The Factory Five team joins the automotive world in remembering Gene Winfield, a true pioneer who passed away at 97. After serving in the Navy at the end of World War II, Gene immersed himself in the growing car customization scene. By the late ‘40s, inspired by the then-new Hot Rod Magazine, he was customizing cars full-time and had built his first dry lake racer—a modified 1927 Ford Model T roadster. His innovative work would go on to shape hot rodding for generations. Just weeks before his passing, Factory Five’s own Hot Rod frame welder and lifelong enthusiast, Justin P. had the chance to see Gene one last time at the 75th Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, California. In Justin’s words, “Gene Winfield has been an inspiration to me since I was a kid, reading magazine articles and watching him on Monster Garage. I’ll always cherish the moments I got to talk with him about customizing my own ’53. He once told me to weld the seam of my hood underneath first so it wouldn’t butte...