I don't how many of you are aware, but the passing of a influential Hot Wheels designer was announced over the weekend. Ryu Asada passed away at 42, after fighting cancer for almost five years. I'm sure many of us have collected models designed by him, since he brought about the influx of hit Japanese models to the brand, along with other real-world cars. I can give him credit (and Jun Imai) for making me collect Hot Wheels again, as an adult.
He was a hardcore Honda fan, so the EF, Integra, S2000, City, FK8, NA1 NSX were among his contributions. The P1, 934 and Bentley above were also his designs.
More details on his work here:
https://japanesenostalgiccar.com/rip...ner-1978-2021/
His instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/hotwheels_ryu/
