How A Sunroof Company Built The Greatest Performance Cars In American History

The article traces how American Sunroof Company (ASC), started by German exchange student Heinz Prechter, became an unexpected force in U.S. and European performance-car culture. Prechter came from West Germany to study at San Francisco State, worked in auto repair and as a cab driver, and saw aftermarket sunroofs were less common in America than in Europe. He struck a deal with European supplier Golde and began installing sunroofs in Los Angeles. Work for high-end customers then drew Ford’s attention, leading to contracts for custom work and factory-style installations in cars such as the Mercury Cougar. By the mid-1970s, ASC expanded into coachbuilding and helped build convertible variants, including the Buick Riviera drop-top in 1982, and later work with other models.