Facel Vega Excellence
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The Facel Vega Excellence was a luxury sedan produced by Facel Vega of Paris, France from 1958 until the company ceased production in 1964. . The Execllence debuted at the Paris Auto Show in October 1956 to rave reviews by the motoring press.
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[edit] Chrysler connection
Like its other cars, Facel Vega chose to power the car using Chrysler's famed big-block V8 Hemi. Built in limited quantities, the car included numerous styling hallmarks usually found on American cars including tailfins, wraparound windshield, stacked quad-headlights and a four-door hardtop design. In a nod to the Cadillac Eldorado Brougham, Facel Vega incorporated a pillarless four-door mechanism, allowing the car to be designed with "suicide" styled rear doors for easier access and egress.
The Excellence also appeared in the 1959 movie Count Your Blessings starring Deborah Kerr and Maurice Chevalier.
Before Facel Vega closed, the Excellence received its only major restyling in which the car replaced its outdated fins and received a more squared off rear styling.
[edit] Discussions with Studebaker-Packard
Facel Vega entered into discussion with Studebaker-Packard Corporation as that company hoped to resurrect its moribund Packard division. However, Mercedes-Benz, which had a marketing deal with S-P using Studebaker's dealership network to sell its product in the United States, objected to the plan. The cash-strapped company could not afford to lose its cash stream from Mercedes-Benz, and Studebaker-Packard withdrew from further discussions.
Facel Vega did however export the Excellence to North America for private owners.
[edit] In the reviewers eye
In an article for the November 1985 edition of Collectible Automobile Magazine, noted automobile marque author Richard Langworth stated his opinion that the "The Excellence is a large vehicle...better suited as a car of State rather than a daily driver."
