Originally a manufacturer of machine tools for the aircraft industry and later of automobile bodies, France’s Facel evolved into a full-scale car manufacturer in 1954. The Facel Vega was a handsome, luxuriously appointed four-seat grand tourer, powered by an American Chrysler V-8 engine. Production of these Franco-American hybrids, built with great attention to detail and Rolls-Royce-like interior fitments, continued through 1964 and through ten models of escalating engine displacement. The opulent cars proved immensely popular with the international jet set; actors and entertainers including Tony Curtis, Joan Fontaine, and Ava Gardner were all satisfied Facel Vega owners, as were the racing drivers Stirling Moss and Maurice Trintignant.

The FV2 offered here is distinguished as having been the first Facel Vega delivered in the United States, via the exclusive Los Angeles distributor, Charles Hornburg. Finished originally in Blanc Paille over black interior with Robergel wire wheels and Pont-à-Mousson four-speed transmission, it was supplied on 2 February 1956 to Australian-born actor Edward Ashley, best-remembered as one of the stars of the 1940 version of Pride and Prejudice. Photographs on file, taken by Hollywood photographer Jim Buhr and provided by the Amicale Facel Vega, document Mr. Ashley’s receipt of his new car.

Records in the file indicate that the car was last road-registered in 1987, and the Amicale Facel Vega believes that it was converted to its present cabriolet configuration by 1990. It was acquired by Ben Klein, as one of the last additions to the family collection, from Daniel Park of Baldwin Hills, California, in 2012.

At some point the car was refinished to the present livery, red with tan top and interior, and fitted with non-original wheels. However, to this day it retains its original TY1-series engine, while the original four-speed manual gearbox was replaced with an automatic unit. Much of the interior remains intact, although the air conditioning system had been removed prior to the Kleins’ acquisition. Overall, the car appears largely solid and an ideal basis for restoration, being, as it is, one of the most desirable Facel Vegas—an early production FV2 and, indeed, the very first Facel Vega sold by an American dealer. Then as now, it is an automobile worthy of the Jet Set.