Record Ford Mustang gathering convenes in… Belgium?

One might think that if a record number of Ford Mustangs were gathered, that would take place somewhere near Detroit, perhaps at the big Mustang Memories show held every year at Ford Headquarters in Dearborn, or Mustang Alley at the huge Woodward Dream Cruise. That thought, however, would be in error as owners of 1326 Mustangs from across Europe, representing every generation of Ford’s muscle car, gathered their pony cars at Ford of Europe’s Lommel Proving Ground in Belgium.

Actually, there were 1327 Mustangs at the event, as a WWII-era P-51 Mustang fighter made a flyover pass for the gathering.

The record number of Mustangs shattered the previous record set in 2017, when 960 ‘Stangs collected near Ford’s Toluca, Mexico assembly plant. It’s also five cars more than the record number of Bentleys that recently gathered to celebrate that marque’s centennial.

Why arrange a record meet in Europe for one of the most iconic American car models? To celebrate the Mustang’s increasing success on the continent. In the first half of 2019, Ford sold 5500 Mustangs in Europe, a 3.7 percent increase over last year. When combined with North American sales, Ford says the Mustang is the world’s best selling sports coupe for the fourth consecutive year. In the first half of 2019, Ford sold about 44,500 Mustangs in North America.

The Lommel facility was chosen for the record-breaking gathering because Ford sells more Mustangs, per capita, in Belgium than in any other European country. The Lommel Proving Ground is Ford’s primary road-testing facility in Europe.

It just goes to show that love for vintage Mustangs knows no borders.