Event
The Grossglockner High Alpine Road holds a special place in Porsche history. Ferry Porsche tested his early sports cars on these forty-eight kilometres of switchbacks, driving prototypes up from Gmünd to check for overheating on the relentless alpine gradients. The road climbs to over 2,500 metres through thirty-six turns that have barely changed since construction began in 1930. Today, perched at 2,200 metres with views across the Austrian Alps, sits FAT Mankei – a mountain hut transformed into the ultimate automotive pilgrimage site.
The venue is the creation of Ferdinand "Ferdi" Porsche, grandson of the company's founder. The name pays tribute to both the local marmots ("Mankei" in Alpine dialect) and the F.A.T. International racing team whose livery adorned Le Mans-winning 962s in the 1990s. Since opening in 2023, FAT Mankei has become a gathering point for enthusiasts who appreciate that some roads deserve to be driven slowly, savoured, and celebrated with good coffee at the summit.
The Giro di Mankei began as a late-night idea – what if cyclists and car enthusiasts shared the mountain together? The result is a hybrid event combining an 80-kilometre gran fondo from Zell am See with a convoy of sports cars making the same ascent. Riders push through nearly 1,700 metres of climbing while Porsches – from daily-driven 911s to museum pieces like the Vaillant 917/30 – provide the soundtrack echoing off the mountainsides.
The format remains deliberately relaxed. There's no competition, no formal programme – just the shared experience of reaching the top and gathering on the terrace as the afternoon light shifts across the peaks. Porsche typically supports the event with cars from its heritage collection, but the parking area welcomes everything from well-used GT3s to air-cooled classics.
The Grossglockner pass opens May to November. Fusch lies near Zell am See, roughly an hour from Salzburg.
