Flying Ford Anglia

Flying Ford Anglia
Object information
Manufacturer	Ford Motor Company (later enchanted by Arthur Weasley)
Usage	Transportation
Owners	Arthur Weasley

Arthur: "But the things our lot has taking to enchanting, you wouldn't believe..."

Molly: "LIKE CARS, FOR INSTANCE?"

Arthur: "C-Cars, Molly dear?"

Molly: "Yes, Arthur, cars. Imagine a wizard buying a rusty old car and telling his wife all he wanted to do with it was take it apart to see how it worked, while really he was enchanting it to make it fly."

— Exchange between Arthur and Molly Weasley

The Flying Ford Anglia was a light blue Ford Anglia 105E Deluxe that was enchanted by Arthur Weasley to fly, as well as to become invisible, with the use of a specially installed device called an Invisibility Booster. It was also modified so that it could fit eight people, six trunks, two owls, and a rat comfortably.

Usage

Flight between Little Whinging and the Burrow

"Your sons flew that enchanted car of yours to Surrey and back last night."

— Molly Weasley on her son's flight

Fred, George, and Ron Weasley flying to the Burrow after rescuing Harry Potter from 4 Privet Drive

The Flying Ford Anglia was used on 3 August 1992 by Fred, George, and Ron Weasley to rescue Harry Potter, who was locked up in his room at the Dursleys' and had been unable to receive any mail from the Wizarding community as a result of Dobby's attempts to protect him. When they arrived at 4 Privet Drive, the Weasley boys pulled the car up to Harry's window, alerting him to their presence, after which they proceeded to pull off the bars on Harry's window and help him retrieve his things. As they were returning to the Burrow, Harry was worried that his friends would get in trouble for using the car due to the Reasonable Restriction for Underage Magic, but as they did not place the spell upon the car and were only borrowing it, it didn't count.

Upon their return to the Burrow, Mrs Weasley was furious with her sons for taking the car but placed no blame on Harry. The next morning, at breakfast, Mrs Weasley told Mr Weasley what the boys had done, and, startled, he began to ask how it went before hastily switching to a reprimand at a look from his wife. He tried to excuse the car by referring to a loophole in the law regarding ownership of charmed objects, but Molly noted that he was the one who had written that law.

On 1 September 1992, the Weasley family and their things piled into the magically expanded interior for the ride to King's Cross Station to catch the Hogwarts Express.

Last Flight

Driving the Flying Ford Anglia to Hogwarts and into the Whomping Willow

At the start of their second year, Harry and Ron used the enchanted car to get to Hogwarts when the entrance to Platform 9¾ was sealed by Dobby, in another attempt to protect Harry by preventing his return to school. Ron was worried that his parents might not be able to get back through, so they used the car to fly to Hogwarts. Just as they arrived on school grounds, the car began to break down and they ended up crashing into the Whomping Willow. The car, after having unloaded everything and everyone in it, drove off into the Forbidden Forest. Professor Snape informed them that their journey was "seen by no less than seven Muggles" and that if it had been up to him he would have had them on the train back to London the very same night. Minerva McGonagall was however in charge of their discipline as she was Head of Gryffindor House, and gave them both detention.

Arthur Weasley faced an inquiry at work following this incident. By Christmas, the Daily Prophet reported that he was fined fifty Galleons for bewitching the Muggle car.

Near the end of the school year, on 24 May 1993, the car turned up and saved Harry, Ron, and Hagrid's dog, Fang, from Aragog's family. After depositing them outside the forest, it reversed back into it and disappeared from view.

Possible destruction

At some point between 1993 and 1998, the car may have been taken into the Room of Requirement by a member of the Hogwarts staff as a similar car appeared upside-down during the students' escape from Fiendfyre. It was presumably destroyed along with the other artefacts in the room.

Behind the scenes

The Flying Ford Anglia

Ford Anglia replica at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, near the entrance to Dragon Challenge

• J. K. Rowling said in 1999 that it was supposed to reappear in a future book.
• In a deleted scene from the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Ron says that the Forbidden Forest has turned the car wild. He made a similar statement in the book.
• The Anglia appears as a set, along with the Hogwarts Express, in LEGO Dimensions.
• In 2005, three years after Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film) was released, the vehicle used in the original footages was stolen from South West Film Studios in Cornwall, presumably by a fanatic fan. In 2006, the car was found near a castle in England.
• The car's registration plate differs in media:
  • In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, it is "7990 TD."
  • On the cover of one edition of the book, the plate can be seen to start with "H". On other publicity material the registration was shown as "HOW 777."
  • On Pottermore, it is "COS 207."
    • It may be a reference to the book Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, as the car rescues Harry and Ron on page 207 in the UK edition.
  • On the cover of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Illustrated Edition, it is "HOW 782D."
  • In Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, it is "930 TRS."
• In LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, Harry used a flying light-blue scooter to travel alongside while Ron flew the car.
• A car of same colour and model appeared in the background of the motorcycle chase scene in 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. This makes it an anachronism, as the movie is set in 1957 and the Anglia 105E was released two years later.
• The Wizarding World of Harry Potter sells a battery operated toy version of the car.
• Despite being referred to as a "1959" model, the Anglia 105E was not launched until October of that year and would be considered a 1960 model under most standards, except the UK where it would be known as a 1959 Model. Details on the Weasleys' car peg it as 1963 or earlier.
• The car was Rupert Grint's favourite prop from the series.
• When the The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened in 2010, most of the invited actors arrived in the Knight Bus, but Rupert Grint and Daniel Radcliffe arrived in the flying Ford Anglia.

Appearances

The Flying Ford Anglia as seen in Harry Potter: Wizards Unite

• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game) (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: A Pop-Up Book (Mentioned on prop of Howler included as an extra)
• LEGO Harry Potter: Building the Magical World
• LEGO Harry Potter
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
• Pottermore
• The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
• Harry Potter: The Exhibition
• LEGO Harry Potter
• LEGO Dimensions
• Harry Potter Trading Card Game
• Harry Potter: The Creature Vault
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery