• The first prototype example of the legendary Facel II; features unique bodywork
• Owned and driven by Facel Vega founder Jean Daninos
• Finished in Noire over Noire and specified with a Pont-à-Mousson four-speed manual gearbox
• Presented following an exacting restoration that took place between 2020 and 2022

Please note this car is titled as 1965

Questa vettura è immatricolata 1965

Jean Daninos founded Forges et Ateliers de Construction d’Eure-et-Loir—or FACEL—in 1939, but it wasn’t until 1954 and the launch of the Vega that the firm became an automobile manufacturer proper. This was followed by the HK500 and four-door Excellence—though it was only with the arrival of the Facel II that the range reached its stylistic zenith. Lighter, lower, faster, and considerably more elegant than its forebears, the Facel II was widely regarded as Daninos’ greatest creation.

Roundly hailed as a return to the great French coachbuilding tradition, the Facel II story began with chassis HK2 A099, which was built as a prototype in 1959—a full two years before the model was launched—and served as the precursor to the 183 production examples that would follow. Not only was the prototype an order of magnitude more sporting than the HK500 on which it was based, it also differed considerably from the production Facel II. It featured sleek coupé styling with a sheet metal rear quarter panel, a shorter roof, bespoke glazing, and an attractive front end with separate headlamps.

Chassis HK2 A099 was finished in the timeless combination of Noire over Noire, specified with the desirable Pont-à-Mousson four-speed manual gearbox. Believed to have been built in 1959, the car spent its early life hidden from view before being registered for the first time on 16 February 1965 in the name of company founder Jean Daninos, just months after the factory doors permanently closed. The car passed through the hands of a further five owners, staying in single ownership from 1987 until January 2020, when it was sold to the consignor.

What followed was a complete and comprehensive restoration that involved remanufacturing of much of the car’s bodywork, the stripped body shell appearing at Rétromobile in 2020. The three-year restoration was fully documented in no fewer than eight detailed expert reports, which are available to view on file.

The Facel II is perhaps the most special model in the firm’s 25-year history, and chassis HK2 A099 is the first and arguably most prized example.To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/ve23.