"The Facel Vega was a fast, stylish exercise in French elegance that was produced from 1954 to 64. Powered by mighty Chrysler hemi V-8s, Facel Vegas wrapped gorgeous coachwork around dependable luxurious interiors that put them in a class by themselves.
Celebrity owners flocked to Facel Vegas, including Frank Sinatra, Ringo Starr, Princess Grace (Kelly), Joan Collins, Christian Dior, Stanley Donen, Tony Curtis, Danny Kaye, Ava Garnder (owned 3), and Joan Fontaine. Writer Albert Camus died at 46 when a Facel-Vega driven by his publisher hit a tree in the south of France.
There was little competition for a four seat luxury tourer like the Facel Vega in its day and only a Ferrari was faster. The glamorous Italian-American Dual-Ghia was probably the closest equivalent but it lacked the performance of the Facel Vega. Their approaches were the same and yet opposite. The Dual-Ghia was made by shipping Italian bodies to the U.S. where their American drivetrains were installed. The Facel Vega shipped American drivetrains across the Atlantic for installation in French bodies.
The Facel II, seen above was introduced in 1962 and built until the company failed in 1964 due to a troubled attempt to build a less expensive, mass produced model with an innovative new engine."
(Via:http://www.examiner.com)