Barn find Facel Vega heads to auction with no reserve
Thu, 13 Apr 2023
A rare 1960 Facel Vega HK500, which has been stored in a garage in north Wales for almost 50 years, is to be sold at auction on April 26 by H&H Classics, with no reserve.
The right-hand drive car, which is reputedly one of just 98 UK-supplied models, is to be auctioned at Pavilion Gardens, Buxton.
The Facel Vega was originally finished in Brunswick Blue with grey leather upholstery, which remains unchanged today. It was first registered on July 15, 1960, to W.E. O’Shay, the founder of car accessories company Magnatex and later belonged to Londoner Kevin Silcock. The vehicle last had an MoT in 1972, when it had done 55,000 miles and entered the current (deceased) ownership in 1976.
Mike Davis, senior specialist at H&H Classics, said: “To find such a complete car tucked away in a garage for such a long period of time is a very special moment. Further adding to its appeal, both rare and stylish in equal measures, this right-hand drive ‘HK1’ has the makings of an incredibly rewarding project.”
The Facel Vega was introduced in 1958, designed to compete with the Ferrari 250 GTE, Maserati 3500GT and the Aston Martin DB4. The HK500 was the most famous of the various Facel Vega models and was owned by celebrities including Pablo Picasso, Sir Stirling Moss and François Truffaut. Autocar found a manual HK500 to be capable of 0-60mph in 8.4 seconds, 0-100mph in 19.1 seconds and a theoretical 140mph.
H&H Classics' auction will feature classic, collector and performance cars, with viewing available on April 25 from 12pm.
Bidding can be done in person, online or via telephone. The rare and highly collectible Facel Vega is expected to attract a considerable level of interest, due to its rarity and its unique history of being kept in a garage for almost 50 years.
