The little burgundy Anglia with an incredible family legacy

Watch Richard meet Chris to discuss her 1963 Ford Anglia and take it for a drive.

Few cars can claim as much family history as Chris’s 1963 Ford Anglia. Once a familiar sight on UK roads and star of the popular police drama Heartbeat, before being taken to the skies by everyone’s favourite boy wizard, Chris’s burgundy beauty holds a special place that extends well beyond its pop-culture fame.

For Chris, this Anglia isn’t just a classic; it’s part of the family. Originally her father’s pride and joy, it’s the car she took her first driving lesson in, the car her family set off for road trips in and the car her puppy Rocky first came home in. “They’d always wave as the Anglia came around the corner” she recalls, a car so well-known in her village it was practically part of the scenery, and a bond so strong that she’s never once thought of parting ways with it.

Ford’s family favourite sits neatly in Chris’s garage, first arriving on WA soil in 2001 and beyond a few sensible modifications under the bonnet to keep it road-ready, Chris took every measure to ensure it stayed true to its original form. Years of British winters took their toll on the Anglia’s undercarriage, with road salt slowly eating away at the original frame. Soon after the car arrived in Australia, Chris sourced a donor Anglia from the east coast and replaced the affected parts to preserve its integrity.

It’s been carefully resprayed in its original colour, while the interior with its rare grey leather seating and art-deco-inspired, symmetrical dash - remains a showcase of 1960s design.

But there is one modification she deeply cherishes: a pair of wooden blocks fitted under the driver’s seat by her father so her mother could comfortably reach the pedals.

But it’s the exterior of this classic that truly makes it stand a class apart. The American influence is strong with its large rear fins, unique slanted rear windscreen and reverse-angle windows; Ford’s global design philosophy of the time that suggested speed and modernity. But as Chris remembers, it usually just helped with the rain, “except for when you’re reversing”.

The car’s true character is evident in the front-end, a wide chrome grille and large round headlights shine a million-dollar smile as it drives by. Truly the perfect fit for the Weasley family’s magical flying machine.

Fittingly, it was another bit of classic roadside magic that brought Christine and her Anglia to our attention. When RAC Roadside Patrol and In My Garage host Richard lent a hand changing her spare tyre. A small roadside moment that uncovered a lifetime of motoring memories.