IT'S a car which 70s character Huggy Bear from the cop show Starsky and Hutch would have been proud of.

Paul Dyer's 1972 Pontiac Catalina looks every inch like the wheels of a choice of a pimp and drug dealer - and more to the point, it actually once was.

The 19.5ft long car once cruised the streets of downtown Baltimore in the United States and was last owned by a man jailed for eleven years for pimping and drug running.

It was impounded by the Baltimore police following his sentence before eventually being sold to an American car fan in Basingstoke.

Paul, 78, of Spencer Glade, Ryde, saw the car advertised in a US car fan's magazine in the UK and fell in love with it.

Paul said: "The guy's father actually lives about 100 yards away from me in Brookfield Gardens. We went there to see it and I brought it back to the Island."

When Paul got the car home to the Isle of Wight, he found identification papers of its previous, and now jailed owner.

Paul said: "He was on the dole at the time. Its UK owner did some research and found out about the guy's past and how he had been jailed."

Paul is keeping tight lipped about how much his beloved American classic is worth but revealed it cost around £2,000 to import and is worth many thousands of pounds.

He said: "As I understand it, there are only two others in the country. It is like driving a bit of velvet."

The car will be on display at the Isle of Wight's Classic Car Extravaganza, supported by the County Press, in September.