Facel Vega HK500
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Automobilhersteller : |
Facel |
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Modell: |
Vega HK500 |
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Jahr: |
1959-1962 |
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Art: |
Coupe |
Facel was a French manufacturer of automobiles from 1954 to 1964.
The company was named after the original metal stamping company FACEL, and the company's first model, the Vega, named after the star,] was introduced at the 1954 Paris Auto Show. The cars were advertised with the slogan For the Few Who Own the Finest.
Initially successful, the company failed after the debut of its mechanically troubled Facellia model.
The 1956 FVS featured a panoramic (aka wrap-around) windshield. Sometimes referred to as FV2, the car featured the same engine as in the later FV1s. Subsequently the 5.4-litre FV2B appeared, with 255 hp. Power steering and power brakes were both standard as of 1957.
Later versions offered a three-speed automatic, and disc brakes were available from 1958. At some point a reworked, more harmonious front end was introduced, featuring what looked like twin stacked headlights but what were actually headlamps on top and auxiliaries beneath. For 1958, the engine grew to 5.8 litres (FV4) and 325 hp, although the earlier 4.5 and a 4.9 (FV3/FV3B) were also listed as available. In total, 357 FVs and FVSs were built.
A four-door version, called the Excellence, was added to the lineup in 1958, but was even more rarefied than the two-door
For 1959, the Facel Vega HK500 was introduced. Essentially, it was just a renamed, upgraded FVS. Equipped at first with the 335 hp 5.8-litre V8 from the FVS, the HK500 soon received a 360 bhp 6.3 litre Chrysler V8 making for a top speed of 147 mph (237 km/h). 60 miles per hour came up in 8.5 seconds. Initially disc brakes were optional, becoming standard in April 1960.
The crisply designed Facel Vega II replaced the HK500 in 1962, after 489 had been built. One was a specially made convertible. Total FV/HK production was 842 or 846 depending on the source. The Facel Vega 'Facel II' was a French Grand Touring car produced by Facel between the years 1962 and 1964.
