End of the road for Porsche magnate’s villa tunnel

Wolfgang Porsche, the Austrian-German automotive magnate, appears to have abandoned plans to build a private 500-metre tunnel for his cars through the Salzburg hills after a public uproar over the “tunnel for one”.

- Kate Connolly

In 2020, Porsche bought a storied 17th-century villa on the outskirts of Salzburg for €8.4m (£7.2m), and last autumn he secured permission from city authorities for an estimated €10m private access road through the rugged limestone hill.

The 83-year-old’s vision was for the tunnel to lead from a municipal car park in the city centre to a subterranean garage next to the villa where he would be able to park eight cars.

The proposal was met with incredulity and anger from many locals, not least because of the historic nature of the property, which was once the home of Stefan Zweig. The Jewish writer lived in it until he was driven out of the city in 1934 by the Austro-fascist regime.

It appears Porsche has performed a dramatic U-turn, putting the 12-room estate, known locally as the Paschinger Schlössl, on the market. A new owner would be permitted to build the tunnel, although they would have to rush to do so as the planning permission - for which Porsche paid €48,000 - is valid only until the end of 2028.