Facel Vega FV4 392 Hemi “Typhoon” PaM (manual gearbox) - the Holy Grail
Facel is best known for its high performance luxury cars that were built at the highest level of craftsmanship. Among Facel’s best products was this rare Facel Vega FV4. It was the French equivalent of a refined muscle car and was mainly sold outside France itself. Despite being a rarity you could go to any workshop for service and maintenance in period, especially if you lived in the US. Under the bonnet housed the beefiest Chrysler first generation Hemi that produced a magnificent 375 hp with the help of dual quad-barrel carburetors. Usually these V8s were connected to a push-button Torqueflite automatic transmission and then ‘only’ got 355 hp. Just eight FV4s were equipped with the fine Pont-à-Mousson 4-speed manual gearbox and the extra 20 hp. This is one of the latter and therefore the hidden gem. Some say the exotic FV4 we offer here is the holy grail for Facel lovers and we cannot argue with that.
It was Max Hoffman who sold this FV4 in the US. At his dealership in New York, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, he offered several European brands to the American customers. Hoffman wasn’t the official distributor, but in 1957 he placed an 8-car order at Facel for the FV-Series. The 6.4L FV4 models were especially made for the American market, it wasn’t even homologated in France. Max Hoffman even used his own chassis numbers. Our example was one of the last that arrived in New York during december 1958. The car has been in the States until 1990, when it came to The Netherlands as barn find. Between 2008 and 2012 it was restored and since then the current owner has put the dots on the i with the help of several specialists, including us. For example; the engine was overhauled at first, but again completely rebuilt after the restoration. Both carburettors were rebuilt and a new clutch was installed. The suspension was completely re-done including the addition of new Koni Classic shock absorbers.
This 1958 Facel Vega FVS Series 4 Sport Coupe, as it was called on the American market, is equipped with the largest and most powerful first generation Hemi engine. The later HK500 got the wedge engine instead, as they were called. The only other Facel Vegas that were equipped with the TY6 engine were the 4-door Excellence and Facel II. Previous Facels, like the FV1 and FV2 only had less powerful Hemi engines. The manual all synchromesh 4-speed gearbox adds more drama to the overall driving experience. The FV4 6.4L with this gearbox was really a superfast muscle car. Nobody even tested its top speed at the time, but with the fast accelerating gear ratio that our example came with, it must have pulled hard all the way to 240 kmh and even beyond. This was near supercar territory at its time.
The 392 CID raised-deck Hemi V8 power plants were called FirePower C300C. The V8s in the Facels FV4 differed from the regular 300 B (5.8L, coded TY5) and 300 C (6.4L, coded TY6) engines. Chrysler only offered the optional dual quad-barrel carburetors on their top models. Facel Véga on the other hand offered this set up as stock. On top the Facels got a black flat, batwing-like, Typhoon air intake. This typical air intake looked the same as Chrysler’s golden air intake of the 1957 300B, but Facel’s intakes were made by themselves. They were curved, much thinner and very efficient. Compared to the largely produced Firepower Hemis the engines in the manual FV4s got the optional higher compression. The additional forged crankshaft, high performance cam and special valve lifters helped to improve the overall performance. The incredible power output in both manual Facel FV4 versions were respectively 340 and 375 hp. An unheard number in those days.
Not just power and performance were the FV4’s highlights. Just like other Facel Véga models it’s all about the top notch coachbuilding. Panels were still beaten in Facel’s body shop by true craftsmen. Unlike other brands the build quality was what really counted, not any profit - in fact there wasn’t any. For some it’s the stylish exterior that’s got them excited about these French cars, for others it’s all about the near-extravagant interior. Facel-founder Jean Daninos did most of the styling on the car himself. He has always been influenced by French and Italian coachbuilders, but American car design inspired him as well. Jacques Brasseurs was responsible for the engineering and as constructor of the Facel Vega Sport’s chassis he set the mark high. These FVS models were meant for high speed cross continental travelling and this really set them apart from any American muscle car. American car journalists praised Facel’s looks, rigidity and high-speed stability in period. Because 97 percent of all FV4s were exported, more than any other Facel model, their reviews counted.
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