Featured Folks Of Interest Gene Winfield has gone to the great car show in the sky

A truly extraordinary human being with out of this world talent. R.I.P. He touched more people's lives then even he may have known. A sad day for all that enjoy the creativity's of cars.

 

Thanks Gene. You'll really be missed!

 

Holy shit that's hilarious!

 

RIP Gene, you were a kool kat! Pleasure meeting you on occasion...

I spoke to this before, but I went to Gene's shop years ago, he used to throw a car show every year...

My kid and my buddies kids were about 4-5 at the time. The show was supposed to start, no one could find Gene.

Chaz and I walked around the side of the shop, there was Gene and the kids, playing matchbox cars in the high desert dirt. We still talk about those days. Early Viva, cars shows at the Doll Hut....Bass player from Deadbolt passing out in the back seat of my 49 prior to the show, fed him a beer and he was GTG...

 

Now he belongs to the ages.

 

To my knowledge, Gene didn't drink at all.

 

What a loss... RIP Gene

 

Loosing someone is always a mixed blessing. While we mourn the loss and the fact that some of us will never get to meet him personally and enjoy his company, we can rejoice in all that he accomplished and the people he touched. Those of us that will never get to meet him will still get to know him as the way he touched people’s hearts and minds will echo through the car scene for years to come. His struggles with care givers is behind him and I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a new custom cruising those streets of gold. RIP Gene

 

I’m not a Kustom guy, but I knew who Gene was and his work. Gene was super cool and I live by his phrase that “Every day is a School Day”. Rest in Peace Fine Sir.

 

You know the saying “We’re all replaceable “? I don’t think that applied to Gene. He was one of a kind. RIP

 

A great loss for our community. God speed Gene Winfield.

 

R.I.P. Gene,

Next time you see a Chem trail in the sky just pretend it's the master doing one of his fade jobs.

 

Sad to hear but he lived quite a life. Met him several times. Visited his place in Mojave in 2017, unfortunately he wasn’t there but Jimmy gave me the tour and chatted quite a bit. I had a younger co-worker who was in California for work several years back told him Gene was doing metal shaping classes, so he signed up and said it was a great experience.

 

Rest in peace Mr, Winfield.

 

When you hear that an icon of our hobby/passion/lifestyle has taken their last road in life you have a hope, a wish, a prayer that they will just continue on, somehow defying the inevitable that we all face, some of us sooner than later.
He lived a full and rewarding life, earning our respect, gratitude, love and maybe our envy.
He was at the top, and we looked up to him, knowing that we could only talk the talk, never hoping to reach such a lofty level of the walk.
Rest in Peace, Mr. Gene. You have certainly earned it. Thank you for your tremendous influence.

 

I had the pleasure of working with Gene at the World of Wheels in Kansas City a few years ago, chopping the top on a 40 Ford convertible. He was a gentleman and a great instructor on his methods of metal working. RIP Mr. Winfield

 

RIP Gene. I didn’t know the man, never met him, he’s one of the greats. What impresses me most, more than his work is the way he touched so many lives. Reading this thread I read what a great gentleman he is/was. How he was a nice guy etc. etc. very impressive.
Dan

 

What more can I add besides sad news to hear of his passing. Time for a Winfield fade on the pearly gates?

 

>....was Really pullin for ya ta hit the Century!

RIP Gene, you worked harder than anyone.

 

I took 2 workshops with him in 2012 and 2013.
Godspeed Gene!

 

Rest in peace Gene Winfield.

 

One of the most memorable experiences of my life was getting to walk around Hershey in 2016 with Gene after picking him up at the airport, and having him spend the night with us before the swap.

I had a '31 roadster I was working on at the time, and at some random booth he found this (maybe) 1930 (maybe) Chrysler gauge cluster and told me I just had to have it for the car. Obviously, when Gene Winfield tells you something would look bitching on your car, you buy it, so I did. I sold the project a few years later but kept the gauges solely for that connection, and I guess I'll have to make it more of a priority to put them in my coupe now that he's actually gone.

I remember he'd pick up a random trim piece as we'd walk around and quiz me to see if I knew what the make and year was that it came off of. He signed a lot of stuff for me, even the back of my main squeeze Les Paul.

I think the last time I saw him was TROG 2018, which is when I took the photo of him in that perfect black deuce roadster he built. I guess I had the same thought as when David Bowie died... just be glad that out of the tens of thousands of years of human history or whatever it is, we were able to coexist for just a bit and witness his brilliance and kindness in person.

Thanks, Gene, for treating some punk 22ish-year-old kid like a peer and turning him into a real, lifelong hot rodder.

Every day's a school day.

 

Rest in piece, you will be missed.

 

I'm not a computer guy but if I were, I would compile a stack of photos of Gene, like those presented here, and set it to Sinatra's "My Way". That would be totally awesome!

 

every day is a learning day, Hope we have more to carry on his legacy , I talked to him about his father N law who ran the Sunkworks., and gave him a book on general aircraft repair procedures,

 

Sad news to hear, but I'm glad Gene is at peace. He went through a lot the last few years of his life. Gene was one of the nicest gentlemen you would ever meet. Never too busy to chat for a minute or to take his picture with you. One of the real good guys in the hobby. I always made it a point to stop and say hello when I saw him at a show. I always called him Mr. Winfield and he always told me "Please, call me Gene". I just never felt that calling him Gene was being respectful enough of such a master of all facets of the car hobby. I will miss seeing him, whether it's at a show, in print or online doing what he loved, and what we all marveled over. I'll miss seeing his latest patented Gene Winfield fade paint jobs. So beautiful! Sad to think there will be no more. Such a loss.
My deepest condolences to his family, friends and myriads of fans all over the world. Gone but not forgotten and he will be missed! He left shoes that will be impossible to ever fill again. He was truly a one of a kind.
Vaya con Dios, Mr. Winfield, until we meet again..........E

 

Met the gentleman at TROG 2018 with Rob Ida. He took the time to take pictures with us and chat with me about the Jade Idol.
He was humble and genuine, things not often seen in celebrities. RIP Gene

 

Very well said