I’ve always wanted to drive one of the ultimate roads for a 356. The very type of road they were made for, and indeed the very road they actually tested the 356’s hill climbing abilities and downhill braking on, The Grossglockner High Alpine Road.
The article above really whetted my appetite - all about the Porsche family influence and tradition in this area of The Austrian Alps. It’s where they still have their property and “Schuttgut” family farm in Zell Am See. It’s Porsche territory. And what a road.
Driving these roads promises magnificent alpine views, through some of the most beautiful alpine pastures you can wish for. The Porsche family even own a hotel here too, at Prielau on the banks of Zeller See.
And of course where we’re heading for is Gmund, where the first 356’s were built.
There’s a rich Porsche history of touring in this region, and of course throughout alpine Europe. But getting there next year could be something special too..
I’ve been planning to do this trip for sometime, but next year the Porsche gods align. The 356 International Meeting is being held in Munich in late May. It seems fortuitous ( if undeniably hellish expensive) because we could convoy down via Stuttgart (and the Porsche museum), join the International meeting in Munich, with all its drive outs and events, and then motor on down via Salzburg to the Austrian Alps. The meeting is in late May and the Alpine passes generally open in early May, so the timing is right.
After Gmund, seeing the Porsche museum there and exploring its history, we were thinking we could head back by taking a route west over to a wonderful area of the Italian Dolomites, and the beautiful historic (and Porsche historic) town of Merano.
Merano has been the centre for Porsche meetings, treffen, for many years. It’s a Porsche friendly town with a rich history.
From this base we can explore the Dolomites, where we had some wonderful drives on the 356 International meeting in Merano in 2012, just after our 356’s restoration.
This is just an itinerary that’s in our minds, but we’d love to see if some other 356 owners would like to think about joining the trip, and add their own passions and ideas. There’s something very special about a group of early Porsche’s thrumming their way through the alpine passes. It would be fantastic if we could get up to half a dozen 356’s in the convoy.
It’s a long way off, (time to save up!?) and I’ll contact those I hope might be interested direct of course, but if anyone else wants to get involved and know more, then let me know.
Trips like this take a lot of organisation, and we might have to sell a few kidneys too, but I’m happy to put the organisation in and make it happen. You only live once, and we’re lucky enough to have some brilliant little motors, and we’re meant to use them, properly.
