Rare. Powerful. Celebrity magnet. From a company that specialized in metal-bending for other car makers came the Facel Vega HK500, radiating that French “we do things differently” kind of charm. Why did a metal-bender decide to develop its own cars? The market for coachbuilt products was waning, profits were falling, and Facel sensed an existential event on the horizon. Meanwhile, Allard and Nash had demonstrated that a market for American-motored exotics existed. Facel’s first cars were fast luxury GTs, launched in 1954; the FV was powered by a DeSoto hemi. Small changes to the FV resulted in several model iterations. The HK500 (translates as horsepower-kilogram, amounting to 5 kilograms per horsepower) was introduced in 1958, incorporating even more upgrades. For fans of its panoramic windshield, imposing grille, and impressive performance, this 1960 HK500 is available here on eBay. The seller is looking for $75,000 or best offer, and the car is located in Crownsville, Maryland. It was recently imported from Kuwait after spending decades on display in various collections.
In its short carmaking history, Facel Vega used at least seven Chrysler-sourced engines. By 1960, the HK500 was powered by a 6.3-liter V8, backed by a three-speed push-button Torqueflite automatic. The 360 hp on tap propels the car to sixty mph in fewer than 9 seconds; top speed hovers around 150 mph. By 1960, front disc brakes were finally up to the job of stopping this beast; earlier cars were equipped with drums all around, which were barely capable. The seller doesn’t mention whether this car runs or not after its long storage in Kuwait. Certainly, the engine bay could use serious detailing to bring it up to the condition of the rest of the car’s cosmetics, though it’s worth noting that this underside photo reveals a monumental paint sag on the rocker.
Speaking of cosmetics, this car is likely to meet market resistance thanks to its unconventional color combination. Color aside, the cabin is a strong point – appearing in as-new condition. The delicate steering wheel, generous helping of gauges, acres of Connolly leather, and real wood-trimmed dash are reminders that this car was aimed at elite buyers. In keeping with that goal, only 490 examples were produced.
Shadows ruin this photo, but it’s good enough to show the slender C-pillars, interesting tail lights, and the hint of fins in the rear. Though the HK500 helped revive Facel Vega, the company made a fatal error: it introduced a sports car powered by its own poorly engineered motor. The unreliable Facellia slammed the company’s finances as warranty claims surged. Facel Vega met its demise in 1964. Have you ever driven an HK500? We’d love to hear about it in the comment section.
These are gorgeous cars. I remember looking one over very carefully in the late 1960s, and being impress with the finish quality. Expensive cars, but considering the labor and materials that went into them, worth the price.
Original or no, if I could own this, I’d treat it to a repaint. All of the Facels I’ve seen — maybe a dozen, if you count Facellias — were done up in dignified dark hues. I’d pick a dark red, or something similar.
Back in the mid-1960s, someone in my neighborhood had a fairly regular visitor who had good taste in wheels. He first showed up in a dark blue Dual-Ghia, then later switched to a black HK500. I was an envious kid.
Seeing this Facel-Vega, I still feel a little of that old-time envy.
This is one beautifully designed car. I did a quick AI search on famous people who owned them and I came up with Pablo Picasso, Frank Sinatra, Ringo Starr, Ava Gardner, Tony Curtis, Dean Martin, Christian Dior, and Princess Grace of Monaco, The list also featured racing legend Sir Stirling Moss, who used his for fast, comfortable travel between races, and figures like Danny Kaye, Max Factor Jr., and Joan Fontaine. I knew about Frank Sinatra, and figured a couple others, but thats quite a list. I agree with what Ray T said above, these cars look stunning in darker hues, and I’d be inclined to paint this one in a dark classy color. The red leather interior would absolutely stay if this were mine. I could never afford to own something like this, but I greatly appreciate its beauty. Michelle, we’ve seen you write stuff up from Russian cars to Michigan loaders to exotic French cars, and British sports cars amongst other things. Love the variety you have and again, the research you’ve done for this ( and all) of your write ups. Thank you.
-Dave
Thanks so much Dave! …. I wanted to ascribe celebrity ownership to the HK500 but alas it appears that only the Facel II had a long line of famous owners. Also thanks to everyone who mentioned the painted dash. I think that’s right, and it was meant to be an illusion, part of the art trend of the day. Good catch.
Maybe I’m the only one that likes the color combo…..always wanted one of these in any model….note Imperial taillight lenses……
Facel Vega always reminds me of Godard’s “Weekend”. (That one was a 1960 Cabriolet, though.)
Michelle, you’ve a way of choosing a subject that immediately grabs our attention and again as in this case-one of the most distinguished classics of its time.
A fast, well built car with a pedigree that made it stand out.
Dave talked about the celebrity list of owners and he was on the money with the why as was Ray T.; everyone knew the quality and attention to detail that was the calling card for a Facel Vega.
