Gene Winfield
| Gene Winfield | |
|---|---|
Winfield (right) pictured with a fan
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| Born |
Robert Eugene Winfield June 16, 1927 Springfield, Missouri, US |
| Occupation | Automotive designer |
| Website | genewinfield |
Gene Winfield (born June 16, 1927) is an American automotive customizer. In the mid-1960s, his designs caught the attention of the film community, resulting in a large body of his work being seen on screen, including in the iconic 1982 film Blade Runner.
Growing up in Modesto, California, Winfield was exposed to auto body shops and auto racing, including driving 135 mph in a Ford Model T ("The Thing") at Bonneville Speedway in 1951. He soon opened a business in Modesto, Winfield's Custom Shop. An early innovation was the blended custom paint, where the two colors are carefully faded together
Building on his experience, in 1962, Winfield joined Aluminum Model Toys (AMT) as a consultant style designer for their model kits.
Winfield also worked with Detroit automakers who turned to craftsmen to add their custom touches to factory cars. As part of the "Ford Custom Car Caravan," Winfield developed the 'Pacifica' Econoline van, the Mercury Comet 'Cyclone Sportster,' and the 'Strip Star' - an aluminum bodied sports car with a powerful Ford 427 V8 engine.
Winfield's next aluminum bodied project was even more ambitious. Joe Kizis, an East Coast show promoter, held an annual 'Autorama,' an indoor rod and custom car show in Hartford, Connecticut. Kizis gave Winfield a $20,000 commission to build a show car named the 'Autorama Special' This vehicle later became known as The Reactor.
It showcased a light aluminum body, like the 'Strip Star,' but the technology went far beyond novel bodywork. Winfield took two unrelated components - the 180 hp turbocharged engine from a Chevrolet Corvair Corsa and mated it to the drivetrain from a Citroën DS, a front wheel drive car that normally develops 85 hp. Powerful front-wheel drive cars did not exist at the time, as certain technical challenges, like torque steer, had yet to be addressed. Winfield therefore predated complex and powerful front-wheel drive production vehicles like the 1967 Cadillac Eldorado and 1970 Citroën SM by several years. The Reactor is a mid-engined front wheel drive two seater, with a very low profile due to the Corvair flat 6. The car retains the wide front track/narrow rear track appearance characteristic of the DS.
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Wikipedia