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The
Facel III was the best car Jean Daninos made
but looks don't guarantee success, says
Richard Hesseltine
(This
article was published in the June 1999 issue of Classic &
Sports Car magazine)
With thanks to the Publisher
Fêted
by the beautiful people, lauded everywhere from Paris
Match to Road & Track, the Franco-American Facel Vega grande routieres were the cars to be seen in during the late 50’s.
Company founder Jean Daninos was an automotive couturier who could afford to name drop, his clientele including
royalty (Prince Saud of Arabia), movie stars (Tony Curtis, Ava
Gardner) and racing drivers (Stirling Moss, Maurice Trintingnant).
For
all the acclaim, the opulent Facels were more nouveau riche than old money. There remained the ever present stigma of crossbreeding.
It was bad enough that Daninos was having to go to Detroit to
source engines for his super-coupés, but there was a sizeable
British parts content too. Daninos’ nationalistic pride demanded
an all-French product. To redress matters, he felt a small,
four-cylinder Facel Vega sports car would fit the bill. But, as
the saving goes, pride comes before a fall.
Work
began at the Colombes factory in May 1958 on a small sports car
dubbed the Facellia, Daninos touring all the major French manufacturers
for a suitable power plant for his new baby. None was deemed
appropriate so he approached Jean Cavalier of transmission firm
Pont-à-Mousson, with the brief to build a bespoke unit. Based on
an original design by former Talbot man Carlo Marchetti, he
concocted an oversquare, 1647cc twin-earn ‘four’ with a
light-alloy crossflow hemi head. In prototype form it ran to
140bhp, production units knocking out a more conservative 114bhp
at 6400 rpm. Pont-à-Mousson also supplied the all-synchro
four-speed manual gearbox.
The
car’s Jacques Brasseur-styled body was welded directly to the
rugged, tubular frame, Front suspension was independent via
wish-bones, coils and anti-roll bar, the solid rear hypoid axle
carried by half-elliptic springs.
The
Facellia convertible was unveiled on September 28, 1959 in the
walled gardens of I Jacquemart-Notre Museum, Paris, where Daninos
laid on a grand reception for 200 well-heeled guests. A month
later the Facellia was one of the Paris Salon’s star turns and,
by the following March, the car was optimistically deemed ready
for production. Daninos declared that the first 300 units would be delivered before the end of July a two-plus-two coupe following
within a matter of months.
A
production run of 1500 cars a year was envisaged, but total
numbers barely scraped past the 1000 mark in four years. The
Facellia was still woefully underdeveloped, the vagaries of engine
development and manufacture apparently beyond Daninos’
comprehension.
Not
only was the Facellia unit unacceptably noisy, it was a committed
oil-burner, John Bolsters MotorSport
recollections of driving an early example were pointed: ‘I
did 114mph at Montlhery and then broke a piston.’ He wasn’t
alone. After just four months’ production, the factory’s
technicians spent more time engaged with warranty repairs than
producing cars. Improvements were made for the ‘61 model year,
but not even a class win in the Monte Carlo Rally, courtesy of
Maurice Gatsonides, was enough to salvage the car’s reputation.
In
August 1961, bankruptcy was warded off by the joint efforts of
Hispano-Suiza, Pont-a-Mousson and Mobil-France, Jean Daninos
stayed on board as vice-president, but the kitty was soon empty
and the firm lurched into receivership on July 10, 1962. The
receiver appointed Jacques Persin as managing director, Daninos
staving on as commercial director. A lightly face-lifted Facellia,
the F2 62, was unveiled at that October’s Paris Salon but orders
received could be counted on one hand.
The
dream of an all-French Facel Vega had become a nightmare. In
desperation, and much to the horror of Daninos, the troublesome
twin-cam was junked in favour of a 1780cc Volvo B18B four-pot that
pumped out 108bhp at 5800rpm. Christened the Facel III the new car
was introduced on April 18, 1963, Sales were initially buoyant,
prompting SFERMA, a subsidiary of Sud-Aviaton, to make an approach
to the receiver for gerarnce libre - a 12-month contract to
run the firm and attempt to make it profitable.
