One of the most gorgeous cars ever built was produced by a short-lived and little known French company called Facel (or Facel Vega – Vega was the name of the company’s first model, produced in 1954, but it came to be tacked on to the actual name more often than not). 1961 was the debut of the Facel II, a car so timeless and clean in its design that even today it looks what it was: expensive! A Facel II would have set you back by the same amount as a Rolls Royce of the time.

Under that beautiful bodywork, the Facel II was less than extraordinary, being powered by a 383ci (6,286cc) or 413ci (6,765cc) Chrysler V8, but it was still capable of 145 mph. The specifications did not matter, however; the whole point was that, if you owned a Facel, you were immediately marked as someone with money and taste.

The front of the car is somewhat reminiscent of the Mercedes Benz approach but, from the side, it can only be a Facel. That huge wrap-around windshield, the high waist and slab sides, these are the elements that make the car so distinctive.

It is not until you reach the rear that you would guess that it was made in France. At this point those French designers could not contain themselves any longer and they stamped it with the peculiar quirkiness that only that nation can add to the looks of a car.

To me, it’s not perfect and could do with a little squaring up to really make the grade. But, because the rest of the car is so incredibly good, I forgive it.

Facel stopped producing cars in 1964; the hard facts of life for luxury car manufacturers caught up with them and they folded. In its short ten years of life the company designed and built some of the prettiest cars on the road, however, and it is a great shame that it did not survive. The Facel II remains as its greatest achievement.