"I grew up playing with figures like Action Man and not video games, so to own a Humvee like the one he drove is a dream come true," says Samuel Ogunlana.

Note, it's a Humvee, the US military vehicle – full name High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle that first saw action in 1989 in Operation Just Cause, when the US invaded Panama, and not a Hummer, the popular civilian utility vehicle that looks a lot like it. Both were built by AM General, although the Hummer was marketed by General Motors.

At 2160mm wide (7ft lin in old money), finished in khaki green and sitting on 37in wheels shod with tractor-like tyres, it's impossible to miss among the pristine Ferraris and Porsches gathered at Samuel's local car meet.

"It's a proper military vehicle with no comforts," explains Samuel. "No sound deadening, no air-con and no power assistance. Because much of it extends into the cabin, you may get some heat from the engine on a cold day, but that's your lot."

Said engine is a 6.5-litre naturally aspirated V8 diesel. Samuel says: "It makes 170bhp, but it's the torque – 290lb ft – that matters. There are two batteries, each weighing 75kg, and it has a 48V electrical system to power all the ancillaries, when they're fitted. The alternator is humongous – about the size of a Ford Pinto engine."

His Humvee looks seriously heavy, but in fact it weighs 'only' 2300kg. "When they're not on operations, Humvees have their armoured bodies swapped for glassfibre panels on an aluminium body," says Samuel.

"This one is a third-generation model that entered US service in 2010. It has done only 2000 miles, most of them shuttling around a base, I suspect." Sadly, then, it's seen no action – unless, of course, you count its present-day trips into London.

"It's wide but quite nimble, and I can parallel park it in London in one hit," says Samuel. "But it has several blindspots, in particular the front pillar. I'm very careful when I approach junctions. The spare wheel at the back can be a problem, too; I've hit many a wall when reversing. Otherwise, it's easy enough to drive."

Samuel bought his Humvee 18 months ago from a friend who imports them. It cost him £40,000, but he's confident that when he sells it, he'll get his money back. He says: "It will make a great promotional car. Everyone wants to ride in it." This is Samuel's second Humvee.

His first was a first-generation model built in 1984 and which he bought five years ago before replacing it with this current one – a car he describes as being, in a good way, "night and day" different. "It means I've been driving Humvees for six years now,' he says.

"I'd love it to be my daily driver, but it's just too impractical as well as thirst – around 6mpg." Because it's so wide and therefore won't fit on a conventional garage ramp, he takes it to a coachworks for servicing. 

A pit is the only safe way to work under it, although its generous, 16in ground clearance means some simpler jobs are possible by crawling underneath. Not this, nor its thirst for fuel, nor its sheer size can dent Samuel's enthusiasm for his Humvee.

"When they see it, people of a certain age have a flashback of when they were playing with their Action Man figures," he says, beaming.