Porsche magnate puts historic Salzburg villa up for sale after row over private ‘tunnel for one’

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”. 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 the 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. Wolfgang Porsche next to a silver Porsche 356 Speedster prototype from 1954. Photograph: Dpa Picture Alliance/Alamy The proposal sparked incredulity and anger among 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 instead. 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. …