Images courtesy of Ford Motor Company

Germany and Britain are foremost among European countries when it comes to sports car ownership; and both countries have been buying up Mustangs with gusto since the pony car went on sale in Europe last year. Yet it’s tiny Belgium, squashed between Germany and France, that Ford has recognized as having the highest Mustang ownership per-capita in the Old World. Time to celebrate with chocolate, waffles, and beer.

According to Ford, of the 21,000 sixth-generation Mustangs sold in European countries, 1,600 of those went to owners in Belgium – a country with 7,659,000 registered drivers. This means that for every Mustang, there are 4,693 people.

Albeit Germany and Britain account for over half of the 21,000 Mustangs sold in Europe, their higher populations mean a higher ratio of people-per-Mustang. Germans have purchased 7,281 Mustangs thus far, 1 for every 7,700 drivers – giving the Mustang the illustrious title of being the best-selling sports car in the Rhineland. Meanwhile, the Brits have bought 4,761 Mustangs for a ratio of 1 Mustang per 7,743 drivers; France comes in third with 2,126 total sales, followed by Belgium’s 1,600.

Sweden, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic are also buying their fair shares of the new Mustang, but it’s little Belgium that is showing Ford the most love-per-capita. Belgium has an important place in racing history – including the famous Circuit de Spa‑Francorchamps – which was one of the first race tracks to host Formula One. Belgian racer Jacky Ickx also won the 24 Hours of Le Mans six times; once in a Ford GT-40, celebrated 25 F1 podium finishes, and won the Dakar Rally.

It may be a small country in size and population, but it sure does have a big passion for performance cars.