Porsche heir's incredible plan to build £8.5m underground supercar garage inside a MOUNTAIN – with secret tunnel network
THE heir to Porsche has announced plans to build a private tunnel and underground garage beneath his mansion.
Wolfgang Porsche 's £8.5million project, reminiscent of a James Bond villain's lair, has sparked outrage in Salzburg.
6
6
The 81-year-old struck a deal with the Austrian city's former conservative mayor, Harald Preuner, in 2024.
It included plans to drill an underground private tunnel below his 17th-century villa on the Kapuzinerberg.
It would allow him to park up to a dozen of his cars underneath the Paschinger Schlössl.
Under the deal, the billionaire paid €40,000 to gain the rights to dig a tunnel on city-owned land.
A steep and narrow road that can turn icy when temperatures drop currently leads up to Porsche's mansion.
Some politicians have complained that the city council had not been briefed about the heir's plans.
Local Green leader Ingeborg Haller has led the protest criticising what she called a "back-door deal" that was handled in a "very intransparent" way.
"Salzburg is UNESCO -listed. We are also in a nature reserve here and this is simply a highly sensitive area," Haller said.
She said any kind of "special treatment for the super-rich" was unacceptable.
In response to criticism, a court-certified expert was appointed by the incumbent Social Democratic mayor, Bernhard Auinger.
Hollywood legend Steve McQueen's Porsche which starred in iconic film is going up for auction at an eye-watering price
According to the expert's report made public, the compensation paid by Porsche was deemed "appropriate".
Porsche bought the historic villa located near a Capuchin monastery on the forested hill in 2020.
The mansion, which is currently under renovation, once belonged to Austria's famed Jewish writer Stefan Zweig.
Zweig lived there for 15 years and penned several well-known works there before fleeing to Britain during the rise of Nazism.
The city council is expected to decide in mid-May whether or not to let the project go ahead as planned.
It would have to approve a zoning plan change for the garage.
Wolfgang is the grandson of Austrian-born Ferdinand Porsche, who founded the car company.
He acts as the chairman of Porsche's supervisory board.
A spokesman for Wolfgang Porsche declined to comment on what he called a "private matter" with no connection to the Porsche company, a subsidiary of the German car giant Volkswagen.
6
6
6
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Auto Car
5 hours ago
- Auto Car
We drive Skoda's fastest ever car
Despite being a part of the Volkswagen machine, Skoda has shown itself to be quite adept at doing things slightly differently – not radically so but in ways that do make an impact. With cars like the Superb and Kodiaq, it espouses a 'more buttons, less nonsense' philosophy that we can get behind. With the Elroq, you might expect it to have made an ID 3 with an ice scraper in the charging flap, but it's actually more like a shortened Enyaq, and that extends to the new sporty version, the Skoda Elroq vRS. Verdict Good Grippy, planted and intuitive to drive Remains very comfortable Good efficiency, range and charging speed Bad It's faster, but not exactly more fun than a standard Elroq, let alone a Cupra Born Not cheap Pros Good colours MEB offers wide-reaching toolkit, with dual motors and a big battery Cons Very similar to the Enyaq and the regular Elroq While the VW ID 3 GTX and Cupra Born VZ stick with a single rear motor, the Elroq vRS uses the same 335bhp dual-motor powertrain as the Enyaq vRS. But because it's a bit smaller and lighter, it's also quicker. That also means the sensible Skoda is faster than the sporty Cupra. They're clearly not wedded to hierarchy in Mladá Boleslav. With all that said, the package is pretty familiar from the Enyaq vRS. You know the drill: MEB platform, big battery (79kWh usable), two motors, slightly but not excessively sportier tuning for a MacPherson-strut front and a multi-link rear. Naturally there are also some more aggressive