 had been built. One was a specially made convertible. Total FV/HK production was 842, or 846 depending on the source. ==Incidental facts==