Yahoo Finance Wilmer Valderrama Still Gets 'Emotional' While Driving Iconic Vista Cruiser from That '70s Show
Wilmer Valderrama is opening up about a sentimental item he has from his time on That '70s Show.
In PEOPLE's exclusive sneak peek at Wednesday's episode of CNBC's Jay Leno's Garage, Jay Leno pays a visit to Wilmer, 41, at his home in Los Angeles. Upon seeing the car parked in Wilmer's driveway, Jay, 71, immediately notices the striking resemblance it shares with the iconic vehicle previously featured on That '70s Show.
"It is! It is the one from That '70s Show," Wilmer says. "This is the car where we did the opening sequence on the show where we're all driving and the theme song is playing."
As the series was gearing up to wrap after eight seasons, Wilmer says he knew he needed to snag something from the set.
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"Something went in my brain," the NCIS actor says. "I'm like, 'Okay, so, if this is over for good, I got to take something home.' I went straight to the Vista Cruiser."
"I went to the props department and I said, 'Hey, listen. I got 500 bucks. It doesn't run,'" he continues, joking that he told the props team he doesn't "know when my next show is."
For Wilmer, it was important to keep the vehicle in the same condition that it was in when audiences first saw it in the series.
"All those little dings. You know, the nose dent. There's still glue from the tape from the microphones. There's still velcros when they had the lights hanging," he says.
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"I wanted to keep that because every time I get in the car, I get a little emotional about it because I was about to turn 18 when I booked That '70s Show," he continues. "I think, like any immigrant family, we came here to work and getting That '70s Show was exactly what every generation has experienced in America. That's when I knew everything was possible. And all I had to do was never get fired!"
Wilmer starred as Fez on That '70s Show from 1998 to 2006. Topher Grace, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Laura Prepon, Danny Masterson, Debra Jo Rupp, Kurtwood Smith, Don Stark, Tommy Chong, Lisa Robin Kelly and Tanya Roberts were also in the cast.
Recently, it was announced that Debra, 70, and Kurtwood, 78, will be reprising their roles as Kitty and Red in a new spinoff series titled That '90s Show. The upcoming Netflix series will follow Eric (Topher) and Donna's (Laura) daughter as she visits her grandparents in Wisconsin.
Jay Leno's Garage airs Wednesdays (10 p.m. ET) on CNBC.
