Times were tough for gearheads in post-war France. While the rest of Europe’s auto industry was getting back on its feet—and building a generation of classic sports cars—the French government’s policy of heavily taxing large, high-horsepower engines had a chilling effect on mass-produced performance models.
However, if you were a small boutique shop aiming at well-heeled buyers who didn’t care about high vehicle registration costs, it was a different story. This is why cars like the Facel Vega FVS Series 4 are such intriguing outliers in the automotive history of a country that was passionate about combining pulse-quickening acceleration with elegant body work.
Facel Vega differed from its domestic competitors in more ways than one. For starters, the company looked overseas and found Detroit’s fire-breathing V8s to its liking. It shipped them to France, seemingly just to shame its countrymen still restricted by the tiny engines required for the mass market. Facel Vega also produced its various vehicles in very short runs—a habit that dated back to its days as a coachbuilder for companies such as Panhard and Delahaye.
Despite its considerable curb weight, Hemi power helps this Series 4 coupe sprint off the line much quicker than one would expect.
The 1958 Facel Vega FVS Series 4 coupe for sale in this auction represents the brand at the height of its success as an independent automaker. The FVS (or Facel Vega Sport) first hit the scene in 1954 as the FV. While its gorgeous sheet metal remained largely the same throughout 1959, the last year it was built, the two-door benefited from a variety of different eight-cylinder power plants under the hood during that period. Initially, the car was outfitted with a 180 horsepower, 4.5-liter Firedome V8 sourced from DeSoto, but by the end it was possible to order a 6.2-liter Chrysler Typhoon V8 that was good for a hefty 360 horsepower and more than 400 pound-feet of torque.
The attention to detail inside the Facel Vega’s interior speaks to the automaker’s history as a coachbuilder.
Very few FVS Series 4 cars were produced with the Typhoon engine as original equipment. Some estimates place the number at 36 in total, which brings us to the auction example. Listed as a “Typhoon,” with corresponding badging, the engine is nevertheless described as a 5.8-liter Chrysler Hemi V8. Producing 325 horsepower thanks to its dual-quad carburetor setup and capable of 130 miles per hour at the top end, this is certainly no consolation prize. Yet, it does beg the question as to whether it’s the same mill that was present when the vehicle left the factory.
It could be a case of the Typhoon badges having been added after the fact by an overly-enthusiastic owner. In any case, with only 85 ever built, this FVS Series 4 represents a rare opportunity to own a beautiful piece of French engineering whose American heartbeat is powerful enough to keep up with modern traffic.
