The Facel Vega Excellence is a luxury saloon automobile produced by French manufacturer Facel Vega, that was unveiled at the Paris Auto Show in October 1956.
Production started in 1958 and lasted until the company ceased production in 1964. The car was based on an elongated chassis from the Facel Vega FV Coupé. It was the only four-door model the company ever made. Production ended after only 156 cars had been built. The low production figure is likely a result of the car's high purchase price listed at US$12,800 ($ in dollars). When new, the Excellence cost around as much as four Citroën DS saloons, and was an alternative to the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud, Mercedes-Benz 600 and Lagonda Rapide. The price could still be boosted higher by ordering optional equipment, which gradually became available over the car's production run, such as power steering, power brakes, electric windows, and air conditioning also sourced from Chrysler along with wire-spoke wheels from Kelsey-Hays.
Design
The Excellence features some styling elements typically found on American cars of the era, such as tailfins, the wraparound windshield, and the "hardtop" roof without B-pillars. The overall design, however, is regarded as distinctively European, with its stacked quad-headlights and rakishly low profile. Its low beltline and comparatively high greenhouse predicted the automotive architecture that became mainstream in the late Fifties, and lasted throughout the Sixties. The Facel-Vega Excellence also incorporates a pillarless four-door mechanism, allowing the car to be designed with rear-hinged "suicide" styled rear doors for easier access and egress. The doors came in contact with a large pin installed at the door sill base that allowed either the front or rear doors to open independently of each other, and when closed, the doors added structural integrity. This layout could also be found on the limited production Cadillac Eldorado Brougham, which was unveiled later in 1956, and on the 1961-1969 Lincoln Continental.
In the interior, the car features leather seats, a faux burled walnut dashboard with full instrumentation provided by Jaeger-LeCoultre, and a make up kit located in the back of the centre armrest, consisting of a chrome-handled brush and comb, and two perfume bottles, the latter albeit being supplied empty by the factory.
In an article for the November 1985 edition of Collectible Automobile Magazine, automotive historian Richard Langworth stated his opinion that "The Excellence is a large vehicle...better suited as a car of State rather than a daily driver".
Chrysler connection
Powered by contemporary Chrysler V8 engines like other Facel-Vega cars, the initial Excellences were fitted with Hemi engines, which Chrysler discontinued for the 1958 model year. Facel-Vega continued to use those engines until their stocks were used up in late 1958. From then on, V8 powered Facel-Vega models were powered by the Chrysler B-series "Wedge" big-block engines.
All Chrysler powered Facel-Vegas could be had with either the Pont-à-Mousson built four-speed manual, or the Chrysler built Torqueflite three-speed automatic. Whereas the American automatic transmission was optional for the Facel-Vegas, the French manual gearbox conversely became optionally available in the Chrysler 300 high-performance model.
1958 (Model 'EX')
While the Paris Show Car of 1956 was fitted with a 331 CID (5.4 litre) unit, the initial batch of production Excellences was equipped with the 392 CID (6.4 litre) version of the Chrysler Hemi V8. This engine, producing , was shared, among others, with the Facel Vega HK500 and Chrysler's own Imperial. Facels could either be ordered with the Pont-à-Mousson built four-speed manual, or the Chrysler built Torqueflite three-speed automatic. Contemporary road tests showed that they performed equally with either gearbox. Arguably the most powerful Excellences to ever hit the roads, these were genuine 140 mph cars. Reportedly, only eleven 'EX'-series cars were built, seven of which are known to have survived. The Hemi-engined Excellences can be recognized by their inclusion of a hood scoop not seen on later models.
1958–1961 (Model 'EX1')
For the 1958 model year, Chrysler discontinued the Hemi engines, and after stocks had dried up, Facel-Vega started using the 361 CID (5.9 litre) Chrysler 'Wedge' head V8 engines. Why Facel-Vega didn't opt for the top-of-the-line 413 CID (6.9 litre) engines instead remains unknown, but the French road tax system, which is based on engine displacement, is often cited as an explanation.
