Our friends at Classic Driver, being on the "A" list of motoring publishers seeking positive reviews, have written an interesting critique of a new book about the Chrysler Hemi-powered Facel-Vega touring cars of the 1950's and 1960's. The publisher, Palawan Press, specialises in superbly-crafted printing and the writer, Martin Buckley, is highly regarded as an automobile historian. Classic Driver's editor Steve Wakefield begins his commentary by stating "it's been one of life's mysteries that, in the 1950s, despite its pre-eminance in the world of fashion, and with a highly successful luxury goods industry ranging from couture to perfume, champagne, fine wines and travelling accessories, the car makers of France never successfully produced an equivalent motor car." Steve describes these as "successful manufacturers of discreet GT cars for a discerning clientele." Whew!

In essence, he's referring to Grand Touring cars capable of whisking their occupants across Europe at high speeds and in maximum comfort. Destination: the Riviera, Rome, or perhaps Venice. This book, titled "Facel Vega - Grand Luxe Sportif" is about the one French car that could have fulfilled that role, or did until French tax laws and a venture into producing junior Facels powered by Volvo proved financially disastrous. Martin Buckley's book explains how it all went wrong and yet, as Steve suggests, "the Facel story is about the cars and more. The personalities of the time, the economic conditions, the social history..." Lucky are those who have a Facel-Vega in their garage; the rest of us may find solace in this book. Be sure to read Steve Wakefield's colorful review in the Classic Driver newsletter.