On the parvis (front courtyard) of the Notre Dame in Paris lies a special engraved stone known as point zéro (kilometre zero). From here, the old routes nationales (RN) trunk roads radiate north to the Channel ports, west to Brittany, southwest to Bordeaux and the Dordogne, southeast to Reims, Dijon and the Swiss border and south to Provence, Monaco and the Côte d'Azur.

The image of long distances covered on dusty RN roads bordered by French plane trees, a powerful Grande Routière making its way through dappled sunshine by day, Marchal driving lights blazing through the darkness at night, is romantic and enduring. From the dawn of motoring when giant Panhard and Mors racers travelled the length and breadth of the country, to Bugattis and Delages of the 1930s and the pre- and immediately post-war years of big-capacity, two-door four-seaters from Lago-Talbot, Delahaye and Hotchkiss, France was always at the forefront of Grande Routière design.

The genre reached a peak with Jean Daninos’s American big-block, Chrysler-engined Facel Vegas produced over a 10-year period from 1954 to 1964. Sitting at their apex was the Facel II, the ultimate in luxury and effortless performance over long distances, the Gallic equal of an Aston Martin or Maserati.