Dick Van Dyke On His Fiery Jaguar Accident: ‘I Never Had So Much PR!’ (Exclusive)

Dick Van Dyke made news over the summer when he was pulled from his Jaguar on a Los Angeles freeway after the car exploded and caught fire.

In a new exclusive interview with Access Hollywood’s Billy Bush, the Hollywood legend said throughout his illustrious career, he’s never received more attention than in the wake of his accident.

“I never had so much PR,” Dick told Billy about his scorched car, joking that he even “tried to sell it to the fireman before it was gone.”

“How did it start? Just a little smoke out of the front?” Billy asked.

“A little smoke yeah. And I called up AAA and tried to tell them. And then I saw flames coming out and I said never mind,” the 87-year-old recalled. “The funny thing is the fire department was there in about 12 minutes, the paparazzi were there in 10. They’ve got a network.”

Fortunately, Dick was able to escape the burning car without any severe injuries, thanks largely to a passer-by.

“I was [bent over] picking up my stuff off the [car] floor and a guy came and… he yanked me out of the car,” Dick explained. “He was a good Samaritan.”

“So everyone thought you were slumped over at the wheel and actually you were like, ‘Where’s my glasses?’” Billy asked the actor.

“They thought the old guy’s out. But he was a good Samaritan. He stopped and yanked me out. It’s nice to know,” Dick replied.

As it turns out, despite the fiery incident, Dick is still a big fan of the high-end sports car.

“Have you replaced the Jaguar?” Billy asked.

“I have another Jaguar. I have a fire extinguisher in the front seat.” Dick said with a laugh. “They sent me a loaner the next morning but I just bought another one. I like Jaguars.”

Dick’s fans can see even more of the actor when “Diagnosis: Murder” — which ran on CBS from 1993 – 2001 — will be released for the first time on DVD in November.

— Eric Anderson