Cohort Pic(k) of the Day: Facel Vega III – The End Of The Road

Benoit has posted a car that has never graced our pages as a curbside find. It’s a 1963 or 1964 Facel Vega III, the compact of the family, and the last one to bear that storied name. Its predecessor, the Facellia, was mortally damaged by its troublesome Pont-à-Mousson 1.6 L DOHC four, so it was renamed and re-engined with the robust Volvo B1800 twin carb unit. Tatra87 has written up the full sad tale here.

Facel’s attempt to move into a lower segment of the market was a disaster, and directly led to its demise. Its large Chrysler V8 powered cars had made it famous in the 1950s, but the time they were a-changing. And Facel was not able to make the change. But the Facel Vega III is a delightful car to look at, even if its Volvo engine wasn’t quite as refined as its exterior.

Frankly, by 1963 its exterior was starting to look a wee bit aged. It was of course riding on the coat tails of its illustrious big brother, the Facel Vega II, which we covered here.

 

More on the subject:

The French Deadly Sins: Facel-Vega Facellia   T87