The Weasleys' Flying Ford Anglia

• Type: Transportation, Enchanted Muggle Artefact
• Owners: Arthur Weasley
• Maker: Ford (original car); Arthur Weasley (magical enchantments)

The flying car was a turquoise Ford Anglia 105E, a popular Muggle vehicle from the 1960s. On the exterior, it looked like a standard, well-used car, though it was noted to be quite cramped for the large Weasley family. The interior was modified by Arthur Weasley to magically expand, allowing it to comfortably seat eight people, six large trunks, two owls, and a rat. The dashboard featured a small, silver button which activated a device of Arthur Weasley's own invention: the Invisibility Booster. When pressed, this would render the car and its occupants completely invisible to Muggles and wizards alike. Over the course of its use, the car sustained significant damage, including a shattered windscreen and severe dents from a collision with the Whomping Willow.

The Ford Anglia was illegally enchanted by Arthur Weasley, who was fascinated by Muggle technology. Its primary magical properties included:

• Flight: The car's most significant enchantment allowed it to fly through the air like an aeroplane.
• Invisibility: The Invisibility Booster allowed the car to become invisible, a crucial feature for navigating the Muggle world without violating the International Statute of Secrecy. However, this feature proved to be faulty, failing at inconvenient moments.
• Expanded Interior Space: Similar to a wizard's tent, the inside of the car was magically enlarged to hold far more passengers and luggage than its Muggle counterpart.
• Apparent Sentience: After being abandoned in the Forbidden Forest, the car seemed to develop a will of its own, becoming “wild.” It was able to navigate the dense forest independently and demonstrated loyalty by rescuing Harry Potter and Ron Weasley from danger.

Arthur Weasley acquired the Ford Anglia and enchanted it in secret, hiding his work from his wife, Molly Weasley, by claiming he was merely dismantling it in his shed to learn how Muggles made it work. The car first appears in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets when Fred, George, and Ron Weasley use it to rescue Harry Potter from his bedroom at Number four, Privet Drive. They use the car to pull the bars from Harry's window and fly him back to The Burrow. Later, when Dobby seals the magical barrier to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, Harry and Ron are unable to board the Hogwarts Express. In a moment of panic, they decide to fly the car to Hogwarts themselves. During the journey, the Invisibility Booster malfunctions, causing them to be spotted by at least seven Muggles. Their journey ends with a crash-landing into the Whomping Willow on the Hogwarts grounds. The car, badly damaged, ejects them and their belongings before driving itself into the Forbidden Forest. The incident resulted in a severe Howler for Ron from his mother and an official inquiry for Arthur Weasley at the Ministry of Magic. Months later, the now-wild Ford Anglia made a dramatic reappearance. When Harry and Ron were cornered by Aragog's giant spider children (Acromantula), the car burst through the undergrowth, its headlights blazing. It allowed them to escape and drove them to the edge of the forest before disappearing back into the trees. Its fate after this event is unknown in the novels.

The flying car is a crucial plot device in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. It serves as the mechanism for Harry's escape from the Dursleys, his unorthodox arrival at school, and his and Ron's survival in the Forbidden Forest. It is a prominent symbol of Arthur Weasley's character: his love for Muggle artifacts, his curiosity, and his tendency to bend the rules he is meant to enforce at the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. The car's “wild” state in the forest also introduces the idea that magic, when left to its own devices in a magical place, can evolve in unpredictable ways.

• J.K. Rowling has stated that the Ford Anglia was based on a real car owned by a friend of hers in her youth, which she has fond memories of riding in. (J.K. Rowling interview)
• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the car is shown with a more expressive personality, its headlights dimming and brightening like eyes. At the very end of the film, it is shown chugging out of the Forbidden Forest and driving away from Hogwarts, presumably back to The Burrow, a detail not included in the book. (film)