Facel Vega Excellence EX2, 1962
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Updated: 28-March-2024 19:41

Facel Vega Excellence EX2, 1962 | For sale

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Facel Vega Excellence EX2, year 1962 (EX2 C007). This majestic automobile was elected 'BEST OF SHOW' on the Maastricht Intrerclassics 2023!
Colour Gris Richelieu combined with a ‘Rouge Vif’ full leather interior. This utterly rare Facel Vega Excellence was delivered to Amicale Facel Holland (AFH) by its owner from Finland for a full restoration in 2016. Click here to see the online restoration report. here The automobile already was partly dismantled and obviously in a very rusty condition. Luckily the car was quite complete and AFH was able to find the missing parts for this project. After the body was reinforced, it was lifted from the chassis and welded on a temporary “work” chassis; the body was sand blasted, some collision damage was repaired, and all sheet metal restoration work was carried out. After that the bodywork was smoothened and finished with a high-quality paint system in the original colour: Gris Richelieu (a rather dark grey metallic with a shade of green in it). The chassis was also dismantled, shot blasted and powder coated. The chassis, the suspension, the engine, automatic gearbox, and all other mechanical components have been fully restored and overhauled to brand new condition. The marriage of body and chassis was performed, and all this was carried out in the years 2016 and 2017. The owner of the car decided to have the interior completely renewed. Unfortunately, this work took a long time (2018 – 2021) at the upholsterer, but the result is indeed stunning in the original red colour (“rouge vif”). In the first half of 2022 the restoration of this Excellence was completed. Only 8 cars of this type have been built in the years 1961 and 1962. This is a super rare and ultra-desirable Facel Vega Facel Excellence EX2, a sound investment, and a top specimen for the enthusiast / collector.

This Facel Vega is for sale at Amicale Facel Holland.
Price: On application.

Additional information: The Facel Vega Excellence was presented as a luxury limousine for heads of state and the world’s richest people. The 5,23 M long Excellence features four doors without a B-post, while the rear doors open as so-called suicide doors, which results in a large inviting opening to enter the fantastic interior. As the other Facel Vega’s the Excellence was an extremely luxurious automobile with a gorgeous finish and beautiful details. The interior is majestic with its mock walnut dashboard (in the typical French style), the leather upholstery in an exceptional high quality and with its perfume bottles. On the outside all body trim as well as the bumpers are made of stainless-steel. Facel Vega has manufactured 145 examples of the first series (type EX and EX1) in the years 1958 – 1961, but near the end of the production run the need of a “face lift” became evident. The somewhat dated panoramic windshield was replaced by a flatter version and the tail fins were rounded off to suppress these a bit. Mechanically the type 2 (EX2) was given disc brakes as standard equipment and the door locking mechanism had been improved. Of this second series (EX2) only 8 cars have been built in the years 1961 and 1962. The last examples were road registered as late as 1964. All 8 EX2 Excellences are still in existence. This EX2 C007 was sold new to the first owner in the USA in 1962. Officially the EX2 cars have still the original EX1 B… chassis numbers, because in fact these cars began their lives as EX1 bodies but were modified whilst still unfinished with the specific EX2 details. The EX2 C… numbers were “invented” later to make a clear difference but were never stamped on these cars. This EX2 C007 officially has the chassis number EX1 B139.

AFH 2209

The Facel Vega Excellence was presented as a luxury limousine for the worlds richest people. The Excellence was based upon the legendary Facel Vega HK 500 which was the fastest four seater production car of its day.
The 5.23 meter long Excellence features four doors of which the doors at the rear are so called suicide doors. The Excellence was built without a B-post. When the doors were opened the large opening was very inviting to enter the fantastic interior. As the other Facels the Excellence was an extremely luxurious automobile with a gorgeous finish and beautiful details. The interior is majestic with it’s mock walnut (in the French tradition) dashboard and beautifully chromed handles and switches. The leather upholstery is of an exceptionally high quality the comfort it offers reflects this. The car comes with all of the novelties which were common on the American market at the time. The robustly built automatic windows and the gear shift with it’s stylish buttons are extremely reliable and never fail. Chrome was used sparingly on Facel cars; the bumpers and side strips are all constructed of stainless steel. The Facel Vega Excellence is built upon a welded steel chassis within which the strong 6.2 litre Chrysler V8 is mounted. The undercarriage has independent wheel suspension with coil springs at the front and a live axle leaf spring suspension system at the rear. From 1960 onwards, the Excellence was equipped with disc brakes all round. Only 150 cars of this model have been built.

Technical data

Engine: 6.2 litre (383 Cui) Chrysler Wedge V8
Carburettor: 1 "four barrel" Carter AFB carburettor
Capacity: 355 SAE bhp. at 4800 rpm.
Gearbox: 3- speed, automatic (Chrysler Torqueflite)
Top-speed: 121 mph. - 200 km/h.
Weight: 1920 kg.

Facel Vega history

The French company Facel (Forges et Ateliers de Construction due’s et Loir) was first established in 1938 as a manufacturer of stainless steel products for the aircraft industry. After the second world war Facel began constructing automobile bodies for Simca, Ford France and Panhard.
In those days, the company was under the leadership of Jean Daninos.
Jean Daninos had always dreamt of manufacturing his own design of super car; the "Grand Routier" or in other words, a luxurious, comfortable and practical 4-person sports car. 1954 saw this dream become a reality with the introduction of the first ever Facel automobile onto the market, the Facel Vega FV1, equipped with a powerful and trustworthy American V8 Chrysler motor.

The addition of the Chrysler motor meant that Facel was one of the first manufacturers to combine European styled body work with a big reliable American V8...
The Facel Vega's were expensive and highly exclusive but they sold well, particularly amongst film stars and the rich and famous. With the passage of time the newer models became increasingly more expensive as extra improvements and features were introduced. At the end of the 1950’s, Facel had a motor designed specifically for use in a smaller model, the Facellia.
Unfortunately, these motors had so many teething problems that the huge amount of warranty claims they caused led the company into serious financial difficulties. The last ever models of the Facel line were fitted with Volvo P1800 (Facel III) and Austin Healey 150 pk six cylinder motors ( Facel 6). In 1964 this proud automobile finally went out of production.
Facel Vegas are cherished by enthusiasts all over the world to this very day. This extremely unique class of vehicle can easily be placed alongside classic makes such as Rolls-Royce, Bentley en Lagonda. Even though Facel did not manufacture it’s own motors, it is safe to say that the vehicle commonly known as the "Grand Routiers" of automobiles is of absolute top class and continues to leave a deep and lasting impression.

© Marc Vorgers 

Seller: Amicale Facel Holland
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