Heinz C. Prechter
Entrepreneur
Heinz C. Prechter was a German-born automotive entrepreneur who founded the American Sunroof Company in 1965 and developed it into a major automotive supplier. He became a prominent figure in the Detroit auto industry and was inducted posthumously into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2004. [3][4]
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Career and work
Prechter began working in the automotive industry as a teenager in Germany before moving to the United States as an exchange student in 1963. In 1965, he opened his own business in Los Angeles installing sliding sunroofs. After securing a contract with Ford, he moved the American Sunroof Company to Detroit in 1967. The company later expanded into custom vinyl roofs, special-edition vehicles and one-of-a-kind show cars. [3]
Beyond ASC, Prechter built a group of businesses through Heritage Network and became a prominent advocate for the American auto industry. He helped promote the development of the North American International Auto Show and was appointed chairman of the National Advisory Committee on International Trade by President George H. W. Bush in 1990. He received the Automotive Hall of Fame’s Industry Leader of the Year Award in 1990 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame posthumously in 2004. [4]
