We are currently based in Oxfordshire (UK). This is a short intro to our history, our full story is on the Our Inheritance Page
In 1948, 5 retired REMEs (Eric, Jim, P, D and M) started a small garage in a small court yard near Brighton (UK), which was named after the road it was on, Porthall Road.
Based on their passion, talent and skills, each engineer devoted his time and effort to a specific area: Eric – engine; Jim – suspension and steering; P – exhaust; D and M – body work.
The founder of the new generation of Porthall, Jess, is Eric’s nephew. Jess had a long history with Porthall. He literally grew up there.
Because both of his parents were working, he was often sent to Porthall to be looked after by the engineers’ wives during his parents’ working hours.
The engineers gave little Jess broken car parts for repair before he was able to stand up or speak.
At the age of 8, he had already gained the reputation of Triumph Boy, because of his extraordinary ability to repair Triumph cars.
All of the Porthall engineers loved this talented, smart and hard-working child. They took him under their wings, and unreservedly shared with him their knowledge and expertise. When he was at the right age, they helped him secure an apprentice position with 3 top brands at the time: Rolls-Royce, BMW and Mercedes. Because of his circumstances, Jess chose BMW. Later on, he also got an opportunity to train with Rolls-Royce Avionics.
In recent years, the car industry has experienced 2 big changes:
- 1. from pure mechanical to electronic controls;
- 2. from petrol to EV.
As a result, the beautiful mechanical petrol cars with which Jess grew up have become a dying breed, as do the mechanics and engineers who serve them.
This broke Jess’ heart. That’s why he decided to re-open the historically glorious Porthall Garage, in order to help and save as many classic cars as he can.