01/04/2025
The ex-Earls Court Motor Show 1962 Facel Vega II Coupé
After 18 months of meticulous restoration, this beauty is now ready to return to its owner.
Originally sold at the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed Bonhams auction, this Facel Vega had been tucked away in a London garage since the 1990s. The first drive after a 35-year hiatus was nothing short of incredible.
This car has a fascinating history, once owned by one of Britain’s top television producers/directors, responsible for iconic shows like World in Action, Disappearing World, Coronation Street, and Bergerac throughout the 60s, 70s, and 80s.
A lifelong Facel II enthusiast, he first fell in love with the model in his youth, often spotting a silver example parked outside the Écurie Écosse Garage in Edinburgh. In 1971, while finishing Disappearing World, he had a chance encounter with a blue Facel II on Beauchamp Place, Knightsbridge. After a conversation with the chauffeur, the car’s owner, Mrs. Kleeman, asked if he’d like to buy it. Her words? “Would you like it?” And just like that, the car became his.
A true piece of history, it’s seen passengers such as psychiatrist R.D. Laing, singer Johnny Cash, politician Benazir Bhutto, jazz legends Earl ‘Fatha’ Hines and Jay McShann, and countless famous faces from Granada Television.
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