Tom Winger

For as long as Tom can remember, he has been fascinated by cars. While he was always aware of customizing, it was the sight of car magazines on store shelves that truly ignited his passion. "This issue of Custom Cars is my very first car magazine which I got when I was 8 years old. This was just the first of many years of collecting car magazines of all types."

Tom’s interest quickly expanded beyond just admiring cars, he wanted to build them. In 1961, his mother gave him a subscription to Car Craft Magazine for Christmas, a gift that deepened his fascination with model cars. He was captivated by the scale model pages and inspired by the advanced builders featured in the magazine. His journey into model car building began with an AMT 3-in-1 kit of a 1960 Buick convertible, marking the start of a lifelong passion for customizing miniature machines. By 1963, Tom was ready to put his skills to the test, entering his first model car contest at a local Woolworth’s store. His efforts paid off, his 1932 Ford Vicky hot rod took first place in the junior division. The following year, he placed second with a custom 1963 Pontiac Bonneville, inspired by Detroit show cars like the first Dodge Charger prototype and the Barris-built 1964 Mercury Super Marauder. Photo courtesy of Tom Winger.

Through the years, Tom has continued to build and modify models, always brimming with new ideas—more than he has time to execute. Among his more recent builds is a striking blend of a 1953 Studebaker and an Enzo Ferrari, completed around 2009. “This model has appeared in a few model car magazines,” he noted. Photo courtesy of Tom Winger.

Originally purchased new by Tom’s father in 1969, this GTO became his in the mid-1970s. Like many enthusiasts of the era, Tom bolted on performance upgrades, including wheels, headers, and a Holley carb. After a minor accident, he swapped the rear bumper and taillights for a 1968 GTO setup, an ambitious modification that took years to perfect. In 2025, it sported a Corvette Torch Red paint job and a 455 Pontiac engine with Edelbrock heads and manifold, and the muscle car remained a cherished part of Tom’s collection. Photo courtesy of Tom Winger.

Tom's latest custom creation, finished in 2024, was a radically modified 1972 Chevrolet pickup with a chopped top, sectioned body, and a shortened bed seamlessly integrated into the cab. Sitting on a 1968 Chevrolet El Camino chassis, it’s a testament to his creativity and craftsmanship. Photo courtesy of Tom Winger.

For as long as he can remember, Tom Winger has been fascinated by cars. While he was always aware of customizing, it was the sight of car magazines on store shelves that truly ignited his passion. "This issue of Custom Cars is my very first car magazine which I got when I was 8 years old,” Tom recalled, sharing a photo of Custom Cars May 1960 with Sondre Kvipt of Kustomrama. “This was just the first of many years of collecting car magazines of all types.”

Tom’s interest quickly expanded beyond just admiring cars, he wanted to build them. In 1961, his mother gave him a subscription to Car Craft Magazine for Christmas, a gift that deepened his fascination with model cars. He was captivated by the scale model pages and inspired by the advanced builders featured in the magazine. His journey into model car building began with an AMT 3-in-1 kit of a 1960 Buick convertible, marking the start of a lifelong passion for customizing miniature machines.

By 1963, Tom was ready to put his skills to the test, entering his first model car contest at a local Woolworth’s store. His efforts paid off, his 1932 Ford Vicky hot rod took first place in the junior division. The following year, he placed second with a custom 1963 Pontiac Bonneville, inspired by Detroit show cars like the first Dodge Charger prototype and the Barris-built 1964 Mercury Super Marauder.

Through the years, Tom has continued to build and modify models, always brimming with new ideas—more than he has time to execute. Among his more recent builds is a striking blend of a 1953 Studebaker and an Enzo Ferrari, completed around 2009. “This model has appeared in a few model car magazines,” he noted. His latest custom creation, finished in 2024, was a radically modified 1972 Chevrolet pickup with a chopped top, sectioned body, and a shortened bed seamlessly integrated into the cab. Sitting on a 1968 Chevrolet El Camino chassis, it’s a testament to his creativity and craftsmanship.

Tom’s passion wasn’t limited to models, by the time he got his driver’s license in 1969, muscle cars were all the rage. His father bought a brand-new GTO that year, and by the mid-'70s, it became Tom’s. "I did what many of us did to these cars back then, which was to bolt on performance equipment. Wheels, headers, and a Holley carb. I didn't really know what I was doing." Without a network of car-savvy friends to guide him, his modifications were purely trial and error. After a minor accident damaged the rear bumper, Tom decided to swap in the bumper and taillights from a 1968 GTO, simply because he preferred the look. What he thought would be an easy bolt-on turned out to be a major project, requiring modifications to the trunk floor and rear panel—something he tackled without much experience. It took years and expert body shop work to get it properly sorted out, but he still owned the car in 2025. Then on its second repaint in Corvette Torch Red, the GTO has a 1970 Pontiac 455 block bored .060 over, with Edelbrock heads and manifold.

His love for Pontiacs continued, he bought a new Trans Am in 1979, followed by a 1991 Z28 Camaro and a 2000 SS Camaro. The Trans Am eventually deteriorated from disuse and sitting outside, so he let it go in 2022, but he took comfort in knowing the new owner was restoring it. The two Camaros remain in his collection, with the SS serving as his daily driver. His newest car, a 2016 Corvette, was a special acquisition he picked it up directly from the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, through their Museum Delivery Program.

Beyond building and driving cars, Tom has documented his automotive experiences through photography. In the early 1970s, he began taking snapshots of cars he spotted on the street, in dealer lots, and at car shows. That habit has never faded, and he still enjoys capturing automotive history whenever he gets the opportunity. Now, through The Tom Winger Photo Collection on Kustomrama, his decades of car photography are being shared with enthusiasts around the world.