By 1962 the Paris-based company[2] was facing bankruptcy. The Facel II was to be the company's last attempt to create a luxury GT car in the French tradition. Jean Daninos, Facel's founder and president, said of the Facel II, "The HK 500 was the most interesting car we ever made but the Facel II was by far the best. It was totally 'elegant'.[3]