Facel Vega HK 500 Classic Cars for Sale

One of the most elegant cars of the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Facel Vega HK 500 was the perfect blend of stylish French design and powerful American motoring. It was only produced for three years, but its iconic design has helped make the Facel Vega HK 500 an extremely collectible and valuable classic car.

The creation of the Facel Vega HK 500

The Facel Vega HK 500 was produced by Facel (Forge et Ateliers de Construction d’Eure-et-Loir), a steel furniture and component stamping business south west of Paris. After the Second World War, Facel started to make short-run special bodies and coupés for car manufacturers such as Ford, and then started their own luxury car division in 1948. In 1954 the first Facel Vega, designed by Jean Daninos, was launched in Paris. This design was upgraded to become the Facel Vega HK 500 in 1959.

Why the Facel Vega HK 500 was such a special car

The Facel Vega HK 500 was a 2 door coupé with a Chrysler 360 bhp 6.3 litre V8 engine. It was very powerful for its time, able to achieve 60 miles an hour in 8.5 seconds and had a top speed of 147 mph. The interior was fitted out to an extremely high standard, with the dashboard controls reflecting Daninos' previous experience in the aviation industry. Only 489 Facel Vega HK 500s were produced before they were replaced by the Facel Vega II in 1962.

The glamorous owners of the Facel Vega HK 500

The beautiful lines and powerful engine made the Facel Vega HK 500 a desirable car for the rich and famous in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Famous owners included Pablo Picasso, Ava Gardiner and Tony Curtis.

In a very successful PR move, the manufacturers lent legendary racing driver Stirling Moss a Facel Vega HK 500 to drive between Formula 1 races in Europe. This undoubtedly added to the car's glamorous reputation. In 1960, the famous French writer Albert Camus and his friend Michel Gallimard (of the French Gallimard publishing dynasty) were killed when the Facel Vega HK 500 Gallimard was driving, skidded on an icy road and hit a tree. This was thought at the time to be due to Gallimard's inexperience with the powerful but rather heavy car, though recently it has been suggested that the KGB tampered with the car in order to assassinate Camus.