bumpers and unique wheels to set this vRS apart from the regular Elroq. The alloys are either 20in or 21in, and although I'm usually a fan of smaller wheels, in this case the smaller option looks purposely designed to make you want to upgrade; they look like spacesavers. Pros Excellent seats Just as spacious and practical as the standard Elroq Infotainment generally works well Cons Very black Doesn't get the Smart Dials from the Superb and Kodiaq The vRS formula extends inside, where this is generally just a highly specified Elroq with sports seats in Alcantara, carbonfibre trim and, if specced right, some nuclear green accents to liven things up. Apart from that, the vRS is the same as any Elroq, which means that it's very spacious for the size and the infotainment works well. For more detail, read our full Skoda Elroq review here. Pros Quite quick Progressive accelerator Handling is composed and grippy Comfortable ride Cons Mushy brake pedal, no one-pedal mode You can easily find more performance for the money Not much depth to the handling beyond grip and composure What's common to most vRS cars I've driven, whether powered by combustion or electrons, is that you can potter around and not really notice you're in the sporty one. In this latest one, the seats are outstandingly comfortable, and it's not much noisier at a cruise than a regular Elroq. Adaptive dampers are standard and, at the softer end of the 15-point adjustment scale, the ride is properly wafty – to the point of floatiness in the most relaxed setting. Even the energy efficiency, often an issue on hot dual-motor EVs, is fine. I got 3.4mpkWh on a spirited route that included some 80mph motorway, so a range of 270 miles should be realistic. It never truly entertains, though. That 335bhp output makes it nicely quick without ever blowing your mind, and accelerator response is fairly calm. I do wish the regen wouldn't keep resetting to its adaptive mode and, as on all MEB cars, the brake pedal is mushy and inconsistent. The variable-ratio steering is quite numb, and although the rear motor is more powerful than the front one, it doesn't really engage in tail-out antics – the staggered tyre sizing and conservative stability control see to that. Neutral balance is as good as it gets. Pros Strong efficiency and range Fast charging Prices for the Elroq vRS start from £46,560, which is a little more expensive than rivals, which include the Cupra Born VZ, Mini Countryman SE All4, Volvo EX30 Twin Motor and Smart #1 Brabus. However, unlike the Cupra, it comes with dual motors and more power, and it has a much larger battery and therefore considerably more range than the others. On the WLTP cycle, it should be good for 336 miles. In practice, we saw around 3.4mpkWh on a mild summer day, which equates to nearly 270 real-world miles. It's also capable of taking 185kW on a DC rapid charge, which is a good deal more than most rivals. Verdict Good Grippy, planted and intuitive to drive Remains very comfortable Good efficiency, range and charging speed Bad It's faster, but not exactly more fun than a standard Elroq, let alone a Cupra Born Not cheap Apart from the Born and to a lesser extent the MG 4 EV, this class still lacks a driver's car. It needs its Hyundai Ioniq 5 N or Alpine A290 moment, and the Elroq vRS isn't it. What it is is a practical electric crossover with four-wheel drive and a bit of punch that doesn't beat you up for the pleasure. You can make up your own mind on whether that makes it genius or non-committally redundant. Model tested: Skoda Elroq vRS Electric motor/s: Asynchronous motor (f), permanent magnet synchronous motor (r) Drive battery: Li-ion, NMC Driveline layout: Dual motors, 4WD Model tested Skoda Elroq vRS Electric motor/s Asynchronous motor (f), permanent magnet synchronous motor (r) View all specs and rivals Drive battery Li-ion, NMC Driveline layout Dual motors, 4WD Battery size 84/79kWh (total/usable) Energy efficiency 3.8mpkWh Rivals Cupra Born VZ Mini Countryman SE All4 Smart #1 Brabus
Reuters
6 hours ago
- Reuters
Who is Kering's new CEO Luca de Meo?
