The Mustang has been a fascinating success story for Ford and its appeal has endured for generations. While the US may be its most succesful market the Mustang was the world’s best-selling sports coupe for the fourth consecutive year in 2018. The European market has seen consistent growth too and seeing as more Mustangs are sold in Belgium per head than anywhere else in Europe, it was fitting that Ford’s Lommel proving ground in Belgium recently played host to the largest gathering of Mustangs ever.
A total of 1326 cars covering every generation of the iconic sports car arrived at the grounds, eclipsing Ford’s own record of 960 vehicles that was set in Toluca, Mexico in December 2017. The Mustangs, hailing from all over Europe, were driven in an uninterrupted convoy and the vehicles and drivers took part in a special choreography to honor the Mustang’s 55th anniversary.
Over 100 staff at Lommel volunteered to help on the day and the event included a fly-over by a P51 Mustang, the WWII plane which was the inspiration for the car’s name. The proving grounds feature 50 miles of track which simulate public roads and varying road surfaces to allow engineers to evaluate and fine-tune vehicle parameters like handling, ride comfort and braking performance. With Ford’s latest Mustang range offering far better chassis dynamics than ever before and still retaining that trademark big-hearted performance capability, its popularity is sure to keep growing the world over.
Images courtesy of Ford
