How old was Gene Winfield and what happened to him? Tributes pour in as icon of custom cars, automobile designer passes away

Gene Winfield has recently died at the age of 97 (Images via Instagram/genewinfield_official)

Well-known car customizer Gene Winfield, who was 97 years old, unexpectedly passed away on March 4, 2025. Gene reportedly died of cancer and his Custom Shop even announced the diagnosis last month on Instagram in a now-deleted post, requesting everyone to pray for him.

Meanwhile, the news of Gene’s death was also confirmed through his official handle on the same platform, with a sketch featuring Whitfield smiling. The caption read:

"Rest in peace Gene Winfield 1927-2025"

Gene Winfield built a lot of cars over the years, such as the racing Model T and was associated with the Aluminum Model Toys, also called AMT, where he designed model kits during the ‘60s. He also made a Reactor at the time for a Citroen DS chassis and the car later became a part of various TV shows such as Bewitched.

According to Autopian, he became popular for a shuttlecraft called Galileo, which appeared on the show, Star Trek. The outlet also stated that Winfield made some upgrades to the shuttle since the studio wanted the craft as soon as possible.

Gas Monkey Garage took to their Facebook page to pay tribute to Gene Winfield, writing that he left a different kind of impact on “hot rodding” and continued:

“Gene’s influence stretched far beyond his iconic fade paint jobs and radical custom builds. His craftsmanship and vision left a permanent mark on the automotive world, from shaping the look of Hollywood movie cars to designing some of the most recognizable customs in history.”

The comments section of Gene’s Instagram post was also flooded with tributes, with people saying that his legacy will live forever and that he left an impact on the lives of many people.

Online tributes (Images via Instagram/genewinfield_official)

Gene Winfield health: Hospitalization and more explained

While his health history is not available, Gene Winfield was once transported to the hospital back in 2018. According to Hot Rod, he suffered an injury to the hip after falling in Finland, following which he had to undergo surgery. He was also diagnosed with pneumonia at the same time.

Notably, his team had trouble while arranging a flight back home and launched a GoFundMe page to get help with the same. The description of the fundraiser revealed that Gene’s surgery, including a stainless steel plate and screws, was successful and that he was already moved to the recovery unit.

Gene’s team disclosed that the oxygen and healing equipment could not be taken to the US through the usual means of transportation and that “specialized transportation for medical purposes” was needed for the same.

“These flights are extremely expensive and are his only means of transportation back to us in a timely manner so he can heal in the comfort of familiar surroundings and people that can give him the care and love that we all know he deserves.”

While the fundraiser is closed now, it managed to accumulate donations of around $117,788. Gene Winfield was previously hospitalized on another occasion in 2024 and entrepreneur Rob Ida, a close friend of Winfield, shared an Instagram post on July 9, 2024, sharing that Gene’s family members were looking after him.

“I spoke with Gene on the phone. He should be out of the hospital in the next day or so. If his medical routine can be arranged, Gene still plans to be in Syracuse in two weeks to judge his “Winfield Award.””

Tributes have continued to pour in on social media after the news of his death went viral and further updates are awaited on Gene’s survivors.

Edited by Divya Singh