Calty, which takes its name as a portmanteau of California and Toyota, was the first U.S.-based design studio for a Japanese automaker. It was always a pretty stealthy operation, intended to allow for the kind of creative freedom that might not be possible back in Japan, with cost-obsessed executives peeking over shoulders. First in El Segundo, and later in Newport Beach, CALTY was a place where designers could dream without limits.