Facel Vega FV3 1957 “For the few who want the finest”

Facel debuted its first Facel Vega model at the 1954 Paris Salon, and the elegant coupe wowed the audience.

The flamboyancy of French styling in the expansive field of automotive design has always garnered admiration, but it’s easy to argue that the works of the 1950s and 1960s were the crème de la crème. From Talbot Lago to Delahaye, these gems from a golden age were instilled with the inimitable essence of French high style — a certain je ne sais quoi that intrigued and inspired all that were graced with the presence of such machines.
Facel is best known for its high performance luxury cars that were built at the highest level of craftsmanship. Among Facel’s best products was this rare Facel Vega FV3. It was the French equivalent of a refined Sport car and was mainly sold outside France itself.
Landing somewhere in between an European sedan and an Art Deco sculpture, the FV3 set the tone for Facel Vega’s automotive exploits in fine style. Offering was a truly compelling package — a powerful, dependable, and, above all, luxurious car with unpatrolled styling and that all-important chic character that was so en vogue

- A desirable Original left hand drive example of the most wanted spec with Manual Gear Box

- Fully restored and well documented with all files and photos

- Superb looking due to it’s wonderful color combination.

Advertised to an upscale clientele as "For the Few Who Own the Finest," these magnificent creation , it was found members of the exclusive Facel Vega ownership , whether it be Ava Gardner, Ringo Starr, or even the great Stirling Moss.

This 1957 Facel Vega FV3 Sport Coupe, is equipped with a powerful HI Fire engine. . The manual all synchromesh gearbox adds more drama to the overall driving experience. The FV3 4.5L with this gearbox was really a superfast Sports car. Nobody even tested its top speed at the time, but with the fast accelerating gear ratio that our example came with, it must have pulled hard all the way to 200 kmh and even beyond. This was near supercar territory at its time.

The 277 CI raised-deck Hemi V8 power plants were called Hy Fire P-29. The V8s in the Facels FV3 differed from the regular (4.5L, coded TY3) engines . On top the Facels got a black flat, batwing-like, Typhoon air intake. This typical air intake looked were curved, much thinner and very efficient.

Not just power and performance were the FV3’s highlights. Just like other Facel Véga models it’s all about the top notch coachbuilding. Panels were still beaten in Facel’s body shop by true craftsmen. Unlike other brands the build quality was what really counted, not any profit - in fact there wasn’t any. For some it’s the stylish exterior that’s got them excited about these French cars, for others it’s all about the near-extravagant interior. Facel-founder Jean Daninos did most of the styling on the car himself. He has always been influenced by French and Italian coachbuilders, but American car design inspired him as well. Jacques Brasseurs was responsible for the engineering and as constructor of the Facel Vega Sport’s chassis he set the mark high. These Fv models were meant for high speed cross continental travelling and this really set them apart from any American muscle car.

During the years the Facel models evolved and the name of the models and company weren’t always consistent, but the FV is easily recognisable as a “Véga” with its typical wraparound windshield, pillarless coupé roofline and stainless steel details. With the double stacked headlights the FV3 sit in the middle between the earliest Facels and the later models. Therefore their styling and presence attracts most Facel lovers. The interior was chic and a true showcase of the workmanship Facel’s artisans had to offer. They fuse together traditional and more contemporary styles in optima forma. The dashboard was aircraft-inspired and very functional with all the necessary gauges. Facel chose to make the dashboards out of steel over wood for durability and styling reasons. Facel was a metal company in the first place, so this made sense. To retain the luxurious feel of classic wooden dashboards the steel got a hand-painted ‘faux’ wood grain finish. No two Facel dashboards are the same.

Most people who are familiar with Facels know the HK500, which was the FV3´s and FV4’s successor. But the FV4 a production run of 68 cars, the FV3 is much rarer with only 45 . The HK500 is commonly known as Facel’s pinnacle, but an FV3 with a Hi Fire and manual gearbox is even more outstanding and not many people know about it. We’ve put our hands on many Facels during the years and from our point of view this example is the holy grail for true lovers of the marque. Just 23 examples with the fastest v8 were fitted with a manual gearbox. To find one of those as a turn-key car is nearly impossible. We believe it’s quite special that such a stunning “Grand Routière” comes onto the market in a perfect shape, fitted with the best options and the most popular colour scheme. To find a gem like this is like finding a needle in the haystack. This car has been in our workshop recently - it ticks all the boxes - so we are happy to tell you about all the fine details.

ABOUT THIS SPECIFIC EXAMPLE:

This Facel Vega FV3 has been newly delivered to a gentlemen in Portugal, via dealer "Guérin" who received the car at the 17th April 1957.

This car is a very rare ORIGINAL Left Hand Drive example. Figures are not exactly known but approximately 23 examples have been made with Manual Gear Box.

A serious amount of money was spend on the car to bring it in it’s current condition.

It was necessary 4 years of restauration to bring this beautiful car to is former glory

Some special details have been added during the finalisation such a stainless steel exhaust system which gives a superb sound.

CONDITION :
The condition of the exterior of this Piece of Artis is very beautiful. The body has been restored on a high level this painting is top quality level and the result is astonishing.Also the chromes in perfect state .

The interior of the FV3 is also very attracting and in our opinion colorwise the best possible. The Dark BLUE interior color suits the exterior color of the car very well.
The condition of the leather can be best described as new.
The dashboard, including the meters are looking superb and everything is in perfect working order.
The carpets are in perfect condition without any damages.

ON THE ROAD :

If a car looks very nice it mostly disappoints in driving. But this Aston is driving extremely well and handles amazing.
The car is very fast.

The car has a superb sound coming from the exhausts.

The engine has been exactly set at a roller bank and therefore runs very well.

The reaction on the gas is perfect and much better as most previus models

Driving the car is magnificent. The engine is so responsive and the sound of the car is very impressive.

We have had Some Facel Vega Models but this is a really special example and the fact that it is originally Manual Gear Box makes it even more special!

MORE INFORMATION
For more information or an appointment, please call Jorge Faria or send an e-mail to [email protected]. Please do not hesitate to contact us . Jorcar is located near Fatima in the centre of Portugal .