Image via HeroCovers/YouTube
For the Hot Wheels faithful, the name Larry Wood is held in high regard. After all, he designed some of the most iconic diecast toy cars ever made. His personal collection of toys, memorabilia, and more housed in the Ellwood Garage located in Long Beach, California is worth millions and is a dream come true for big Hot Wheels fans.
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Wood started off as a designer working for Ford. Mattel scooped him up to work on the Hot Wheels line, adding his real-world knowledge of car design to the little toys. He tells YouTube channel HeroCovers in an interview and tour of his collection that he went from designing door handles and other details at Ford to whipping up an entire car design for Mattel in his first week of work.
Not only does Wood have a number of high-value Hot Wheels cars in his collection, the guy obviously has access to items other collectors would’ve struggled to acquire. For example, he has some upscaled models used by the design team to create some of the diecast cars. His collection also houses concept sketches and other behind-the-scenes items.
A funny story Wood tells involves the famous Larry’s Towing Hot Wheels truck. As you might have guessed, the truck was named after him. But what you might not realize is he put his own home phone number on the truck, which he thought was a good idea until thousands of kids called him.
While Wood’s garage has plenty of toys and drawings in it, the guy actually plays with real cars, too. He loves hotrods and is currently building a couple of them, one a 1930 Ford Model A Coupe that’s running an engine donated by a Mazda Miata.
There’s no doubting Larry Wood has had an immeasurable impact on young car enthusiasts. Many kids have originally been fascinated by a particular model because they received a diecast version of it as a present, leading them to pursue a lifetime of participating in the car hobby.
Images via HeroCovers/YouTube
