Retired tugboat worker Michael Pakouda successfully bid $20,000 (�14,200) for the late singer's Jaguar J40 in Englewood, New Jersey, in an auction to raise funds for those affected by the September 11 attacks on the US.

Now the woman who donated the car, Anna May Capelli, has refused to hand over the keys.

She said the $20,000 offer was the minimum price and was expecting it to sell for double that price.

A judge has signed an injunction to stop the auction house from returning the car to Capelli and has banned her from transferring the title to anyone else.

Faith

Mr Pakouda had bought the car as a Christmas present for his wife, Angela, who is a lifelong Sinatra fan.

Mrs Pakouda said: "It's not my problem that she (Capelli) didn't get what she expected.

"I'm sure Frankie's looking right down over my shoulder as my guardian angel and saying, 'Angie, that's your car'.

She said she had been a fan of the late superstar since the age of 10 and had been in the audience at Sinatra's early New York radio show, Lucky Strike Light Up Time.