The FV’s cockpit was ahead of its time: an aircraft-inspired dashboard with one of the first center consoles ever built over a gearbox.
Lead trim: FV DeSoto Firedome Hemi V8, 4.5 L (180 hp) · up to 325 hp
Facel Vega FV / FVSFV · 1954–1959
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Facel Vega FV / FVS yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThe FV’s cockpit was ahead of its time: an aircraft-inspired dashboard with one of the first center consoles ever built over a gearbox.
The Facel Vega FV/FVS, launched at the 1954 Paris Salon (prototype completed October 1953), was Facel's first car, its body an expanded version of the earlier Facel-bodied Simca/Ford Comète, styled by Jean Daninos on a tubular chassis by Lance Macklin with coil-spring double-wishbone front suspension and a leaf-sprung live rear axle; 357 FVs and FVSs were built to 1959 (Facel's own tally: 47 in 1954-55, 107 in 1955-56, 118 in 1957, 85 in 1958). The original name 'Vega' became 'Facel Vega' with 'FV' plus a number, and by 1956 US cars were called FVS (Facel Vega Sport). The 1954 FV used a DeSoto Firedome 4.5-litre Hemi V8 with 180 hp, paired with Chrysler's two-speed Powerflite automatic or a four-speed Pont-à-Mousson manual, giving 107-120 mph depending on axle ratio; the 1955 FV1 grew to 4.8 litres and 200 hp. The October 1955 FV2 (marketed as FVS in the US) added a panoramic windscreen and kept the FV1's 4.8-litre engine but now at 250 hp, and the 1956 FV2B used a 5.4-litre engine with 285 hp. The FV3 reworked the front end and switched to Plymouth's Polyspheric 4.5-litre '277 Power Pack', down to 200 hp; the 1957 FV3B took Plymouth's bigger-bore 301 engine for 253 hp, and the 1958 FV4 grew to 5.8 litres and 325 hp, sold alongside the smaller 4.5/4.9 FV3/FV3B. A four-door Excellence joined the range in 1958. Front engine, rear-wheel drive.
Collectors Spotted in the Facel Vega FV / FVS Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Facel Vega FV / FVS yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
7 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FV DeSoto Firedome Hemi V8, 4.5 L (180 hp) | 1954–1954 | 4.5 L V8 | 180 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| FV1 4.8 L V8 (200 hp) | 1955–1955 | 4.8 L V8 | 200 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| FV2 / FVS 4.8 L V8 (250 hp) | 1955–1956 | 4.8 L V8 | 250 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| FV2B 5.4 L V8 (285 hp) | 1956–1956 | 5.4 L V8 | 285 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| FV3 Plymouth Poly 4.5 L V8 (200 hp) | 1956–1957 | 4.5 L V8 | 200 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| FV3B Plymouth Poly V8 (253 hp) | 1957–1958 | V8 | 253 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| FV4 5.8 L V8 (325 hp) | 1958–1959 | 5.8 L V8 | 325 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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