Yellow Car Convoy Celebrates Man Whose Hatchback was Vandalized
Vandals trashed Peter Maddox’s Vauxhall after people claimed its bright yellow color was out of place in a historic area.
Earlier this week, we brought you the touching story of Peter Maddox, an 84-year-old former dentist who stumbled into the headlines after people complained he was ruining the view of a famous row of historic cottages in England by parking his bright yellow Vauxhall Corsa next to them. After vandals destroyed the car last month, Maddox decided he'd had enough and bought a grey replacement to avoid any more problems. But his supporters (including Vauxhall) weren't deterred, and today a convoy of 100 yellow cars paraded through the village to celebrate the old man and his excellent taste in bold colors.
It was a "celebration of anything yellow," organizer Matty Bee told the BBC, and hundreds of people reportedly applied to take part, though the limit of 100 cars had to be set for safety reasons. Yahoo News has video of the parade showing the huge range of cars that participated—you can spot everything from an old VW bus and a Reliant Robin to a Lamborghini and a Porsche. Maddox reportedly watched the parade as it passed by his cottage and was "overwhelmed" by all the support, and he certainly looks pretty happy in pictures from the event.
True to their word, Vauxhall sent a squadron of newly-minted "Maddox Yellow" Corsas to participate in the gathering, which came together on Facebook after word of the incident in February where vandals smashed the windows and scratched the paint on Maddox's car and scrawled "MOVE" on the hood. Bee told the BBC he was only expecting "15 or 20" people to join up when he thought of the idea for this event, but over 1,500 people expressed their interest. There seems to be a strong sense of community among owners of yellow cars, at least across the pond—others quoted in the article say they wave to each other out on the road and feel connected in their communal choice to stand out a little bit.
The day was also planned to raise money for The Butterfly Garden, a local charity helping disabled people that Maddox chose himself, and the whole thing was so successful there's already some talk of turning it into an annual event. Whether or not that happens, one thing is for sure—whoever trashed his car must have hated it today, which makes it even better.