Who is Gene Winfield? If you are into the rod and customworld, you know the answer to that question. For those of you who aren't, Gene Winfield is a master custom car builder whose name ranks right up there with all the greats, like the Alexander brothers, George Barris, Carl Casper, Dean Jeffries, Ed Roth, and Darryl Starbird. Winfield's creations appeared on many TV series such as Bewitched, Star Trek , The Man From UNCLE, Get Smart and Mod Squad. He has also done quite a few movie creations; the futuristic cars in Blade Runner, Mangum Force , Solar Crisis, Robocop, Back to the Future II, The Wraith, Sleeper and The Last Starfighter. His commercial creations included an 18-month stint with Goodyear, building cars that ran their steel-belted radial tires over everything from drill bits to meat cleavers and fire axes. For a 1967 Chevy commercial, he was asked to cut a car in half and make both halves drivable. In another commercial, he froze a car in a block of ice. Recently, he has made two appearances on the Discovery Channel's Monster Garage with Jesse James, Modern Marvels Custom Cars, Rides with Billy Gibbons, Hot Rod TV and an upcoming episode on My Classic Car with Dennis Gage. He is currently filming a new show titled Building With The Best which will premier at the 2006 SEMA show. But what Gene Winfield is best known for are his "lead sled" (1949-51) Mercury customs. If you see a chopped top Merc, odds are Winfield either built the car or it was inspired by his work.

Gene Winfield was born in 1927 in Springfield, Missouri. When he was 18 months old, his family moved to Modesto, California. Winfield's hot rodding career dates back to the post-World War 11 origins of the sport, when he built his first roadster. He was involved in all facets of hot rodding, including Bonneville competition and the early days of central California drag racing. His racing accomplishments were recognized in 2001 with an NHRA Life Achievement award. But he is best known as a legendary customizer and car builder. He opened his Winfield's Custom Shop in a converted shed in Modesto in 1947, where he built such landmark creations as the Jade Idol '56 Mercury and the rear engine Reactor.

Winfield was also a member of the advisory staff to the AMT Model Corporation and his designs were utilized in thousands of model car kits the company produced. When AMT decided to go into the full-sized car business in the mid 1960's, Winfield was selected to operate that division in Phoenix, where he built prototype mid-engine sports cars from exotic plastics.

By the late 1950's, Winfields's Custom Shop had gained a nationwide reputation for excellence. After being inducted in the Grand National Roadster Hall of Fame in 1961, he joined the Ford Custom Car Caravan to build a number of show cars and make personal appearances all over the country.

Winfield continues to build motion picture and television vehicles, as well as traditional custom cars in his shop now located in the high desert community of Mojave, CA.

Only a handful of men share the type of artistry that has made Gene Winfield's name and creations endure. Although his legacy will be his custom cars, make no mistake about it--Windy's roots are pure hot rod.

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