Porsche Heir Abandons His 'Tunnel for One'

The billionaire whose surname is synonymous with fast cars has hit the brakes on a controversial "tunnel for one" beneath Salzburg, Austria. Wolfgang Porsche, 83, has instead put his 17th-century hillside villa on the market, abandoning plans for a private access tunnel that had infuriated locals, reports the Guardian. Porsche received city approval to build the tunnel to an underground garage by his villa, a decision that provoked outrage given the home's historic nature. It was once home to celebrated Austrian writer Stefan Zweig, who loved that it was largely inaccessible by car, notes a post at Travel and Tour World.

Instead of building the tunnel, Porsche has evidently decided to avoid the controversy altogether by selling the place. Opponents saw the project as an outrageous symbol of privilege in a city struggling with high rents and a housing squeeze, papering Salzburg with slogans like "a city for everyone instead of a tunnel for one." Campaigners who had hoped the city would buy the villa and turn it into a Zweig museum were rebuffed by the mayor, who said Salzburg can't afford it. Despite Porsche's pending departure, the fight over the tunnel isn't over: The next owner could move ahead with the project because the city's approval is valid through 2028.