• Year of manufacture 
    1960
  • Mileage 
    7 800 mi / 12 553 km
  • Car type 
    Coupé
  • Drive 
    LHD
  • Condition 
    Restored
  • Exterior brand colour 
    Dark silver metallic
  • Interior colour 
    Red
  • Interior brand colour 
    Red leather
  • Interior type 
    Leather
  • Number of doors 
    2
  • Number of seats 
    2
  • Location
    United States
  • Exterior colour 
    Silver
  • Gearbox 
    Automatic
  • Drivetrain 
    2wd
  • Fuel type 
    Petrol

Description

1960 FACEL VEGA HK500:
--Silver-Grey metallic with contrasting Black roof, Red leather interior with Red carpeting, Chrysler Typhoon OHV 5.9 liter V8 Engine, Three-speed Torque Flite automatic transmission, Superb no expense spared restoration to concours standards, Collector owned and cared for.

This 1960 HK500 is one of the very finest examples in existence. Sold to a collector in the Netherlands about a decade ago, it received an exhaustive, no expense spared, ground up, nut and bolt restoration to concours quality standards. It was then imported to the USA approximately six years ago by well-known classic car dealer, Mark Hyman. It was sold almost immediately to its most recent collector owner, a good friend and long-time client of Autosport Designs and resident of Radnor, Pennsylvania. During this time, the Facel received another $100,000 plus (all receipts are available) to go through all once again to make certain it would remain one of the finest of its kind and ready for immediate use at a moment’s notice. The engine, transmission, differential were completely rebuilt and the suspension and braking systems were serviced throughout. At this time, a bespoke hidden vintage radio with Bluetooth as well as air conditioning were neatly fitted to the HK500’s interior.

Facel history…

The Facel Vega was the brainchild of Jean Daninos, a Parisian-born engineer of Greek ancestry. Daninos worked for Citroën in body engineering and as the head of special vehicles, though he left after the Michelin takeover. He founded Métallon, a fabricator of kitchen cabinets and sinks, and in 1939, he established Forges et Atéliers de Construction d’Eure-et-Loire, or F.A.C.E.L. The two firms combined and made aero engines during World War II.

After the War, Facel-Métallon produced bodies for the Dyna Panhard, the Simca and perhaps most famously, the Ford Cométe coupé. In 1954, Daninos set about creating a car in the tradition of the great French grand routiers of the pre-war era. In designing the car, he combined French elegance and craftsmanship with transatlantic flair and genuine grand tourer performance.

In the absence of a suitable French-built power unit, Daninos chose the Chrysler Hemi V-8 engine mounted on his own tubular chassis frame with box-section cross-members. Two gearbox options were available: either Chrysler’s TorqueFlite automatic transmission or the French Pont-a-Mousson fully synchronised four-speed manual unit. By the time the HK500 was launched in 1957, power had risen to a published 360 brake horsepower, from a 361 cubic-inch version of Chrysler’s Hemi V-8, making it one of the fastest cars in the world in its time, capable of effortless cruising at over 100 mph.

The gallery of Facel owners reads like a who’s who of high society, film stars, and royalty. Owners included Tony Curtis, Danny Kaye, Ringo Starr, Joan Fontaine and Ava Gardner. Proving that the Facel Vega also had substance to match its style, several racing drivers—including Stirling Moss and Maurice Trintignant also chose to add a Facel Vega to their garages.

We are proud to offer this HK500 Facel that is, once again, one of the finest of its kind in the world. Inspections are welcomed and encouraged. This HK500 runs and drives as good as it looks, we are proud to add this to superb automobile to the Autosport Designs inventory and look forward to finding it a suitable and loving new home.