Of all the pioneering custom-car builders to come to prominence in the 1950s scene—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, Winfield eventually gravitated to the media of custom cars, becoming one of its preeminent purveyors.
For the first time, Winfield’s career is examined in this volume fully illustrated with photography from Gene’s personal archive. Written by longtime Winfield protégé David Grant, The Custom Cars and Hot Rods of Gene Winfield is culled from hours of interviews with Winfield and recounts everything from his early days in Modesto and his emersion in California car culture, to his role in forming the Century Toppers car club, his involvement in dry lakes racing, the formation of Winfield’s Custom Shop in 1955, and the impressive string of vehicles that followed. Cars featured include the 1946 Ford convertible that graced the second issue of Rod & Custom, the 1950 Solar Scene Mercury, and the Ford King T that won the 1963 AMBR award, among dozens of others. Grant also delves into Winfield’s involvement with AMT, movie and TV vehicles for such projects as The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Get Smart.
