Prefix on M1: How a stealthy auto supplier got a Woodward showcase

Posted by Talbot Payne on December 3, 2022

Pontiac — They’re the most interesting company you’ve never heard of. But now they’ve getting a Woodward store front.

Prefix Corporation broke ground on its Performance Vehicle Service Center at M1 Concourse car club and race track this week in Pontiac. A successful Detroit auto supplier, Prefix is one of many companies with genius engineering capabilities that make stuff for household names like Dodge, Ford and Chevy — but are sworn by nondisclosure agreements to ensure you never know who they are.

A rendering of the M1 Prefix Performance Vehicle Service Center, which will be on the west side of Woodward on the M1 Concourse property.

You’ll recognize Prefix’s work — the Dodge Charger Daytona Banshee concept, the Rivian R1T concept that blew away the 2018 LA Auto Show, vehicles in Disneyland’s Pixar Cars Land in Anaheim, California — even if you don’t know the company’s name. But now Prefix’s logo will stand out at the intersection of Woodward Avenue and South Boulevard, where it will be seen by passing traffic — and by the companies and hordes of auto enthusiasts that come to M1 Concourse each year for private tests or public mega-events like Motor Trend’s Roadkill Nights, the Woodward Dream Show, American Speed Festival and regular Cars & Coffees.

“We’re really excited. M1 is doing a phenomenal job of making this a hub for all things automotive,” said Prefix Vice President for Business Development Jhan Dolphin in an interview. “We had an idea three years ago (about) a performance center on site to service the 255 garage owners here as well the companies and groups that attend the events or rent out the facility.”

Prefix VP for Development Jhan Dolphin, second from left, helps break ground on the M1 Prefix Performance Center in Pontiac.

It’s rare for suppliers to become household names in their respective industries. Consumer brands like auto companies and theme parks want the focus on their logos in a crowded marketplace. But some brands have broken through given their sheer necessity to product performance — think Brembo brakes or Intel computer chips. More typically, suppliers are known only to the industries they serve by opaque names like Munro & Associates, Dent Wizard, and Williams International.

Prefix has flirted with notoriety before by sponsoring the Dodge Challenger that won the Trans Am TA2 title in 2019 with Michigan racer Mark Miller behind the wheel (Prefix also provided the engines for the series), but it has generally flown below the radar per its clients’ wishes, crafting clever solutions on tight deadlines.

“A lot of work we do is extremely confidential,” said Dolphin. “There’s not much we can post or brag about. But that’s the way it is — whether working on the latest movie or a Disney or Universal attraction. M1 gives us the opportunity to put the brand front and center with people who have an interest in us.”

The company was founded in 1979 by Kim Zeile, a young General Motors mechanical engineer who saw opportunities to solve unique manufacturing problems. The engineering services company has grown over the past 40 years to 300 employees across two Michigan facilities, including a 25-acre headquarters campus in Rochester Hills. Its team of engineers problem-solve for a universe of challenges, including product design, surface modeling, fabrication, lighting, software development, engine performance and more. Prefix even pivoted to make personal protection equipment for hospitals when COVID shut down businesses.

But the company’s meat and potatoes is building the most tech-advanced concept prototypes in the automotive, aviation and theme-park industries.

In 2018, California-based EV-maker Rivian wowed the automotive world when it dropped its stunning, sophisticated R1T pickup and R1S SUV concepts on the Los Angeles Auto Show floor, setting off a chain of events that catapulted Rivian to the most anticipated auto startup since Tesla.

Prefix made this Rivian R1T show car for the 2018 LA Auto Show, where it wowed visitors.

The protypes were built by Prefix.

They survived the scrutiny of journalists and the public crawling all over them. Just as Prefix-made vehicles at Disneyland’s 12-acre Pixar Car Land theme park have entertained thousands of visitors looking to escape to race day at Radiator Springs with Lightning McQueen. Its resume includes airborne prototypes as well for aircraft manufacturers like Embraer, Piper and Gulfstream.

Recent Prefix automotive prototype creations include Dodge’s first EV concept, the Charger Daytona Banshee, and Chevrolet’s Silverado and Equinox EVs, which have been making the auto show rounds.

Prefix built the prototype show car for the Dodge Charger Daytona EV.

Prefix has constructed a state-of-the-art paint facility where it’s been charged with coloring some of the industry’s most exotic vehicles, including the Ford GT supercar, Cadillac Celestiq EV and Mercedes Maybach.

“The Ford GT is an sexy, incredible car. We’re very proud to have been part of that,” said Dolphin. “It’s one of the most difficult cars to paint given all the shapes and contours that make that beautiful body. It presented its own list of challenges.”

Prefix will paint the exclusive, 2024 Cadillac Celestiq EV.

The company’s automotive bandwidth attracted the attention of M1 Concourse, Metro Detroit’s premier playground for performance cars. The service center will provide exclusive maintenance for M1 vehicles that range from Porsche 911 GT3s to Dodge Hellcats. The facility will also be available to visitors who bring their cars to M1 track events like the fall American Speed Festival.

“We’re excited about the partnership with Prefix,” said M1 Concourse CEO Tim McGrane. “Their extensive list of amazing automotive capabilities will provide our garage owners and track customers with an extremely capable resource.”

M1’s Champion Motor Speedway gets extensive use from members, automakers and racers who flog their cars across the challenging 1.5-mile track a stone’s throw from Woodward. Prefix’s 3,000-square-foot facility will feature gas pumps with a variety of fuel grades and three bays for servicing vehicles; the company offers more extensive work at its Rochester Hills campus.

It’s been a big year for the company, from the new headquarters to the M1 ground-breaking, but it hasn’t been without its heartache. Prefix lost its 66-year-old founder, Zeile, to a tragic motorcycle accident this year. His son, company president Eric Zeile, and development director Dolphin say the company is well-positioned for the future.

“Woodward passersby will see the construction progress, and hopefully we will have a mild winter,” smiled Dolphin. “We hope to have the facility done by late summer so we can take advantage of the Dream Show in August and Speed Festival in September.”

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.

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