1960 Facel Vega Excellence EX1 Sedan

Vehicle Description

1960 Facel Vega Excellence ‘EX1’ Sedan

Key Features and History:

• Debuted:The Excellence was unveiled at the Paris Auto Show in 1956.
• Four-Door Model:It was the only four-door model offered by Facel Vega.
• Chassis:The Excellence was based on an extended chassis of the Facel Vega FV Coupé.
• Limited Production:Only 156 Excellences were ever produced.
• Luxury:It was intended as a luxurious and powerful car for heads of state and other prominent figures.
• The car's high price and limited production runs contributed to its status as a rare and sought-after collectible.($139,501 in 2024 official inflation dollars)

• This Excellence features a Chrysler-sourced 361ci 360 HP Wedge V8
• The Facel-Vega Excellence also incorporates a pillarless four-door mechanism, allowing the car to be designed with rear-hinged "suicide" styled rear doors for easier access and egress.

The 1960 Facel Vega Excellence was aluxury saloon automobile produced by the French manufacturer Facel Vega that was unveiled at theParis Auto Showin October 1956. It was the only four-door model the company ever made and was based on an elongated chassis from the Facel Vega FV Coupé.Production of the Excellence lasted from 1958 until 1964, with only 156 cars ever built.(The ‘EX1’ generation models produced only 137)

Production began in May of 1958. Under the hood in the first edition of EX cars was Chrysler's 392ci Hemi V8, but this engine was virtually out of production by the time Facel released the Excellence, so only seven were built as equipped. The next iteration, the EX1 released in October of 1958, featured the 361ci, 360hp "Wedge" V8. Offered with either a TorqueFlite automatic or Pont-à-Mousson manual, the Excellence could reach 140mph.

Open and airy in design, the pillar-less FV, and later HK500, was swift and luxurious—a unique alternative to a Bentley Continental or Maserati 3500. They were quickly snapped up by wealthy industrialists and glitterati alike, proving the company's slogan: "The Few Who Own the Finest". Improving on the concept, it was determined in short order that Facel's market could be expanded by adding a couple more doors. Only two years after the introduction of the first Facel Vega coupe, the Excellence sedan was unveiled.

Clocking in at just under 17.5' long, with 125" spanning between the wheels, and tipping the scales at 4,200 pounds the Excellence was made to American proportions—a Hermès suit in size 50, extra long. Featuring elegant slab sided styling with pillarless suicide doors (beating the Lincoln Continental to the punch by a full 5 years), a wrap-around windscreen and subtle fines held sway in the front and rear, respectively. Inside, driver and passengers alike were coddled by soft and sumptuous leather seats, chrome fixtures, and the classic Facel Vega dashboard that featured an aircraft-like complement of gauges set in a dash of hand painted wood grain. In the back seats, the wood grain theme continued on the backs of the seats, along with a vanity and a second radio head unit. Power windows where, of course, standard. The low production figure is likely a result of the car's high purchase price listed at US $12,800 ($139,501 in 2024 official inflation dollars).When new, the Excellence cost around as much as fourCitroën DSsaloons, and was an alternative to theRolls-Royce Silver Cloud,Mercedes-Benz 600andLagonda Rapide. The price could still be boosted higher by ordering optional equipment, which gradually became available over the car's production run, such as power steering, power brakes, electric windows, and air conditioning also sourced from Chrysler along with wire-spoke wheels from Kelsey-Hays.

The Excellence features some styling elements typically found on American cars of the era, such as tailfins, the wraparound windshield, and the "hardtop" roof without B-pillars. The overall design, however, is regarded as distinctively European, with its stacked quad-headlights and rakishly low profile. Its low beltline and comparatively high greenhouse predicted the automotive architecture that became mainstream in the late Fifties, and lasted throughout the Sixties. The Facel-Vega Excellence also incorporates a pillarless four-door mechanism, allowing the car to be designed with rear-hinged "suicide" styled rear doors for easier access and egress. The doors came in contact with a large pin installed at the door sill base that allowed either the front or rear doors to open independently of each other, and when closed, the doors added structural integrity. This layout could also be found on the limited productionCadillac Eldorado Brougham, which was unveiled later in 1956, and on the 1961–1969Lincoln Continental. In an article for the November 1985 edition ofCollectible Automobile Magazine, automotive historianRichard Langworthstated his opinion that "The Excellence is a large vehicle...better suited as a car of State rather than a daily driver".

This specific vehicle:

Just 137 Excellence ‘EX1” Sedans were built, making this example -Chassis: EX1B101 - something of a rarity. It has spent the last two decades in private high-end collections in Kuwait, and was just imported to the USA earlier this year. The entire process was completed, and the car now resides in Crownsville, MD with a clean Maryland title. I encourage inspections from serious buyers by appointment, and please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions that you may have.