Designing L.A.'s Car Culture, One Hot Wheel at a Time

NHM Online Presents L.A. on Wheels, an online series celebrating the diversity of Los Angeles and its people through the lens of creative modes of transportation.

From the streets of Redondo Beach to the global stage of the Hot Wheels design studio, Charlie Angulo’s story is a testament to how car culture, family, and creativity collide in Los Angeles. Raised by Peruvian immigrant parents, Charlie grew up surrounded by the vibrant mash-up of cultures that defines L.A., where Angelenos cruise past food stands, custom builds fill parking lots, and every neighborhood has its own story on wheels. 

For Charlie, designing the miniature cars that spark imaginations worldwide isn’t just a job. It’s a way of honoring his roots, expressing his creativity, and inspiring future generations of car designers. Watch the video below to learn more about Charlie’s story. 

ROOTS, FAMILY & CAR CULTURE

Charlie Angulo’s story starts in Redondo Beach, where he was born and raised by parents who carried their Peruvian culture with them in every sense: through food, music, and family traditions.

Even though I was born here, my parents brought so much of Peru with them… the food, the music, the stories. Growing up in L.A., I felt that presence all around me, especially within our Peruvian community. We weren’t as well known back then, but by the ’90s and early 2000s, more and more Peruvians were arriving. One of the things my dad and I loved to do together was go out and find Peruvian places to eat… it was our way of staying connected.

But there was another family legacy that shaped his life: wheels. Charlie's grandfather, Jaime Garibaldi, raced café motorcycles back in Peru, a passion that quietly echoed across generations. Known as "El Muerto", it was through his grandfather’s passion that Charlie developed an interest in motorcycles, an interest that his parents deemed dangerous. In L.A., that love of speed and design, guided by his parents, found new life in the city’s legendary car culture.

They weren’t thrilled about motorcycles—too dangerous… But they bought me Hot Wheels, took me to car shows, the L.A. Auto Show… and that’s where it all started.

A CULTURE IN MOTION

To Charlie, Los Angeles isn’t just a city; it’s a living showcase of car culture from around the world. The idea of L.A. on Wheels is the culture that surrounds car communities, and supports the opportunity for so many different people to influence, shape, and be inspired by it.

When I think of L.A. on Wheels, I really think about car culture. It’s a melting pot of so many different influences—Latin America, Europe, all kinds of people. L.A. is perfect for that, because you won’t find another place quite like it, especially when you go to all the different kinds of car shows. 

 

While Detroit may be the historic heart of the American auto industry, Charlie credits Los Angeles, and Hollywood in particular, as a major force in transforming cars into tools for self-expression. Detroit built the vehicles, but California gave them flair. In L.A., cars became canvases: customized, cruised, and celebrated. And through films, television, and subcultures born in the streets, that California sensibility reshaped how the world sees cars—not just as machines, but as personal and cultural statements.

HOT WHEELS: HISTORY & COMMUNITY

Hot Wheels and Los Angeles have been intertwined since the very beginning. In the late 1960s, Mattel co-founder Elliot Handler saw his son’s Matchbox car and wondered—what if a toy car could move like a real one? 

He challenged his team of designers and engineers to create miniature vehicles with rolling wheels, bold styling, and real-world automotive attitude. The result was a line of toy cars unlike anything the market had ever seen, and it was all born in Southern California—a region already deeply steeped in car culture and innovation.

They say that when he [Elliot Handler] finally rolled it across the table for the first time, he said, ‘Well, those are some hot wheels.’

 

That local spark became a global phenomenon. Over the decades, Hot Wheels has mirrored—and sometimes led—shifts in automotive style, technology, and imagination. From muscle cars and hot rods to futuristic concepts and whimsical one-offs, Hot Wheels has captured the way people around the world play with, dream about, and personalize cars.

Today, Charlie Angulo helps carry that legacy forward. As a designer based in L.A., he’s part of a lineage that fuses creativity, engineering, and storytelling. Nowhere is this more visible than in the Hot Wheels Legends Tour—a grassroots car show that began in Los Angeles and has grown into an international celebration of builders, collectors, and fans.

Being part of the Hot Wheels Legends Tour is such an honor. I get to talk with all kinds of builders and families—sometimes a whole family has worked on a car, adding to it across generations. Seeing those stories is really inspiring for me and my work. Sometimes I even think, ‘I wish I had a story like that to build on.’ It’s just awesome to be part of it.

 

SWEETIE’S DONUTS: FAMILY, FOOD, AND HOT WHEELS

It’s not just through the Legends tour that Charlie finds inspiration but from his own life as well. Charlie’s most personal design? The Donut Drifter and its donut-box carrier, inspired by his mom Cintya’s Peruvian pastry business.

I like donuts a lot, so I thought—what if I made a car shaped like a donut, with a little guy inside trying to escape? Then I figured, why not build a rig to carry it, like a donut box to haul your donut cars. My mom used to run a catering business selling Peruvian pastries here in L.A., and it meant a lot to her. She couldn’t do it anymore, but I wanted to honor that. I asked the team, ‘What if we made her a character?’ I used to call her Sweetie, so we named it Sweetie’s Donuts. Now she’s part of Hot Wheels history—and that means the world to both of us.

 

CELEBRATING L.A. ON WHEELS

Through his work, Charlie Angulo reminds us that L.A. on Wheels is more than traffic—it’s tradition, creativity, and community in motion. His designs, both playful and rooted in culture, help reflect the joy that cars and creativity bring to generations of Angelenos. Whether it's cruising at a car show or playing with a Hot Wheels Donut Drifter, it’s a reminder that in Los Angeles, imagination always has the right of way. Charlie’s journey from Redondo Beach kid with a love for art and car shows to Hot Wheels designer is a vibrant reflection of how family, heritage, and imagination all ride together in Los Angeles. His story is just one of many that make up L.A. on Wheels, a celebration of the people who move this city, literally and creatively. From custom car builders to community organizers, each story offers a unique window into how wheels shape identity, culture, and connection across L.A.

Keep on Rollin'

Discover Charlie’s world of miniature speed and bold design by exploring the latest creations from Hot Wheels—including his fan-favorite Donut Drifter and the legendary Sweetie’s Donuts rig inspired by his mom’s pastries. Follow @hotwheels for behind-the-scenes looks at new releases, Legends Tour stops, and more design magic from Charlie and the team. Want to see real cars turned into Hot Wheels? Catch the Hot Wheels Legends Tour when it rolls through Los Angeles—you might witness the next custom build to be immortalized in die-cast form!

Know another Angeleno whose story rolls on wheels? We want to hear from you! Join the conversation on social media and tag us @NHMLA with #LAonWheels.