Facel Vega HK500
French tailoring wrapped around American V8 muscle
1958 France Facel Vega HK500 · Brian Snelson · CC BY 2.0
Research pending
A matching completed auction sale has not been verified for this exact year, body, trim, engine, transmission and market.
Joyride shows this gap instead of substituting an asking price, unsold bid or mismatched special vehicle.
More than a set of wheels.
Facel began as a supplier of bodies and components before creating complete luxury cars in the 1950s. Introduced in 1958 as a development of the FV4 grand tourer, the HK500 kept Jean Daninos's pillarless coupe idea and paired French coachbuilt style with a Chrysler-sourced V8. The first-year car used the 5.9-litre engine; the better-known 6.3-litre version came later. RM Sotheby's estimates that only 71 HK500s were produced in 1958, while the marque's own site places the HK500 among Facel Vega's defining models.
Look a little closer.
A French-built luxury coupé hid a large American Chrysler V8 beneath its long bonnet.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
Why a French flagship used an American engine
Facel's value lay in proportion, finish and the character of the whole car, not in insisting that every component be French. A Chrysler V8 gave the small manufacturer dependable high power without funding an engine programme of its own. The transatlantic mixture was therefore practical and expressive at once: American torque provided effortless distance speed, while the body, cabin and visual identity remained distinctly French.
Source: Facel Vega marque history ↗The danger of calling every HK500 a 6.3
Most retellings focus on the later 383-cubic-inch car because it produced the headline numbers. That shortcut erases the first-year HK500. The 1958 car carried over the 5.9-litre V8, and its quoted output depends on transmission, carburation and whether a source uses bhp, hp, PS or SAE-gross conventions. Treating the year and gearbox as part of the identity is essential if the profile is to describe an actual car rather than a greatest-hits composite.
Source: 1958 Facel Vega HK500, chassis HK P9 ↗Where these facts come from
- 1958 Facel Vega HK500, chassis HK P9
- 1958 Facel-Vega HK500 range specifications
- 1958 Facel-Vega sales archive entry
- Facel Vega marque history
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed October 2, 2026.