POULSBO — A Poulsbo couple was away at a classic car show Saturday when their son was arrested for stealing their classic show car.

The couple left their 1949 Mercury at home while they attended a show in Mason County, according to a sheriff’s office report. On the same day their adult daughter saw the show car motoring down Gunderson Road with someone other than her parents behind the wheel.

The daughter called her mother who said she and her husband had given no one permission to take the car out while they were away — especially not their 33-year-old son. The mother called 911 and reported the car stolen.

Sheriff’s deputies caught up to the Mercury on Port Gamble Road and found the son was indeed behind the wheel. According to the report, the man told deputies he had taken the car to a local shop to be detailed because he wanted to do something nice for his father. He said he told the car detailers that he owned the car, “So I wouldn`t look like a loser.”

A deputy noted the car seemed dirty for having been freshly cleaned and pointed out pine needles in the carpeting. The man agreed and said he thought the shop had done a poor job.

An employee at the shop later confirmed a man had stopped by briefly with the Mercury but did not have it detailed.

The suspect’s parents agreed to press charges and he was booked into Kitsap County jail for second degree taking a motor vehicle without permission.