1964 Facel Vega III Facel III Cabrio LHD " absolute Weltrarität"

The Facel Vega

Facel III.Cabrio Linkslenker Classic. 1 “ an absolute global rarity”

The Facels were expensive even before they hit the road. And since Daninos possessed neither the production capacity nor the technical expertise in-house, he sourced the best and most expensive components the market had to offer. These parts made the Facel Vega nearly twice as expensive in England as a comparable Jaguar; for the same price, one could have bought a nice house in the City of London back then. The British weren't entirely bowled over by the French offering, though—it only earned the accolade of "the second-best car in the world."

But Monsieur Daninos liked things upscale—and so, surely, did his clientele. Potentates like the Shah of Persia and King Hassan II of Morocco vied for the Facel Vega at the Avenue Georges V showroom; racing driver Stirling Moss owned two, and actress Ava Gardner bought three. The list of other owners reads like a who's who: Pablo Picasso, Joan Collins, Tony Curtis, Christian Dior, Herbert von Karajan (likely), Louis Malle, Grace Kelly, Yves Montand, Anthony Quinn, Frank Sinatra, Ringo (of the Beatles), François Truffaut, Maurice Trintignant, Catherine Deneuve, Peter Fonda, Dean Martin, Porfirio Rubirosa, Jean-Pierre Guerlain, Guy Laroche, and others. It almost gives the impression that Facels were owned exclusively by the famous.

In 1959, Facel designed its own 1.6-liter, 4-cylinder engine for the Facellia, producing 115 hp. However, the pistons seized because the compression ratio was too high. The engine had been developed in just two years, leaving too little time for Daninos to conduct trials and extensive test drives. The warranty claims for 300 Facellia engines forced Jean Daninos to resign as early as 1961 – and ultimately drove the brand into bankruptcy in 1964.

What's truly remarkable is that prices for the Facel Vega haven't (yet) skyrocketed. Only rarely does one of these ...French marvels trade for over $300,000—true bargains compared to the mass-produced Ferraris and commonplace Aston Martins of that era. Furthermore, the engineering was relatively straightforward. Yet, quality was never an issue; Facel Vegas were lovingly assembled by hand, as Daninos was a perfectionist.

Its successor, the Facel III, had ironed out all the earlier quirks; powered by a Volvo engine, it is now counted among the rarest Facel Vega models—especially the beautiful, elegant cabriolets.

This model was equipped with the 1,780 cc inline-four engine from the Volvo P1800. In the Facel III, the Volvo B18 engine produced 108 hp (79 kW) and was paired with a four-speed transmission from the same manufacturer, which was also available with an optional overdrive. Features included Marchal-Mégalux headlights and a radiator grille styled after the Facel II.

A total of 624 Facel III coupés were built, with only 192 produced as cabriolets. Of these, only 46 were left-hand drive models; currently, only nine restored left-hand drive examples are known to exist worldwide. Consequently, the Facel III ranks among the rarest Facel Vega vehicles on the market.

Awards.

1st Prize, Concours d’Elegance, 2023 Baden-Baden Classic Car Meeting

“Best of Show” Classic Cars Retro Exhibition, Schloss Reichenschwand

ZCCA Zürich , Zug Classic Car Award 2026. “BEST PRESERVED”

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