Ford Anglia

Ford Anglia
Manufacturer	Ford Company Arthur Weasley (enchanted)
Date of invention	By summer 1992
Purpose	Transportation
Owner(s)	Arthur Weasley
Book information
First appearance	Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (only appearance)

The Ford Anglia is a car in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The car is a light-blue Ford Anglia 105E Deluxe that Arthur Weasley illegally enchanted so that it will fly and turn invisible. Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley once crashed the car into the Whomping Willow. After it turned feral, it lived in the Forbidden Forest.

About

The Ford Anglia is an old turquoise car. It has a compass. Arthur Weasley put a few enchantments on the car including one that enables it to fly. He also put an Invisibility Booster on it that enables it to turn invisible at the push of a button. There is also an Undetectable Extension Charm which expands its space enough for at least 8 people, 6 trunks, 2 owls and 1 rat to fit in. The back seat is around the length of a bench.

Arthur purposely put a loophole in his artefact law that enabled people to enchant a car legally if they are not intending to use it.

History

Harry, Ron, Fred and George in 1992

In July 1992, Fred, George and Ronald Weasley took the car and drove it to 4 Privet Drive. They wanted to know why Harry had not sent any letters to them. Harry was shocked to find them in a car, mid-air at the bedroom window. Fred used the car to pull bars off Harry's window. They put luggage in the car, forgetting Hedwig who started shrieking. Vernon woke up and saw Harry escaping.

Harry was worried they were going to get into trouble for taking the car when they were under-age. They explained that they couldn't because they had not put the spell on the car, and no-one would know. However, they were caught by Molly Weasley. At that point, she had no idea the car was enchanted, because she shouted at Arthur for enchanting it. He pointed out the law had a loophole in which you could legally enchant Muggle objects if you don't use it.

Harry and Ron flying to school

In September, the family and Harry took the car to King's Cross to get the train to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Molly did not know Arthur had enchanted the car to expand the space inside, only knowing that it could fly. She thought it was good how the Muggles knew a thing or two about expanding space.

At King's Cross, Dobby blocked the entrance to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters to stop Harry getting to Hogwarts. Harry and Ron took the car to fly to school instead. However, upon takeoff, the car's Invisibility Booster malfunctioned and a few Muggles saw the car flying. It was reported in newspapers. They were successful at driving it to Hogwarts, but it run out of power and dropped. Ron avoided hitting the school by swerving but crashed into the Whomping Willow.

The car however had a life of its own and escaped the tree on its own. It sped towards the Forbidden Forest where it ejected Harry, Ron and their luggage and drove into the Forest. In May 1993, Harry, Ron and Fang were in Aragog's colony. The car was still in the Forest and showed up to help the group escape. Afrer were dropped at the school, the car headed back into the Forbidden Forest.

Trivia

• J. K. Rowling gave an interview before the publication of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban where she talked about her plans to bring the car back in a future book. However, the car never reappeared.
• The Ford Anglia itself is based on a similar car owned by one of J.K. Rowling's best friends, Sean Harris:

"Sean was the first of my friends to pass his driving test and he had this old Ford Anglia — claptop Ford Anglia turquoise, some white, which is now quite famous as the car that the Weasleys drive — I was obviously going to give the Weasleys Sean’s old car. And that car was freedom to us. My heart still lifts when I see an old Ford Anglia, which is a bit sad…He was the coolest man in school, he had a turquoise Ford Anglia, and you were pretty cutting edge, I think."

— Rowling on Sean's Ford Anglia