1961 FACEL VEGA HK500
Chassis : BL 3
Body no. 0652
Engine no. ML383 31556
- 4-speed manual gearbox
- Disc brakes
- French registration
After working for André Citroën from 1928 to 1935, Jean Daninos founded Forges et Ateliers de Construction d'Eure-et-Loir (FACEL) in 1939. At the time, Facel's production was geared towards the aerospace industry. After the war, a car workshop was set up at the Courbevoie plant. Facel studied the Dyna with Panhard, then collaborated with Simca, Ford France and anecdotally with Bentley.
Jean Daninos, keen to revive the production of prestige cars in France, decided to build a car under his own name. As far as engines were concerned, he opted for the V8s that Chrysler agreed to supply, as it had been unable to find a high-performance French engine.
It was in 1958 that the brand really showed what it was capable of with the HK500. The name emphasises a power-to-weight ratio of 5 kg per bhp, and its 360-horsepower V8 made it the ‘fastest four-seater coupé in the world’. In October 1960, Paul Frère clocked an HK500 at 237.154 km/h on a Belgian motorway.
The car we are presenting here is a desirable FV1 with a mechanical gearbox and upgraded four-wheel disc brakes. We were able to trace its history back to 1986, when it was acquired by an enthusiast from the Loire Atlantique region. He kept it for around twenty years. In 2007, it came into the possession of another enthusiast, who kept it until 2012. That year, it was sold at auction at the Retromobile show. Its new owner kept it until 2018. He then sold it back to the same Parisian auction house.
It was at this sale that our collector acquired it. As the car had not been driven much at the time, he undertook a major general overhaul by a specialist. Since then, it has been maintained by his personal mechanic. Our road test revealed that the mechanics were working normally.
The most desirable version of the model, our example is a great opportunity for lovers of fine mechanical engineering.