This may come as a surprise to many of you living in the United States, but the Ford Mustang has been voted the most desirable classic car in Europe.

A survey of 75,046 Europeans carried out by used car selling site AutoScout24, revealed that more than one in three enthusiasts on the continent (37 percent) dreams of owning a Mustang. The legendary BMW M1 came second with 20 percent of the votes, while the VW Beetle was third, with 11 percent.

Whether it’s the Mustang’s timeless design, the wish to experience the American dream or simply the desire to own something one can’t have, the pony car topped the list of Europeans’ most wanted classic cars. The Mustang has its biggest fan base in Austria, where 42 percent of respondents opted for the American car, followed by Spain, with 41 percent.

In Germany, 34 percent of respondents chose the Mustang as their dream classic car, which is an impressive result given the variety of German classic cars that are available in the country. For comparison, the VW Beetle and VW Bulli each got a score of 14 percent in Germany. The Bulli was sixth overall in Europe, behind the classic Mini and the Citroën 2CV.

The survey included 75,046 users of the AutoScout24 car sales website throughout Europe, as follows: 5,002 in Belgium, 30,410 in Germany, 15,108 in France, 11,797 in Italy, 3,739 in the Netherlands, 2,745 in Austria and 6,245 in Spain.

By Dan Mihalascu

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