Incoming
managing director Paul Badre envisaged a new, more powerful
Facellia variant. Assisted by Jean Bertin and Charles Deutsch, he
devised an aluminium twin-cam, dubbed the 4M4, that developed
150bhp and propelled a test hack to 125mph. But, considering
Facel’s track record, Badré was loathe to commit the firm to
the costs of building engines. So the search was on for a new
proprietary lump, Facel went to England and adopted the BMC
three-litre straight-six, supposedly destroked to 2852cc to avoid
France’s crippling tax penalties, the nose area lengthened by
4.5 in to accommodate the new unit.
But
the Facel 6 never stood a chance. SFERMA’s agreement expired on
September 30, 1964, by which time just 26 cars had been assembled
including a solitary example using BMW power. With apparent
governmental pressure to concentrate on the serious business of
building aeroplanes, Badré was persuaded not to renew the
contract. Though Facel Vega had a stand at the following month’s
Paris Salon, the once-proud marque was dead as a dodo. Daninos’
dream of an all-French Facel had been suicidal but it could be
argued that the firm was doomed to follow Delahaye, Talbot and all
the other great French marques regardless, as the big V8s were
by now encountering stiff competition from the Maserati Quattro-porte
and Mercedes 600.
Forty
years after its inception, the Facellia has yet to shed its
reputation for self-destruction. The insertion of Volvo’s sturdy
four-pot solved the reliability problems but the Facel III still
lingers in the shadow of its illustrious V8 forebears,
despite being arguably the best all-round car the firm ever
produced.
The
first thing that strikes you about the Facel III is its dinky
proportions. Lt looks for all the world like an HK500 that’s
shrunk in the wash. In four-window coupe configuration, the
styling isn’t entirely cohesive although there is a sober
elegance to the car’s crisp lines. The bluff front end bears the
Vega corporate grille, the slab-sided flanks blending neatly into
the closely cropped tail fins Much of the bright-work, including
bumpers and wheel trims, is stainless steel while the Mercedes SL-esque
headlights ape those used on its Chrysler VS-powered Facel II big
brother.
Inside,
the low roof encroaches on headroom, Ahead of the driver is what
appears to be a large slab of burr walnut, decorated with myriad
gauges and switches, but it’s actually painted metal. On the
move, the car’s shortcomings become immediately, painfully
obvious. The seating position is compromised by the attractive,
non-adjustable steering wheel that rests on the driver’s knees,
a situation not helped by the skewed tightly spaced pedals.
operation of the car’s heavy throttle pedal requires reserves of
physical dexterity while the worm-and-roller steering is slack and
uncommunicative.
But
it isn’t all bad. Though no lightweight at 2403 lbs, the
Facel’s a keen performer. Contemporary road tests talk of
0-60mph sprints in 12 secs which seems a little pessimistic, but
press on further and the car’s brick-like aerodynamics quickly
take effect.
The
Volvo motor emits a purposeful, irregular burble which sounds
vaguely sporting, the four speed box (also of Swedish origin)
being surprisingly slick, although double declutching is advisable
on second. The recessed overdrive switch, positioned on the
transmission tunnel behind the gear lever, isn’t ideally
situated but is a welcome addition for those long continental
jaunts.
The
car’s ride is firm but supple, the oil/gas shockers ironing out
the ruts. Period road tests talk of rear end hop when pushed but,
if anything, it’s an under-steerer. The Volvo engine, in cast
iron, is significantly heavier than the Facellias twin-cam unit,
which accounts for the nose—heavy stance. Body roll is
pronounced and this isn’t a car you want to hustle through
corners, Back road bravado is not an option.
It’s
better to sit back, try to get as comfortable as possible, and
enjoy regal progress. Alternatively, let somebody else do the
driving and revel in being a passenger.
Facel
Vega Web site
Facel
Vega Link Page
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