Howard Rees went to the Art Center College of Design, in Los Angeles, where he earned his Bachelor in Fine Arts Degree in 1964. Later he accepted a position with Ford Motor Company in England. After leaving England he continued to work with Ford in Detroit, designing the ever popular Mustang line. Cold, long, Michigan winters drove him back to California and to The Mattel Toy Company where he designed many of the red line era Hot Wheels cars. Later he worked on the Major Matt Mason action figure toy line-up. When he stopped designing Hot Wheels, his good friend Larry Wood, who he had worked with at Ford, took over his job.