Gene Winfield, a custom car designer for films such as “Blade Runner” and “Robocop,” died on March 4. He was 97.
The news was confirmed via his obituary on Legacy.com.
Winfield became known as the “King of Kustoms” after working on some of Hollywood’s most iconic cars. He opened his first custom shop in the 1940s and his career spanned over eight decades.
Over the years, he became the go-to man when Hollywood needed cars, especially futuristic ones. He worked on the “Super Car” in a 1967 episode of “Bewitched.”
The car became known as the Retractor and appeared in an episode of “Star Trek: The Original Series” as Jupiter 8 and an episode of “Mission: Impossible.” It also became Catwoman’s Catmobile in “Batman.”
Winfield also designed the vehicle used in “Get Smart” and customized a Piranha for “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”
His custom vehicles were featured in “The Last Starfighter” and “Robocop.” Perhaps his most recognizable cars were seen in “Blade Runner” for which he created the flying cop cars known as “spinners.”
According to HotRod magazine, he was born in Springfield, Mo., and was the youngest of six children born to Frank and Virginia “Ginny” Winfield. The obit says he bought his first car at age 15, a $75 1928 Model A coupe that he painted dark blue. He customized that and installed dual antennas and foxtails, even though the car had no radio.
The hot-rod community bestowed accolades on him including the National Hot Rod Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
