Spokane car dealers have storied history

Spokane’s car dealers have a storied history that mirrors the city’s mid‑century automotive enthusiasm. Volkswagen’s Type 1 and Type 2 helped seed local car culture around 1950, while two Spokane VW dealerships forged divergent paths to success. Auto mechanic Charles L. Bright opened Bright Motors in 1953 and began advertising VW and Porsche by 1954. Bright Motors established a modern showroom at 430 E. Sprague Ave in 1964. Bright and his wife died in a private plane crash near Red Bluff, California, in January 1967, prompting ownership changes as Alan R. Sorenson and Frank LeFriec purchased the company and renamed it United Volkswagen. The dealership was sold in 1976 to Glen E. Sherwin and Mark K. Hollenback, who also owned Dishman Dodge and American Jeep, before passing to Heinz Zegke and Valley Volkswagen in 1983.