My Dad did business with artist Rockwell Kent’s son Peter in the early 60’s. Peter had a penchant for unique cars and his FV was one of them. He took me for a spin and I was impressed by the leather interior, the exhaust note and the push you into the seat power of the car. Never saw another one in the flesh again. Peter always had interesting cars.
Ah the memories! My father had a Chevy-Vega, in a lovely green. Not sure where it is today.
Biggest laugh of my day! Thanks.
I believe the dashboards on all Facel Vegas were hand-painted faux Woodgrain rather than actual wood. I’m no expert, but every magazine article I’ve read on them mentions it
Yes, beautifully done faux wood painting on steel.
The “real wood-trimmed dash” in a Facel Vega is really painted metal, so well-executed it demands a close examination to tell it’s not timber. It’s the same sort of relationship the older MB-Tex used by Mercedes-Benz had to genuine leather: looked the same but more durable and less affected by sunlight. The painted dashboards needed nothing more whereas MB-Tex lacked the aroma only leather has but aerosol sprays are available to replicate the sensory experience.
Beauty! I dub thee the French Edsel.
The “other” Vega, the “Facel”, or “Forges et Ateliers de Construction d’Eure-et-Loir”( gotta love the French) meant nothing to us, it was still a Vega. It’s more than unbelievable how different the cars were. These “Vegas” were like some unattainable French Super model, ours was the equivalent to that plain gal in HS nobody dated( but turned out to be a siren later,,,D’OH) Didn’t see many Facel Vegas in Beer City, the thing that always puzzled me was, of all the fantastic European motors they could have chosen, I’m sure in the design stage, it was “give the Americans what they want”, however, at $9690 new, or 3 TIMES the cost of a Corvette, not many were sold, as little as 156 in 1960. Beautiful cars.
Sex on wheels-one of my favorite writers (in high school) died in one of these, having previously declared that the most absurd way to die prematurely would be in an automobile! Still want one!
These are indeed gorgeous automobiles! I was born and raised in the département of « Eure et Loir » but was not aware of the presence of this manufacturer back then, interesting detail, thank you! I now live in Arizona, I come across a beautiful example of the FV at car shows on occasions…..thanks for another worthwhile article.
There was a guy that used to bring one to the “pavilions” .( A weekly Saturday car show gathering in Scottsdale.) beautiful car , was dark blue.
He let me sit in it.
Something seems very odd here. Unless the price has miraculously dropped, this should be over $200K.
I thought the same thing….Take a look at his other Ebay listings…they all seem to be underpriced.
I took a look at the other auctions and they all seem to have middle eastern license plates?
When this car and the Excellence first were listed, the prices were about $50k higher. The Excellence appears to be the more correct car but has some things that don’t appear proper.
For this HK500, the front of the console has the incorrect “Excellence”script which belongs on the other car. Both have incorrect headliners; there should be a 4” square pattern to it. The HK is missing the ribbed aluminum on the body between the stainless side trim and rockers. And the fuel filler door is not the way mine was; you had to open the trunk and fill thru a ‘racing’ style cap. This is more practical and looks nicely done but not correct. I also don’t see the tool box that should be between trunk hinges. Excellence is missing the spare and has leather upholstery loose under the back seat.
Still, these both look like good deals that leave room for correcting issues, assuming the body work was not done with filler.
I would recommend that the buyer of either replace the steering arms. I had some made from tool steel after one of mine broke in the driveway after returning from a show.
About 15-20 years ago a friend took me along to look at one of these for sale. It was white and not in the greatest condition but not terrible. It was mostly just needing some cosmetics. I had never heard of one before and thought it was interesting. The price was way low. Somewhere in the $2,500 range! As the car didn’t run. I thought that I remembered it having a hemi. Which is why my buddy was looking at it. If I only knew!!!!!!
Ah yes, I remember back in about 1970 having to send to France for a front spindle. Waiting for I think more than 3 months only to get back a RAW casting that had to be sent to our local machine shop to get turned and fitted for the front wheel bearings.
GREAT looking cars!
Good enough for Dino!
https://tork.buzz/classics/Dean-Martins-Classic-Ride-A-Look-at-His-Facel-Vega-20240717-0018.html
The last time I saw in the wild was a dark blue one in San Francisco in April 1983 making a right turn from Masonic onto Haight street.
Would anyone really want to purchase a car in Kuwait?
If you read the article, you will see that I note that the car is located in Crownsville, Maryland.
Amazing how the angle of a photograph can make or break a car – the one of the trunk makes the car look like a ’49 Ford…
I had a 58 in the 70’s. Black with Red interior. Had 40K miles on it. Paid 6k for it. A magnificent car. Had it up over 100 mph on the freeway north of Seattle. It had a 354 Hemi with the 2 speed Powerflite automatic. Should have kept it!