Between 1959 and 1968 Ford sold over a million Ford Anglia 105 E cars, a small family saloon car powered by a modest engine of just under 1 liter producing 36 horsepower with the car weighing only 737 kilograms. With its American-influenced styling included a sweeping nose line, muted tail fins, and a big grille between prominent ‘eye’ headlamps, the Anglia 105E was quite a character. So it’s no surprise that it became the car of choice for Harry Potter.

The Anglia in Pottermore was an authentic Ford Anglia 105E Deluxe built in Ford’s UK factory. There actually were 16 Anglias on set and one of them was stolen presumably by a Potter fan. In the movie, the Anglia is enchanted by Arthur Weasley to fly and also to become invisible to the Muggle eye. The obsession with the Anglia was all started by Rowling and the reason is simple. When Rowling was in school, a new student named Sean Harris had a Ford Anglia. Rowling said, ‘some of the happiest memories of my teenage years are zooming off into the darkness in Sean’s car. Harry was rescued by that car, just as the car rescued me from my boredom…’

This little red Ford Anglia was bought in 1984 by current owner Dutchman Martin Bijleveld. His brother Boudewijn bought one too. It would not take long before six historic racers drove their Anglias all over Assen, Zandvoort and other tracks in Europe. After a few years of hard racing the car was dropped in a shed, until recently the owner got the idea that young talent should race the car. That’s where Frits Campagne, at the tender age of 65, came in. Campagne and the Ford Anglia are regular competitors in the international classic racing scene.