Text and photos by Steve Temple

Some things are just meant to be, as the saying goes. In the case of Gary Ragle, it seems he never had any other choice in life other than to become an automotive designer. Which certainly wasn’t a bad path to take, all things considered. 

Looking back on what led him to this profession, his earliest memories are of long road-trips to car shows, crammed into the front seat of his father’s hot rod, a ’34 Chevy coupe. This experience fostered a love of machines in him, and combined with an artistic bent, he naturally focused his energies on automotive design.

After graduating from the University of Cincinnati’s Industrial Design program, Ragle went to work for Mitsubishi Motors at its Socal design studio. Splitting his time between California and Japan, he went onto to pen multiple concept and production cars, and even a Hot Wheels model

After honing his skills in the corporate arena of the auto industry, he struck out on his own, forming Ragle Design in 2009. He’s since worked with a wide variety of clients on diverse projects, everything from sketches for a homebuilt street rod to the full fabrication of a concept car. He’s served as a consultant with firms such as Ford, Infiniti, Hasbro Toys, and a large number of hot rod and customizing shops.