Famous Hot Wheels Designers and Their Iconic Castings
Harry Bentley Bradley, Ira Gilford, Larry Wood, Jun Imai and the modern designers behind the most iconic Hot Wheels — and how to collect by designer.
Written by
Rarewaalt Team
Reading time
3 min
Updated
5 Oct 2026
Every Hot Wheels car starts as a sketch by a real designer. Knowing who drew a casting adds a new layer to collecting — and some designers have become legends in their own right. Here are the people behind the most iconic Hot Wheels.
Harry Bentley Bradley — the original
Harry Bentley Bradley trained at the Pratt Institute and joined General Motors in 1962 before moving to Mattel in 1966. There he designed many of the cars released in 1968 as the very first Hot Wheels, shaping the brand's look from day one.
He left Mattel in 1969 to work independently and teach at the Art Center College of Design. Outside diecast, he is famous for designing the Dodge Deora custom pickup built by the Alexander Brothers. Bradley passed away in 2023.
Ira Gilford — the Twin Mill
Ira Gilford designed the Twin Mill for the 1969 line-up — Hot Wheels' first original design created entirely in-house rather than copied from a real car. Its twin engines and canopy roof made it an instant icon.
The Twin Mill became so famous that a full-size, working Twin Mill was built and shown at the 2001 SEMA Show, powered by two supercharged big-block V8s.
Larry Wood — "Mr. Hot Wheels"
Larry Wood is widely considered the most prolific toy car designer of all time. A former Ford designer, he joined Mattel in 1969 and led Hot Wheels design for four decades, stepping down as chief designer in 2009 and staying on as a consultant until 2019 — 50 years with the brand.
Famous Larry Wood designs:
- Bone Shaker — the skull-grilled hot rod that became a modern Hot Wheels symbol.
- Rodger Dodger, Tri-Baby and Purple Passion.
- Larry's Garage (2009) — a 20-car tribute series of his designs.
Modern masters
| Designer | Known for |
|---|---|
| Phil Riehlman | Volkswagen Drag Bus (over 100 variations since 1996), Dairy Delivery, Nissan Skyline GT-R (BNR34) |
| Mark Jones | Around 300 castings, including the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, Ferrari Enzo and Porsche 962 |
| Fraser Campbell | McLaren F1 GTR, Porsche 911 GT3 RS and the Monster Jam Grave Digger |
| Manson Cheung | Ghostbusters Ecto-1, the Back to the Future Time Machine and The Mystery Machine |
| Ryu Asada | The '68 Corvette – Gas Monkey Garage — read its full story |
Jun Imai — the JDM specialist
Jun Imai spent 14 years at Mattel and became the go-to designer for Japanese cars, including the Toyota AE86, Datsun 510, Mazda RX-7 and multiple Nissan Skyline generations. His castings are a big reason Japanese car culture is so strong in Hot Wheels today.
After leaving Mattel in 2018 he founded Kaido House, now produced with Mini GT. Read our Kaido House guide.
How to collect by designer
- 1Pick a designer whose style you love — Larry Wood's hot rods, Jun Imai's JDM cars or Phil Riehlman's drag buses.
- 2List their castings using collector wikis and fan sites.
- 3Hunt different versions — mainline colours, premiums, Treasure Hunts and Super Treasure Hunts of the same casting.
- 4Display them together with a small card naming the designer — it turns a shelf into a story.
Browse Hot Wheels on Rarewaalt.
Frequently asked questions
Who designed the first Hot Wheels?
Harry Bentley Bradley designed many of the original 1968 Hot Wheels after moving from General Motors to Mattel in 1966.
Who is called "Mr. Hot Wheels"?
Larry Wood, who joined Mattel in 1969 and designed Hot Wheels for 50 years, including the Bone Shaker.
Who designed the Twin Mill?
Ira Gilford designed the Twin Mill for the 1969 Hot Wheels range.
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