1953 Facel Ford Comète
French coachbuilder Facel Metallon created one of the rarest and most elegant grand tourers of the early 1950s with this distinctive coupe. The production run reached approximately 2,165 units between 1951 and 1954, with the majority sold within France, where it commanded one of the highest prices in the market β around 1,200,000 francs (about $3,400 USD at the time).
The styling was done by Stabilimenti Farina and drew inspiration from late-1940s Italian designs, notably the 1949 Pininfarina-bodied Ferrari. The elegant bodywork featured flowing lines and luxurious two-tone paint options, positioning it among France’s premier automobiles.
Power came from a 2,158cc flathead Ford V8 engine producing around 67β80 horsepower, paired with a three-speed manual transmission. The car showed competitive potential when noted French driver Pierre Levegh entered it in the 1953 Monte Carlo Rally.
Today, only a handful of good examples are known to exist in the United States, making this an exceptionally rare piece of Franco-American automotive collaboration that preceded Jean Daninos’ later Facel Vega marque.
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