Heinz C. Prechter
EntrepreneurGermany
1942–2001
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]
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]
What has been publicly discussed
- Prechter lived with episodes of depression and hypomania that were later recognized as Bipolar II disorder. Michigan Medicine has described the illness as something he struggled to keep hidden during his lifetime. [1][2]
- After his death in 2001, his wife, Waltraud “Wally” Prechter, spoke publicly about his illness and established a fund in his name to support bipolar-disorder research. That effort later became the Heinz C. Prechter Bipolar Research Program at the University of Michigan. [2][5]
Sources and other resourcesExpand to view the sources used in this profile and resources to learn more.
Sources used for this profile
The following sources contain information that supports the claims made on this page.
University of Michigan Medical School“Episode 1: The Science of Bipolar Disorder” States that Prechter experienced episodes of depression and hypomania throughout his life that were later recognized as Bipolar II disorder.
Michigan Medicine“Turning Tragedy Into Discovery” Documents Prechter’s efforts to keep his bipolar disorder hidden, his death by suicide in July 2001 and Wally Prechter’s subsequent creation of a bipolar-research fund in his name.
Heinz C. Prechter Bipolar Research Program, Michigan Medicine“Heinz C. Prechter” Professional biography covering Prechter’s German background, automotive apprenticeship, move to the United States, creation and expansion of the American Sunroof Company and automotive-industry work.
View all 5 sources
Automotive Hall of Fame“Heinz C. Prechter” Documents Heritage Network, Prechter’s role in the North American International Auto Show, his federal trade appointment and Automotive Hall of Fame recognition.
Heinz C. Prechter Bipolar Research Program, Michigan Medicine“Waltraud ‘Wally’ Prechter” Documents Wally Prechter’s creation of the research program following her husband’s death and its later transfer to the University of Michigan.
Learn more
Recommended books and other resources about Heinz C. Prechter and their experiences.
- “Exploring the Meaning of Wellness”Michigan Medicine Presents
Researchers and lived-experience contributors from the Prechter Program discuss how wellness can be understood and measured in bipolar disorder.
- Heinz C. Prechter Bipolar Research Program LectureUniversity of Michigan
An annual lecture series established in 2007 featuring researchers, authors and people with lived experience whose work focuses on bipolar disorder.