The best driving Facel II in the world?
Facel Vega’s were designed as the ultimate Grand Tourer; powerful, luxurious cars with that distinct French style, made to travel great distances across continents. But driving a more than fifty year old car in today’s traffic can be a challenge, to say the least. It’s much busier, speeds are increased, fuels have changed and modern cars have raised the bar much higher.
For owners who only occasionally take their Facel on the road, this is not a big problem. But for those who want to drive their car frequently, as the owner of this gorgeous Facel II does, we have developed a series of upgrades that enhance reliability, safety and comfort. Of course without losing any of the original looks, feeling and character.
To improve the driving we have upgraded the suspension, fitted an electronic ignition system and provided the engine with modern twin carburettors. In addition to providing significantly more power, they can also cope better with today’s fuels. Furthermore we installed a high end electronic power steering system, providing simultaneous comfort and a better feel for the road.
Because the original brakes aren’t really suited for today’s traffic, we upgraded them to ventilated discs and aluminium callipers, which greatly enhanced stopping power. And because Facel handbrakes are notoriously bad – the cars originally came with wooden blocks for under the wheels – we changed the original to a reliable hydraulic system. Tiny LED-lights replace the small reflectors on the back, providing additional brake lights without changing the look.
To make the car even more comfortable, we installed an air conditioning system, that is operated by specially designed controls, completely in Facel style. The classic radio now has an invisible but perfectly working modern Bluetooth system fitted to it.
All these upgrades are either invisible or completely in style with the original car. For example: the electronic ignition system is fitted inside the original ignition housing. The result is an at first glance fully original Facel, but adapted to modern times. Power, steering, roadholding, reliability, safety and comfort inside the cabin, all have been improved without losing that typical feeling so special to Facel Vega.
