Yellow car owners hold rally in support of pensioner whose ‘ugly car’ was targeted by vandals for ruining view in Cotswolds village
D ozens of yellow car owners have held a rally in support of a pensioner’s bright yellow car, which was blamed for ruining the view in one of Britain’s most picturesque villages.
A convoy of one hundred cars has driven through Bibury, in the Cotswolds, in an act of solidarity towards Vauxhall Corsa possessor Peter Maddox, 84.
In January it was written off by a vandal who scraped “Budge” on the bonnet.
M r Maddox parks his banana-coloured Vauxhall Corsa outside his Cotswolds cottage in 14th-century Arlington Row, which is wielded by the National Trust.
T he houses are the oldest inhabited properties in the UK and show up on the inwards cover of millions of passports.
But a row erupted in two thousand fifteen when visitors complained that Mr Maddox’s “ugly” car was wrecking the classic English scene in Bibury, Gloucestershire, and “photobombing” tourists’ pics.
O n Saturday yellow cars drover through the area as a “celebration of anything yellow”.
Organiser Matty Bee, from Coventry, said: “The response has been amazing and breathtaking; people from all over the country and all over the world have applied to join the group.
“We’ve had everything here from a three-wheeler and a Mini to a Lamborghini super car. I’ve never seen so many yellow coloured cars in one place.”
R etired dentist Mr Maddox had insisted he had nowhere else to park his car and continued leaving his car on the road, until it was targeted.
A vandal scraped the word “Stir” onto the bonnet, scraped every other panel and smashed the driver’s side window and rear windscreen.
M echanics told his it will cost £6,000 to repair with a utter respray, making the car a probable write-off.
B ut he has said if that was the case he would buy a replacement – in a lime-green colour.
Mr Maddox moved to Bibury after his wifey died fifteen years ago and bought his car three years ago.
I n 2015, he attracted attention when photographers took to Twitter to complain about the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty being ruined by the “ugly, yellow car”.
P olice have valued the harm at £6,000 and believe the crime happened inbetween 4pm on Sunday twenty two and 7.40am on Monday twenty three January.
Sgt Garrett Gloyne said: “We have conducted house-to-house inquiries. We are aware that presence of the vehicle was the bone of contention to some people.
“Nevertheless, the harm caused to vehicle is beyond the pallid and we would appeal for anyone who knows anything to contact us.”
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