Vauxhall Names Paint Color for Man Whose Car was Vandalized

84-year-old Peter Maddox says he's "touched by the support" after vandals trashed his bright yellow hatchback.
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Peter Maddox didn’t ask for any of this. The aging former dentist was living a quiet retirement in the picturesque village of Bibury when he bought a bright yellow Vauxhall Corsa hatchback three years ago and started parking it next to a famous row of centuries-old cottages in front of his house—the only place he’s legally able. Since then, he’s been in the local headlines as a villain to all the tourists and photographers who’ve claimed he’s ruining the atmosphere of the place…and a hero to basically everyone else. But last month, vandals finally got to him by scratching up the Corsa’s paint, smashing the windows, and scrawling “MOVE” across the hood, totaling the car and bullying him into buying a boring gray replacement.

After the community rallied around him, though, Vauxhall stepped in and announced it would be commemorating his fight forever by renaming that particular paint color “Maddox Yellow.” In addition, Vauxhaull said it would be participating in a yellow car group drive through the village this weekend in support of a charity that helps disabled people that Maddox chose himself. He told local reporters he’s been “touched by the support” from everyone. Good show, wot wot.

It sounds insane, but a lot of people were upset about the color of this one little car. Built in the 14th century, the Arlington Row cottages are the oldest inhabited buildings in the United Kingdom—perfectly picturesque and and a frequent tourist destination, thanks to their starring role on the inside cover of U.K. passports. Maddox lives right behind them. 

Two years ago, The Telegraph rounded up a bunch of quotes from people complaining about how the yellow car was ruining their pictures. (It’s really something to behold, for what it’s worth.) But the people who lived in the cottages themselves didn’t care; he wasn’t breaking any rules, and Maddox was able to laugh the whole thing off. At least until this February, when the vandals struck in the middle of the night.

He originally told reporters he would get a lime green replacement to stick it to whoever destroyed his car, but perhaps weary of all the attention, he opted for a gray Corsa in order to blend in. Since then, the community has banded together to support him, organizing the group drive for this Saturday. Then Vauxhall found out about the whole tale—and decided to do something for the old man as well.

“When we heard Peter’s story we were inspired at the way it captured the heart of the public. We wanted to show our support for Peter, which is why we’re renaming our yellow shade to ‘Maddox Yellow.’ We will also be in the car convoy to show our support,” Vauxhall director of communications Denis Chick told This is Money. 

It’s especially great because while it’s always terrible to have something you own get destroyed, Maddox clearly had very fond feelings for his yellow hatchback. In the older Telegraph piece he called it a “lovely car” and described seeing it for the first time in glowing terms. He may have no longer have that car, but now that color is his forever.