Ira Gilford, Larry Wood
Background
Ira Gilford — Ira Bailey Gilford worked at Mattel from 1967 to about 1970 as a Hot Wheels designer, recommended for the position by Harry Bradley, the brand's first designer. Before that, he worked at Chrysler. He is credited with the Twin Mill, described as the first original Hot Wheels design, and also with The Spoilers, The Heavys and a large number of 1969 cars.
Today he works as an independent contractor in digital arts and as a painter.
Larry Wood — Larry Wood, known as 'Mr. Hot Wheels', studied at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. He was recruited by Ford in 1965 and joined Hot Wheels in 1969, building a career of about 50 years with the brand: he was full-time chief designer until 2009, then a consultant and ambassador, and officially retired in 2019. His projects include Bone Shaker, Rodger Dodger, Tri-Baby and Purple Passion.
He has received the Hot Wheels Hall of Fame (2003), the Model Car Hall of Fame (2009 and 2014), the West Coast Kustoms Hall of Fame (2019), the Pop Culture Hall of Fame (2021) and the Automotive Hall of Fame (2023). Today he works as a freelancer, at Larry Wood Design LLC.
