1961 Facel Vega Excellence EX1
Representing a remarkable chapter in luxury automobile history, the 1961 Facel Vega Excellence EX1 combined European elegance with American muscle. This distinctive French sedan featured a powerful 5.9-liter Chrysler V8 engine generating 360 horsepower. Its sophisticated design included pillarless suicide doors—predating Lincoln Continental’s similar feature by five years—and a wraparound windshield.
The spacious interior displayed attention to detail with leather seating, chrome accents, and dashboard panels finished with hand-painted wood grain. Rear passengers enjoyed additional refinements including wood grain seat backs and a separate radio unit.
Performance matched its luxury, with a top speed reaching 140 mph through either the TorqueFlite automatic or manual transmission. As one of only 154 Excellence models manufactured, this vehicle remains exceedingly rare, particularly with its factory sunroof—a feature found on just three examples.
The Excellence exemplified the company’s motto: “The Few Who Own the Finest.”
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