The Legendary Custom Cars and Hot Rods of Gene Winfield - Hardcover

For the first time, the career of Gene Winfield, one of the leading figures in the world of hot rods, customs, and TV and movie cars, is detailed in this illustrated history from longtime Winfield associate David Grant. From Winfield’s immersion in California’s hopping postwar hot rod and race scenes through the incredible string of award-winning and mind-bending vehicles that followed, no stone is unturned in this exhaustive history. Packed with rarely seen photographs from Winfield’s personal archives, The Legendary Custom Cars and Hot Rods of Gene Winfield is a fitting tribute to one of the true fathers of modern hot rod and custom culture.

Of all of the pioneering custom-car builders to come to prominence in the 1950s Harry Westergard, George Barris, and Dean Jeffries, among others one of the most prolific was a young man from Modesto, California, named Gene Winfield. Cutting his teeth in California s hopping postwar hot rod scene, Gene eventually gravitated toward custom cars, becoming one of the medium s preeminent and most-sought-after practitioners.

For the first time, Gene s career is examined in this volume fully illustrated with photography from Gene s personal archive. Written by longtime Winfield employee David Grant, The Legendary Hot Rods and Custom Cars of Gene Winfield is culled from hours of interviews with Gene and recounts everything from his early days in Modesto and his first shop in a converted backyard chicken coop, to his role in forming the Century Toppers car club, his involvement in dry lakes and circle-track racing, the formation of Winfield s Custom Shop in 1955, and the impressive string of vehicles that followed.

Cars featured include the Ford convertible that graced the second issue of Rod & Custom, the 1950 Solar Scene Mercury Coupe, the 1956 Mercury called Jade Idol, and the Ford King T that won the 1963 AMBR award, among dozens of others. Grant also delves into Winfield s involvement with model-maker AMT, movie and TV vehicles for such projects as The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Get Smart, and reminisces from Winfield s contemporaries.