Our History

European Auto was started in Dartmouth in 1972 by Santino Braca. Santino trained as a mechanic and automotive electrician in Italy and took over a Petro Fina service station just four years after arriving in Canada with his young family.

He serviced the few imports on the road at the time and specialized in Italian made cars such as Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Lancia.

In 1977 he crossed the harbour into Halifax and operated a two bay Petro Canada station until 1992 and then a Shell Canada station until 2004.

Joseph Braca joined the family business in 1988 as a certified Red Seal technician.

With the business growing, Santino retiring and the era ending on auto repair in service stations, Joseph moved in 2004 to a much larger shop in Bedford.

By 2012 this much larger shop was too small due to an ever greater number of imported cars on the road and a greater need for services outside the manufacturer’s dealer network. A brand new, six bay shop was built in Lower Sackville and now employs seven licensed import technicians.

Joseph Braca retired after a long and successful career at European Auto. In June 2025, the Kennedy family, lifetime Sackville residents with over 35 years of experience at Kennedy’s Auto Repair on Quinpool Road in Halifax, took ownership. They bring their commitment to quality service and passion for automotive repair to their new home. The Kennedy family will continue the dedication to cars that the Braca family upheld for 50 years. We wish Joseph Braca and his family a well-deserved retirement.