Nice Read! 
You said it was a Grand Tourer, do you know of them ever being raced?
facel vega diecast cars
You said it was a Grand Tourer, do you know of them ever being raced?facel vega diecast cars
Sunstar 1957 Facel Vega HK500
Just picked up this long awaited (for me anyway) model and overall am happy with it.
The Facel Vega was a very exclusive and expensive French/American hybrid of the late 50's till the early 60's.
Stunning European coachwork with an Chrysler V8 for power made quite an attractive Grand Tourer which was to be expected for the nearly $8000 price tag.
Probably not a car with a large following but a must have for me as I got to ride in one owned by a family friend many times as a young pup.
The car was eventually traded in on a new Studebaker Avanti.
The model is your typical Sunstar product. If you are looking for any kind of detail, you won't find it here!
The interior is poorly done hard plastic, all one color except for a (very) fake woodgrain dash with stickers for gauges.
The engine compartment is very sparse and the chassis is a one piece mold that is very generic looking. It does have a separate exhaust.
The good thing about this car is the body shape and proportions looks very accurate. On my particular car the paint and panel fit is very nice.
It has the windows in an up position. The tailights are quite nice.
Sunstar did a very credible job in making this car look right. The chrome is even nice for a car in this price range. The wheels look correct and even the tire size seems to be correct. I blackwashed the grill which helped the front appearance a ton.
So, if this car appeals to you and you want a 1:18 replica you wouldn't go too wrong to spend the $15 -$20 this car costs. It looks good on the shelf and I doubt we will see another diecast company come out with this car.
The Facel Vega was a very exclusive and expensive French/American hybrid of the late 50's till the early 60's.
Stunning European coachwork with an Chrysler V8 for power made quite an attractive Grand Tourer which was to be expected for the nearly $8000 price tag.
Probably not a car with a large following but a must have for me as I got to ride in one owned by a family friend many times as a young pup.
The car was eventually traded in on a new Studebaker Avanti.
The model is your typical Sunstar product. If you are looking for any kind of detail, you won't find it here!
The interior is poorly done hard plastic, all one color except for a (very) fake woodgrain dash with stickers for gauges.
The engine compartment is very sparse and the chassis is a one piece mold that is very generic looking. It does have a separate exhaust.
The good thing about this car is the body shape and proportions looks very accurate. On my particular car the paint and panel fit is very nice.
It has the windows in an up position. The tailights are quite nice.
Sunstar did a very credible job in making this car look right. The chrome is even nice for a car in this price range. The wheels look correct and even the tire size seems to be correct. I blackwashed the grill which helped the front appearance a ton.
So, if this car appeals to you and you want a 1:18 replica you wouldn't go too wrong to spend the $15 -$20 this car costs. It looks good on the shelf and I doubt we will see another diecast company come out with this car.
1 - 15 of 15 Posts
I don't think Facels were ever raced, at least not by the factory anyway.
I've had my eye on a blue Facel Vega for quite some time, I know the detail isn't there, but I like unique models. Thanks alot for your review! I'll be getting it now.
An old review with some new pics :cheers
Thanks for reviving this, Jeff - the original post was long before I joined here, and this is the first time I've seen it. I love it (big surprise there, seeing what era it's from lol) and I may just have to keep my eyes open for one. Great pics, by the way!
Glad to hear that there are a few other fans of this car than me :giggle
Thanks for the pics Jeff! :cheers I might have to get mine out of the box and have a look at it. I bought it a while back because a KBT had it for $5 and it thought it might provide some parts. It never came out of the box and whent straight to the attic. :giggle
G
thanks for reviving it Jeff,
like John i've not seen this before .....there was a guy who had one of these when i was a teenager in 2-tone colours.
classic car,beautifully built..something very different in the same way that Bristol's were.
a shame it never got completed ....there was a Le Mans prototype
http://www.facelvegacarclub.info/car_history.shtml
The exclusive styling and prestigious aura appealed to royalty and other notables - the star-studded list of owners is a miniature "Who's Who", with a shah, a king, ambassadors, princes and presidents, Danny Kaye, Tony Curtis, Francois Truffaut, Brian Rix, Ringo Starr, Lionel Bart, Joan Fontaine, and Ava Gardner (who had no less than three). To complete the grande routière image, great racing figures of the time such as Rob Walker, Maurice Trintignant and Stirling Moss, used Facels to cover the distances between the race tracks of Europe at high speed in comfort and safety.
