1962 Facel Vega Facellia – Project Profile

French auto maker Facel may not be a household name alongside the likes of Renault or Peugeot but that’s not to say it didn’t make some damn good cars. It just didn’t make very many of them. Less than 3,000 to be exact, which, when compared to those Gallic giants we just mentioned, almost pales into insignificance. But to call any of Facel’s cars insignificant would be doing it a huge disservice because these elegant autos rightly deserve their place in the automotive history books. The company only made a handful of models during its ten year tenure (although the company had been in business since 1939 as a manufacturer of steel components), with the Facel Vega being its most famous model. Today, however, we want to talk about the Facel Vega Facellia, a car that pretty much signified the end of the company, despite being a sure thing on paper.

Introduced in 1960 the Facellia was Facel’s entry into the volume sports car market, sitting alongside the more exclusive, V8-powered Vega. And exclusive is definitely the appropriate word to use here because the list of famous Facel owners is long and distinguished. Like we said earlier, Facel made damn good cars and if your list of endorsees includes the likes of Frank Sinatra, Pablo Picasso, Stirling Moss and the King of blooming Morocco then it’s safe to say Facel boss Jean Daninos knew what he was doing. But we digress.

There was clearly a market for tasty sports coupés at the time and the Facellia would be pitted head-to-head with other premium sportsters like the Mercedes 190 SL, against which it could certainly hold its own. Well-engineered (for the most part), the handsome hand-built body was definitely a head turner so where did it all go wrong? Well, as we all know, a tasty, premium sports car requires a tasty, premium engine. Unfortunately the Facellia was distinctly lacking in that particular department. Iironic really as the big, burly V8s of the previous Vega were one of that car’s strongest selling points.

Yes it was always destined to have a four-cylinder but instead of having a zesty 1.9-litre like the SL or a characterful boxer as found in the Porsche 356, the Facellia was fitted with a rather lacklustre and horrendously unreliable French lump that caused so many problems as to be subsequently replaced for free by the company in an attempt to save customer relations. A third engine – the incredibly reliable Volvo B18 – was made available but it was too late, the damage had already been done and Facel would become bankrupt very soon after, with only 1,100 Facellias leaving the factory in total.

What is it? 

Luckily for you, dear reader, this particular 1962 Facel Vega Facellia does indeed come equipped with that wonderful Volvo four-pot meaning that this car has the mechanical reliability to match its remarkably stylish looks. Currently residing in south west France this four-speed manual Facellia has covered less than 32,000 miles in its lifetime. It’s a running, driving example that has been fastidiously cared for and comes with an extensive service history and an excellent mechanical bill of health.

Why is it a project? 

Although the car has been looked after there are areas that are beginning to show their age, most notable of which is the interior. The black leather seats have cracked in several places and the centre console needs some work, as does the headlining, especially on the B-pillars. Externally the bodywork is in great shape but some surface corrosion is starting to show on some areas of the chassis. The car has been resprayed in the past but unfortunately a number of exterior logos, badges and chrome fixtures were not replaced and have gone missing as a result.

What should you look for? 

As this is an auction car we’ve done all of the hard work for you so head over to the professionally written listing for the full run down along with a ton of photos of all aspects of the Facellia. All of the information you need is there but suffice to say this would be a fairly simple rolling restoration project for someone with no “big jobs” to have to deal with.

What should you do with it? 

For starters we would simply drive it for a while. Get used to how it feels and how it in turn makes you feel whilst discovering for yourself first hand what needs to be tackled to bring this Facel Vega Facellia back to its factory best. Some light interior restoration work and perhaps a rub down and treatment of the underneath may be all that is required, owing to the fact that the exterior bodywork is in such good shape. Sourcing the missing badging may be an issue but there are a few European specialists out there that can help. Whatever the case, this Facel Vega Facellia represents a wonderful opportunity to own an incredibly rare but beautifully styled and atypically reliable ’60s sports coupé.