Gene Winfield

Roger Eugene Winfield (June 16, 1927 – March 4, 2025) was an American automotive customizer and fabricator. In the mid-1960s, his designs caught the attention of the film community, resulting in a large body of his work appearing on screen, including in the iconic 1982 film Blade Runner.

Early life

Winfield was born in Springfield, Missouri, in 1927.

Career In 1951, Winfield became interested in auto racing, driving 135 mph in a Ford Model T ("The Thing") at Bonneville Speedway. He soon opened Winfield's Custom Shop in Modesto, with an early innovation in custom painting, carefully fading two candy colors together, called "The Winfield Fade".

In 1962, building on his experience, Winfield joined Aluminum Model Toys (AMT) as a consultant style designer for their model kits.

The Reactor (1964) was Winfield's next aluminum-bodied project, and was even more ambitious. It was a mid-engined front wheel drive two seater, with a very low profile due to the Corvair Chevrolet Turbo-Air 6 engine flat six. Winfield began producing this car as a kit, and made it a television star as well, first appearing in March 1967 on The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

After AMT closed this division in 1971, Winfield continued work in the custom auto body field in Southern California and appears as an honored guest at auto related events in the US.

Winfeld was honored as the Detroit Autorama "Builder of the Year" in 2008, and since 2013, has been on the International Show Car Series (ISCA) circuit, chopping tops and shaping sheet metal for the crowds in a special section of each show called "The Summit Racing Equipment Chop Shop".

Personal life and death Winfield's marriages to Delores Johnson and Kathy Horrigan ended in divorce. He died from the disease at a care home in Atascadero, California, on March 4, 2025, at the age of 97.

Filmography Revered as "The King of Kustoms", Winfield was featured in the first DVD in a series called The Kings of Kustoms. The documentary series highlights various car customizers, such as VooDoo Larry from Chicago, Illinois, and Alex Gambino of San Jose, California.