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The great Gene Winfield has finally been laid to rest in poetically beautiful fashion on the Bonneville Salt Flats. As a pioneer in car design, especially in hotrods and lowriders, the man is beloved among gearheads. So his ashes were fittingly spread during Speed Week from the parachute of a car as it hit 341 mph.
Banned from NASCAR, this machine became a Salt Flats legend.
Bearing the legend’s ashes to high speed was the Mooneyes as Winfield’s son Gene Jr. carried out his late father’s dying wish. The team behind the car was gracious enough to carry that out, bringing Gene to where he wanted to finally be at rest.
After all, Winfield absolutely loved speed and right up until he died would attend all kinds of automotive gatherings. We imagine he visited the Salt Flats on more than one occasion, concluding it was heaven on earth for him, which is why he wanted to reside there.
The King of Customs developed many of the techniques used by hotrod and lowrider builders today to get the right look and driving dynamics on their cars.
Winfield also made an impact in Hollywood, creating custom rides for movies like Blade Runner and RoboCop. He even fabricated items for the original Star Trek TV series.
Getting his start in the auto industry at just 15, Winfield opened his own repair shop to help support his family. The first vehicle he chopped was his brother’s 1941 Plymouth convertible after returning home from serving in the Navy during WWII.
Not long after, he started getting media attention and soon other gearheads were copying the hotrod style as a movement that’s still alive today was started.
May Gene Winfield rest in peace.
Image via Artie J. Schilling/Facebook, winfieldscustomshop/Instagram
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