Facel Vega HK-500 Body
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Mise à jour: 28-March-2024 15:48

Facel Vega HK-500 Body & Chassis Restoration

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Make history

La carrosserie et le châssis de cette fabuleuse Facel Vega HK-500 ont été restaurés en parfait état pour un client par l'Amicale Facel Holland. L'automobile a été stockée en morceaux pendant de nombreuses années dans un garage sec. La carrosserie a été découpée en morceaux pour gagner de la place ; L'avant, l'arrière et le toit sont arrivés dans notre atelier comme un gros puzzle et le sol manquait. Le capot ne s'adaptait pas correctement, nous avons constaté qu'un capot Facel Vega Excellence sans prise d'air HK-500 était inclus avec la voiture. La restauration a commencé par le montage des pièces de carrosserie sur le châssis d'origine pour reconstruire la carrosserie avec les dimensions et l'ajustement corrects. Pour accélérer le travail de la tôle, AFH avait tous les panneaux de tôle manquants et de réparation découpés au laser à partir de leurs fichiers d'archives CAO HK-500. Un autre HK-500 était disponible pour vérifier les détails d'origine tout en reconstruisant la carrosserie. En juillet 2021, la restauration de la carrosserie, du châssis et de la suspension a été terminée, et les verres et garnitures de carrosserie en acier inoxydable furent installés. La restauration sera complété par le client.

Cette carrosserie Facel Vega HK-500 était la pire base de restauration que nous ayons eue à l'Amicale Facel Holland depuis 1995. Nous présentons ici un reportage photo détaillé de cette restauration de carrosserie très approfondie !

The Facel Vega HK 500 was considered by Jean Daninos himself as the best Facel ever built. The HK 500 was, for a long time, the fastest fours seater production line automobile in the world with a top speed of an amazing 240 kilometers per hour (with manual gear shift).

The Facel Vega HK 500 is an extremely luxurious car with a gorgeous finish and beautiful details. The interior is majestic with it’s mock walnut (in the French tradition) dashboard and beautifully chromed handles and switches. The leather upholstery is of an exceptionally high quality the comfort it offers reflects this. The car comes with all of the novelties which were common on the American market at the time. The robustly built automatic windows and the gear shift with it’s stylish buttons are extremely reliable and never fail. Chrome was used sparingly on the HK 500; the bumpers, mirrors and side strips are all constructed of stainless steel. The vehicle is built upon a welded steel chassis within which the strong 6.2 Litre Chrysler V8 is mounted. The undercarriage has independent wheel suspension with coil springs at the front and a live axle leaf spring suspension system at the rear. From 1960 onwards, the HK 500 was equipped with disc brakes all round.

Technical data

6.2 litre V8 engine
two Carter "four barrel" carburettors
capacity: 390 bhp. at 5000 rpm.
top speed: 147 mph. -235 km/h.
gearbox: 4-speed, manual
weight: 1880 kg.

Facel Vega history

The French company Facel (Forges et Ateliers de Construction due’s et Loir) was first established in 1938 as a manufacturer of stainless steel products for the aircraft industry. After the second world war Facel began constructing automobile bodies for Simca, Ford France and Panhard.
In those days, the company was under the leadership of Jean Daninos.
Jean Daninos had always dreamt of manufacturing his own design of super car; the "Grand Routier" or in other words, a luxurious, comfortable and practical 4-person sports car. 1954 saw this dream become a reality with the introduction of the first ever Facel automobile onto the market, the Facel Vega FV1, equipped with a powerful and trustworthy American V8 Chrysler motor.

The addition of the Chrysler motor meant that Facel was one of the first manufacturers to combine European styled body work with a big reliable American V8...
The Facel Vega's were expensive and highly exclusive but they sold well, particularly amongst film stars and the rich and famous. With the passage of time the newer models became increasingly more expensive as extra improvements and features were introduced. At the end of the 1950’s, Facel had a motor designed specifically for use in a smaller model, the Facellia.
Unfortunately, these motors had so many teething problems that the huge amount of warranty claims they caused led the company into serious financial difficulties. The last ever models of the Facel line were fitted with Volvo P1800 (Facel III) and Austin Healey 150 pk six cylinder motors ( Facel 6). In 1964 this proud automobile finally went out of production.
Facel Vegas are cherished by enthusiasts all over the world to this very day. This extremely unique class of vehicle can easily be placed alongside classic makes such as Rolls-Royce, Bentley en Lagonda. Even though Facel did not manufacture it’s own motors, it is safe to say that the vehicle commonly known as the "Grand Routiers" of automobiles is of absolute top class and continues to leave a deep and lasting impression.

© Marc Vorgers 

Amicale Facel Holland
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