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Gene Winfield (born 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.'' ==Early life and career== 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.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Custom Car Builder Gene Winfield - Model T Coupe - Automobile Magazine )〕 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〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Gene Winfield - Legendary Custom Car Builder )〕 Building on his experience, in 1962, Winfield joined Aluminum Model Toys (AMT) as a consultant style designer for their model kits.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Gene Winfield - Kustomrama )〕 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.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Gene Winfield - Legendary Custom Car Builder )〕 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' 〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Joe Kizis )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The Super Car - Bewitched )〕 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.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Reactor )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The Reactor - Gene Winfield )〕 An episode of Bewitched was written around this car and its unique abilities, including the Height adjustable suspension.〔 Winfield also used the Corvair engine in a more conventional Rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, for The Piranha, a car meant to show the usability of ABS plastic in automotive materials.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Piranha & Man from U.N.C.L.E. Car - Piranha "Roots" )〕 Winfield made this car a television star as well, on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. 〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Piranha & Man from U.N.C.L.E. Car - Piranha "Spy Car" )〕 AMT hired him in 1966 to manage the new Phoenix, Arizona based Speed and Custom Division Shop, which built full scale cars as promotional vehicles. After AMT closed this division in 1971, Winfield has continued work in the custom auto body field in Southern California and appears as honored guest at auto related events in the US. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Gene Winfield」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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