Engineer speaks of pride at providing Harry Potter’s motorcycle and sidecar

The boss of a British engineering firm has spoken of his pride at providing the iconic motorcycle and sidecar used in the latest Harry Potter film.

Sidecar manufacturer Watsonian Squire provided seven custom-built three-wheelers for the filming of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One, released this Friday.

Harry is seen flying through the air on the pale blue machine before crashing into a lake in the final scenes.

Watsonian Squire, based in Blockley, Glos., built the £8,000 machines from Royal Enfield motorcycles with a custom-built sidecar.

Staff at the base have had to keep quiet on the exciting news for 18 months.

Co-owner and director Ben Matthews was astounded at just how big the film was when he visited London at the time of the film premiere last week.

He said: ”I didn’t realise how big it was. We saw the promotions and trailers, particularly in London, and thought blimey, it’s fantastic. It plays a big part in the film.

”It’s literally everywhere you turn, on every bus stop, I just could not have imagined how big it was going to go.

”I’m not a Harry Potter fan but I will look forward to watching this film.”

The company was approached to make the bikes by Surrey-based Action Vehicles on behalf of filmmakers Warner Bros.

One scene features a machine speeding through the Dartford Tunnel in a high-speed chase.

Ben added: ”It makes me feel full of pride. It’s fantastic because about half of our sidecar manufacture is export and we’re getting massive interest from the States, Japan and India because they’re all massively into Harry Potter.

”Action took away one of them to have a look at it and thought it was fantastic.

”They ordered seven. There’s only one in the actual film, but they modified several lightening one to go on a flying rig and some to go faster for stuntmen to do their bit on them.”

Watsonian Squire has also supplied vehicles that have appeared in the Bond films and TV cooks Two Fat Ladies.