June 16 (Reuters) - Gucci-owner Kering ( opens new tab has appointed Luca de Meo, currently CEO of French carmaker Renault ( opens new tab, as its new chief executive, it said on Monday. Below are some facts about the new head of the French luxury group, whose brands include Gucci, Saint Laurent, and Bottega Veneta. De Meo, 58, is from Milan, Italy, and has more than 30 years experience working in the automotive sector. He graduated from the Luigi Bocconi Commercial University with a degree in business administration. De Meo has been praised by commentators for his strategic vision and ability to revive struggling brands. He decided to step down from Renault to take on new challenges outside the automotive sector. De Meo began his career at Renault in the early 1990s, before moving to Toyota Europe (7203.T), opens new tab in the late 1990s. In 2002, he joined the Fiat Group, where he held leadership roles across several brands including Lancia, Fiat, Abarth and Alfa Romeo. He played a key role in the relaunch of the Fiat 500 city car and the revival of the Abarth brand. In 2009, he moved to the Volkswagen Group as marketing director, a role that covered both the Volkswagen brand and the group as a whole. In 2012, he was appointed to the board of Volkswagen's premium brand Audi AG, responsible for sales and marketing. From November 2015 to January 2020, he served as chairman of Volkswagen's ( opens new tab Spanish unit SEAT, overseeing a resurgence in the Barcelona-based company's sales and boosting its prominence within the Volkswagen group. He also sat on the supervisory boards of Ducati and Lamborghini, and chaired the board of Volkswagen Group Spain. In July 2020, he became CEO of Renault S.A., later also taking on the role of chairman and joining the company's board. He turned around the French automaker in his five years at the helm, overhauling its two-decade-long strategic alliance with Nissan (7201.T), opens new tab and doubling down on hybrid motors while shifting towards electric vehicles. Between November 2023 and March 2025, he was CEO of Ampere, Renault's electric vehicle and software unit. He has also served as President of the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) since January 2023. De Meo takes the helm of Kering at a time when the group's underwhelming performance in recent years had cast doubt on the effectiveness of its current strategy and leadership. De Meo's move to Kering, which has lately failed to convince stock market investors of its plans to turn around its Gucci label, marks a change of direction for the group. Kering shares have lost more than 60% of their value in the last two years, marked by a string of profit warnings and designer changes at Gucci, a former cash cow for the company and still its most important brand by sales and profits.
Auto Car
7 hours ago
- Auto Car
Tesla primes updates for hot Model S Plaid and Model Y Performance
Imminent Nürburgring-honed flagships will up the ante to rival Europe's fastest EVs Open gallery Close Tesla is priming reinvigorated versions of its hottest models to contend with fearsome new EV contenders from the brand's European rivals. Updated versions of Tesla's Model S Plaid and Model Y Performance have been spotted testing at the Nürburgring, suggesting imminent launches. The Plaid – currently one of the world's most powerful saloons, with 1020bhp – was seen wearing light camouflage, concealing an aero-optimising refresh of its front and rear ends. The air ducts in its lower front fascia appear more angular and aggressive than before, while the rear diffuser has gained a ledge and a more protrusive centre section that is most likely intended to reduce lift at speed. The reworked front end also conceals an additional camera for the advanced driver assistance systems. Tesla has yet to confirm whether the Plaid will get any more substantial improvements under the skin, but the brand's more recent launches point to potential upgrades that it could receive. The Cybertruck, for example, features 800V electricals rather than the 400V systems used in the Models 3, S, Y and X, allowing claimed peak charging speeds in excess of 400kW. That it's testing at the Nürburgring could point to Tesla looking to reclaim its production EV lap record at the Nordschleife. The Plaid was dethroned by the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT last year. But the Taycan's significant 18sec advantage over the Plaid (7min 7sec versus 7min 25sec) suggests the American car would need extensive modifications to close the gap, such as extra power or a new chassis package. The Plaid faces an increasingly tough market: Mercedes-AMG is on the verge of launching its own 1000bhp-plus super-saloon, while American EV maker Lucid's Air Sapphire is the world's most potent four-door, with 1234bhp. The new Model Y Performance will also face a much more crowded field of rivals than the first car had to contend with. Newcomers include the Porsche Macan Turbo Electric, Alpine A390, Hyundai Ioniq 5 N and Smart #5 Brabus, each offering different takes on the sporting EV crossover at a range of price points. The Tesla is expected to employ the same dual-motor, four-wheel-drive powertrain as its Model 3 Performance counterpart, producing a combined 510bhp and allowing for a 0-62mph sprint time comfortably below 4.0sec. Tesla officially quotes 2.9sec to 60mph, although this includes a short rollout to low speed that muddies the waters somewhat. Range is likely to be less than the Model 3 Performance's 328 miles, although the presence of a long ducktail spoiler hints at further aerodynamic tweaks to minimise drag and potentially boost range. Inside, it is expected to get the 3 Performance's thickly bolstered sports seats, along with carbonfibre trim detailing. Given the smaller Model 3 Performance is priced from £59,990, the equivalent Y is most likely to breach the £60,000 barrier. Join our WhatsApp community and be the first to read about the latest news and reviews wowing the car world. Our community is the best, easiest and most direct place to tap into the minds of Autocar, and if you join you'll also be treated to unique WhatsApp content. You can leave at any time after joining - check our full privacy policy here. Next Prev In partnership with
