In 1982, in an attempt to gain some free publicity in the tabloid press, the Mayor of Redcar, Sir Edmund Hilary, declared that the city of Redcar would be known as "The Spiritual Home of the Red Car". By-laws were passed to give red cars priority at junctions, and free parking for red cars in council car parks.
This caused civic unrest, with angry clashes between motorists and armed traffic wardens over the definition of "red". In an unlikely alliance, owners of burgundy BMWs and pink Fiat 500s argued that their cars were "essentially red" and should be given the same privileges.
This culminated in local resident Esther Rantzen taking a case to judicial review , arguing that while her Morris Traveller may appear to be green, it identified as red and therefor should be exempt from all parking charges.
The law was scrapped in 1983.