The Austrian Porsche Clubs tour to F.A.T. Mankei under the banner of “60 years of Porsche 911”.
Fuscher Lacke, Grossglockner High Alpine Road
September 22nd, 2023
The Grossglockner High Alpine Road: a driving challenge, wrested from nature, the highest paved road in Austria. Coming from Bruck, it takes 14 hairpin bends up to the Fuscher Törl, 2,428 metres above everyday life. From Heiligenblut, an additional nine hairpin bends to the Hochtor force man and machine to the limits. Between these two pass heights of the Großglockner lie the hairpin bends of the so-called “Scheitelstrecke”: the bends of the Knappenstube and the Fuscher Lacke.
The stretch is pure mental relaxation, an arc of tension between the two high points of the passes. A world between worlds: between Pinzgau and Carinthia, between ascent and descent, between challenge and relaxation. Like a wide, epic bow, the route stretches along the massifs, immersing you in a surreal world, freeing up your thoughts while reviewing what you have just experienced.
Ferdinand “Ferdi” Porsche found the right place here to create something new. Here in the Fuscher Lacke, between worlds, far away from everyday life and work. A place where you naturally are one with your vehicle; usually in the company of friends, like-minded people and focused on the most essential things. The result is the F.A.T. Mankei, the former Gasthof Mankeiwirt, a new cultural, gastronomic and historical centre for Porsche enthusiasts. As Ferdinand Porsche says: “A place to meet like-minded people, talk about cars, architecture and design and enjoy good food.”
Now he is standing here in front of the members of the Austrian Porsche Clubs. In his Mankei. And you can tell that he has fulfilled a dream, created a centre, a pivotal point in his life, but that he also created the Mankei for the Porsche community, wanted to give it a home, a place to meet, with historical significance for Porsche and its brand fans. He talks about how the success in the first year has proved him right, how the fans have embraced and absorbed the place. How grateful he is to the Porsche Clubs for their commitment and enthusiasm for the Mankei. That he will always welcome them here at any time. That this should become their home. The world between Fuscher Törl and Hochtor is now Porsche World. Ferdi's world, F.A.T.'s world.
Porsche Austria invited Club members from all over Austria to celebrate 60 years of the Porsche 911. 60 vehicles and 75 participants tackled the pass road up to the Mankei. The Porsche Museum had contributed 911s from all generations. Ferdinand Porsche and his team provided the Club members with finger food and hot coffee. Those who wanted to, drove up to the Kaiser-Franz-Josephs Höhe to visit the highest automobile exhibition in the world: “Driven by Dreams - 75 Years of Porsche”.
Helmut Eggert, Head of Porsche in Austria, said that “joint road trips like the Grossglockner trip to the F.A.T. Mankei and the informal get-together of like-minded people in a great atmosphere are what make the Porsche Community so unique.” Sebastian Mertke, Head of Global Community Management at Porsche AG summed up the day in a nutshell: “Porsche Community: great vehicles, great people, great places.”
Places like the Mankei.
https://fat-international.com/mankei