PORSCHE COMMUNITY RALLIES ON THE GROSSGLOCKNER FOR FAT MANKEI CELEBRATION
Perched high on Austria’s breathtaking Grossglockner High Alpine Road, FAT Mankei has fast become a global pilgrimage site for petrolheads. And last weekend, the mountain echoed with flat-six thunder as Porsche and FAT International hosted a two-day celebration honouring the Porsche community, with an epic assembly of iconic road and race cars from Stuttgart’s 77-year history. Founded by Ferdinand Porsche, great-grandson of the marque’s founder, FAT Mankei opened its doors in 2023 and quickly cemented itself as a must-visit hangout on one of Europe’s greatest driving roads. This isn’t just a restaurant - it’s a cultural hub for the car-obsessed. And the location? It’s steeped in Porsche lore. Ferry Porsche once used this exact mountain pass as a high-altitude torture test for early prototypes. To mark the occasion, Porsche rolled out heavy hitters from its Zuffenhausen museum. Among them: a Shell-liveried Porsche 962 C, Vaillant 917/30 Spyder, the Paris-Dakar 911 Carrera 3.2 4x4 in full Rothmans regalia, and modern-day machines like the 944 Turbo Cup, Taycan Turbo GT, and 911 RSR, all wearing matching heritage liveries. But the real showstoppers? The original road-legal 917K and the wild new road-going 963 RSP Le Mans Hypercar tribute, seen together in public for the very first - and last - time before heading to permanent display at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart.
The event wasn’t just static display porn either. Guests were treated to hot laps and hands-on time in some of Porsche’s sharpest road cars, including the 911 GT3, GT3 RS, and the blistering Taycan Turbo GT, all under the guidance of pro instructors, with the Grossglockner’s sweeping tarmac as their playground. Members of Porsche’s GT Circle community - a global network of hardcore Porsche enthusiasts - were out in force, with many arriving by road trip and logging their adventures through the exclusive GT Circle app. FAT Mankei is just one arm of FAT International, the lifestyle-meets-motorsport brand that’s also behind the revived FAT Ice Race, the up-and-coming FAT Karting League, and involvement in top-tier racing with the Porsche 963 Hypercar of Proton Competition in the WEC. It’s all part of Ferdinand Porsche’s modern vision to blend motorsport, fashion, culture, and community for a new generation of enthusiasts.
As Ferdinand puts it: “Whether you’re a racer or a road-tripper, FAT Mankei is for everyone. And when else do you get to see legendary Porsche machines in one of the most beautiful driving environments on Earth?”
Take a look at the YouTube video from the FAT International chaps that's sorta related - it's not of this specific Porsche gathering, but it does show what makes this so special: Don't miss FAT Racecars on a Mountain Pass! [A Dream by Ferdi Porsche] | FAT International
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