4. Facel Vega Excellence
Just after World War II, France was left without luxury manufacturers. The entire car industry was concentrating on economy cars with small engine displacement. Facel Vega founder, Jean Daninos realized there was a gap in the market, so established his company in 1954. It was to serve as a luxury brand using Chrysler engines and U.S.-inspired designs.
However, the purest example of American styling was the Facel Vega Excellence. It was a big super luxury four-door sedan people could be easily mistaken for a Cadillac or Lincoln. Facel Vega introduced it in 1958 and the motoring press and experts gave the Excellence high praise. They thought it was a fantastic car with its stacked headlights, chrome grille, rear fins and a wraparound windshield.
Also, the Excellence was a four-door hardtop with a characteristic American body style, which was almost nonexistent in Europe. The most interesting design feature was the suicide rear doors, similar to the 1961 Lincoln Continental. However, Facel Vega introduced it three years earlier in 1958. Production lasted until 1964, but they only built 156 of those fantastic limousines.