Jean Daninos
Encyclopedia
Jean Daninos was a Greek- French constructor of luxury cars Facel Vega
.
The brother of the Pierre Daninos
, Jean Daninos had founded the company FACEL (Forges et Ateliers des Constructions d'Eure-et-Loir, forge and construction workshop for the department of Eure-et-Loir
) in 1939 with hopes of one day designing and manufacturing his own automobile. An engineer, he had previously collaborated with Citroën
on the Traction Avant
and had worked in the aviation field.
The FACEL company produced the bodies of custom cars like the Panhard
Dyna cabriolet and the Ford
Comète. The first Facel Vega
model, designed by Daninos himself, debuted in 1954, equipped with a Chrysler
engine. Daninos counted among his clients celebrities including (Tony Curtis
, Ava Gardner
) and racing drivers (Stirling Moss
, Maurice Trintignant
). Several sports car models followed until the company's demise in the mid-1960s. During ten years of production, FACEL had manufactured 3,000 automobiles.
Daninos died at age 94 from cancer — in Cannes
(Alpes-Maritimes, France). He was buried with his relatives in Jouy-en-Josas
(Yvelines).
Facel Vega
Facel was a French manufacturer of automobiles from 1954 to 1964.The company was named after the original metal stamping company FACEL, and the company's first model, the Vega, named after the star, was introduced at the 1954 Paris Auto Show...
.
The brother of the Pierre Daninos
Pierre Daninos
Pierre Daninos was a French writer and humorist.Daninos wrote Les carnets du Major Thompson, which was published in 1954, and was followed by many sequels. The books in the series pretended to be the observations of a retired British officer living in France, and were witty collections of...
, Jean Daninos had founded the company FACEL (Forges et Ateliers des Constructions d'Eure-et-Loir, forge and construction workshop for the department of Eure-et-Loir
Eure-et-Loir
Eure-et-Loir is a French department, named after the Eure and Loir rivers.-History:Eure-et-Loir is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790 pursuant to the Act of December 22, 1789...
) in 1939 with hopes of one day designing and manufacturing his own automobile. An engineer, he had previously collaborated with Citroën
Citroën
Citroën is a major French automobile manufacturer, part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group.Founded in 1919 by French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën , Citroën was the first mass-production car company outside the USA and pioneered the modern concept of creating a sales and services network that...
on the Traction Avant
Citroën Traction Avant
The Citroën Traction Avant is an automobile which was produced by the French manufacturer Citroën from 1934 to 1957. About 760,000 units were produced.-Impact on the world:...
and had worked in the aviation field.
The FACEL company produced the bodies of custom cars like the Panhard
Panhard
Panhard is currently a French manufacturer of light tactical and military vehicles. Its current incarnation was formed by the acquisition of Panhard by Auverland in 2005. Panhard had been under Citroën ownership, then PSA , for 40 years...
Dyna cabriolet and the Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
Comète. The first Facel Vega
Facel Vega
Facel was a French manufacturer of automobiles from 1954 to 1964.The company was named after the original metal stamping company FACEL, and the company's first model, the Vega, named after the star, was introduced at the 1954 Paris Auto Show...
model, designed by Daninos himself, debuted in 1954, equipped with a Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
engine. Daninos counted among his clients celebrities including (Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis was an American film actor whose career spanned six decades, but had his greatest popularity during the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in over 100 films in roles covering a wide range of genres, from light comedy to serious drama...
, Ava Gardner
Ava Gardner
Ava Lavinia Gardner was an American actress.She was signed to a contract by MGM Studios in 1941 and appeared mainly in small roles until she drew attention with her performance in The Killers . She became one of Hollywood's leading actresses, considered one of the most beautiful women of her day...
) and racing drivers (Stirling Moss
Stirling Moss
Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss, OBE FIE is a former racing driver from England...
, Maurice Trintignant
Maurice Trintignant
Maurice Bienvenu Jean Paul Trintignant was a motor racing driver and vintner from France. He competed in the Formula One World Championship for fourteen years, between 1950 and 1964, one of the longest careers in the early years of F1...
). Several sports car models followed until the company's demise in the mid-1960s. During ten years of production, FACEL had manufactured 3,000 automobiles.
Daninos died at age 94 from cancer — in Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
(Alpes-Maritimes, France). He was buried with his relatives in Jouy-en-Josas
Jouy-en-Josas
Jouy-en-Josas is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the south-western suburbs of Paris from the center.Jouy-en-Josas is home to the prestigious HEC School of Management.-Geography:...
(Yvelines).