A Porsche heir has caused quite a stir in an Austrian community—and not because of his latest supercar.
Wolfgang Porsche, grandson of marque founder Ferdinand Porsche, wants to dig a private tunnel through a mountain so he can build and access a 12-car garage under his home. The proposed project, reminiscent of Batman’s famed cave, has divided Salzburg residents, The Drive reported.
The 81-year-old Porsche bought his 17th-century mansion back in 2020 for around $9 million, The Wall Street Journal reported. Though the home—once owned by Austrian writer Stefan Zweig—is one of just a few buildings located on the Kapuzinerberg, a hill that overlooks downtown Salzburg, and is neighbors with landmarks made famous by Mozart, it has a bit of a problem: To get to the property, you need to drive up a rather windy, narrow road. That’s where the suggested private tunnel, which would be accessible from downtown, and garage come into play.
The former mayor of Salzburg gave the project the go-head in 2024, but now a governmental skirmish has begun after the mayoral office swung from the political right to the left after an election. Because the tunnel’s creation would call for a city zoning plan change, a vote will be held next to month to see if the proposal, expected to cost around $11.3 million (€10 million) at the top end, can move forward.
The tunnel-and-garage combo has sent some Salzberg residents into a tizzy. Those against the idea say Porsche got his project green-lit initially because of his wealth; the speediness of the approval also angered critics, who say that public tunnel projects often take a long time to come to life—if they ever do. Fanning the flames is the fact that the current mayor of Salzburg, Bernhard Auinger, is a former member of the board of Porsche’s holding company, where he was a labor representative. The official may abstain from the vote to avoid a conflict of interest, The Drive reported.
“I think what amazes people is that a private individual can dig into the mountain,” Green Party official Ingeborg Haller, who is leading the opposition, told The Wall Street Journal.
Other residents, however, are neutral on the project, or even for it.
“It’s the politics of envy. It is so embarrassing in Salzburg when there are serious and important problems to solve,” Hans Peter Reitter, a retired bank manager, told WSJ.
Porsche, meanwhile, has offered some solutions to help get the project off the ground. He is willing to let the public visit part of his home, which is undergoing renovations. The heir is also amenable to the idea of allowing his neighbors to use the tunnel to access their homes.
Soon enough, we’ll see if Porsche’s Batcave dreams will come true.
