division was added in 1917. In 1920 Clayton bought out his brother-in-law. During the early years, it was not uncommon for customers to trade items such as guns or rings as down payments on cars. Old financial statements list cows, diamond rings, and other items among dealership assets. A new dealership facility was built on the corner of Sixth and Franklin during the height of the Great Depression. With the economy being what it was, many skeptics thought Clayton had a made a huge mistake. During World War II, Speck's service facility was converted to a machine shop manufacturing parts for the Military. Not until late 1945 and early 1946 were they able to get new cars again and those were sold on a lottery basis to their customers.
One employee that became a fixture of the Sunnyside community was Charlie Barber. Charlie was in charge of the gas pumps in the front of the dealership and was known by every child in town who walked by on their way to school. Speck Motors had the greatest ambassador in Mr. Barber. He worked for three generations of the Speck family.
In 1975, James C. Speck became the third generation to own C. Speck Motors, Inc. Two years later, his father, James R., passed away. He was selected to serve on the
General Motors "Dealers Advisory Board" in 1985. The Nissan Franchise
was added in 1985 and a separate showroom was built at the south end of
the Sixth and Franklin location. During the late 70's and 80's business flourished and plans were made for a larger facility. Kathryn "Katy" Speck, daughter of James C. Speck, joined her father in the auto business in 1994. IN 1966 she married John Paul "JP" Moore. Katy Moore became Dealer Principal of C. Speck Motors, Inc. in 1998, making her the fourth generation of Speck's in the auto business.
Under Katy's direction, the dealership moved its 6th and Franklin downtown location to a 60,000 square foot facility with 18 acres of property by I-82. The facility is one of the largest and most modern in the area. In 1998, JP and Katy Moore purchased Lightfoot's Dodge Chrysler Plymouth Jeep in Walla Walla and renamed it Moore Dodge Chrysler Plymouth Jeep. In 2002, the Moore's chose to sell the dealership in Walla Walla to Mark Gilbert.