In total, 164 of the cars were sold in the UK - only 62 are known to remain (the Club is actively trying to trace missing cars listed here). Because of these small numbers the marque has been largely forgotten except by classic car buffs and the few members of the Facel Vega Car Club, which must be one of the smallest clubs of its kind. In recent years however, some well restored cars have appeared leading to renewed interest in this first of the post-war EuroAmerican hybrids. The supercar appearance of the HK500 and the elegant French style of the Facel II create a stir when displayed today as much as when they were first seen, and the Facellia remains one of the prettiest and most well-appointed small sports cars ever produced.
We have to be thankful that Jean Daninos followed his star.
FACEL VEGA 1954 - 1964
MODEL ENGINE ENGINE SIZE BHP RPM MPH
Facel Vega and FV
1954-1958 Chrysler V8 Various
Excellence
1958-1962 Chrysler V8
6430cc 392ci
5907cc 361ci
6286cc 383ci 325
360
360 4600
5200
5200 127
135
135
HK500
1958-1961 Chrysler V8
5907cc 58-59
6286cc 59-61 360
360 5200
5200 135
135
Facellia
1960-1963 Facel
4-cylinder 1647cc 115 6400 114
Facel II
1961-1964 Chrysler V8
6286cc 383ci
6765cc 413ci ('63-64)* 390 5500 145
Facel III
1963-1964 Volvo
4-cylinder 1780cc 108 6000 112
Facel 6
1964 Austin Healey
6-cylinder 2852cc 150 5250 125
Le Mans Prototype
never completed Chrysler V8 6430cc 460 6200 195
* manual
According to Facel, the HK500 out-performed the Ferrari 250GT, the Mercedes 300SL and the Aston Martin DB4 as regards acceleration 0-60mph, speed over a 1km distance, and fuel economy. It was also claimed to be the fastest car of its genre in production for a four year period.
info supplied by Facel Vega Club
like John i've not seen this before .....there was a guy who had one of these when i was a teenager in 2-tone colours.
classic car,beautifully built..something very different in the same way that Bristol's were.
a shame it never got completed ....there was a Le Mans prototype
http://www.facelvegacarclub.info/car_history.shtml
The exclusive styling and prestigious aura appealed to royalty and other notables - the star-studded list of owners is a miniature "Who's Who", with a shah, a king, ambassadors, princes and presidents, Danny Kaye, Tony Curtis, Francois Truffaut, Brian Rix, Ringo Starr, Lionel Bart, Joan Fontaine, and Ava Gardner (who had no less than three). To complete the grande routière image, great racing figures of the time such as Rob Walker, Maurice Trintignant and Stirling Moss, used Facels to cover the distances between the race tracks of Europe at high speed in comfort and safety.
In total, 164 of the cars were sold in the UK - only 62 are known to remain (the Club is actively trying to trace missing cars listed here). Because of these small numbers the marque has been largely forgotten except by classic car buffs and the few members of the Facel Vega Car Club, which must be one of the smallest clubs of its kind. In recent years however, some well restored cars have appeared leading to renewed interest in this first of the post-war EuroAmerican hybrids. The supercar appearance of the HK500 and the elegant French style of the Facel II create a stir when displayed today as much as when they were first seen, and the Facellia remains one of the prettiest and most well-appointed small sports cars ever produced.
We have to be thankful that Jean Daninos followed his star.
FACEL VEGA 1954 - 1964
MODEL ENGINE ENGINE SIZE BHP RPM MPH
Facel Vega and FV
1954-1958 Chrysler V8 Various
Excellence
1958-1962 Chrysler V8
6430cc 392ci
5907cc 361ci
6286cc 383ci 325
360
360 4600
5200
5200 127
135
135
HK500
1958-1961 Chrysler V8
5907cc 58-59
6286cc 59-61 360
360 5200
5200 135
135
Facellia
1960-1963 Facel
4-cylinder 1647cc 115 6400 114
Facel II
1961-1964 Chrysler V8
6286cc 383ci
6765cc 413ci ('63-64)* 390 5500 145
Facel III
1963-1964 Volvo
4-cylinder 1780cc 108 6000 112
Facel 6
1964 Austin Healey
6-cylinder 2852cc 150 5250 125
Le Mans Prototype
never completed Chrysler V8 6430cc 460 6200 195
* manual
According to Facel, the HK500 out-performed the Ferrari 250GT, the Mercedes 300SL and the Aston Martin DB4 as regards acceleration 0-60mph, speed over a 1km distance, and fuel economy. It was also claimed to be the fastest car of its genre in production for a four year period.
info supplied by Facel Vega Club
Found an old potted history, I don't think I ever posted it
http://www.diecastxchange.com/forum1/index...showtopic=29722
http://www.diecastxchange.com/forum1/index...showtopic=29722
1 - 15 of 15 Posts
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