Karl Steiner, Austria
A simple story of a great passion for Porsche in Austria
Karl Steiner is President of the Porsche Club Graz and organizer of the “International Porsche Days Zell am See – Kaprun”. Many years of experience in organizing Club events created a deep relationship with the Porsche brand and the people who make up the spirit of the Porsche Clubs.
A simple story of a great passion for Porsche in Austria
A boy’s dream came true when I was able to pick up my first Porsche 911 from Porsche Center Munich over 20 years ago. Before that, other things had been of greater importance, but by the time I was forty, the 911 was a decision that was also supported by my family.
Driving a Porsche can be even more exciting within the setting of a group of people who all share the same passion. Hence, the community of a Porsche Club is simply the most rewarding way of connecting with like-minded people. As I love to organize events, I was quickly appointed to the board of my Club and hosted many since. A key experience was taking part in the “International Porsche Club Presidents Meeting” in Berlin in 2006 and realizing that the members of the Porsche Clubs around the world pursue their hobby with great passion and that the Porsche AG very much supports this commitment of the Clubs.
Therefore, within the framework of the Austrian Porsche Club Association, we had the idea of bringing the “Porsche Parade Europe” to Vienna in 2010. Shortly after, the Porsche Community Management gave us the go-ahead. We formed a collaboration of five Austrian Porsche Clubs and together with Richard Purtscher, President of the Porsche Club Vienna at that time, I was able to make a significant contribution to this major international event lasting over four days with 800 (!) guests and 400 vehicles from all over Europe and the USA. Months of intensive preparation, high budget responsibility, numerous participants and, of course, the wish of doing the Porsche brand justice, completely occupied our volunteer team. The smiles of the participants and the personal gratitude of Dr Wolfgang Porsche himself were the exceptional, yet well-deserved confirmation for a successful “Porsche Parade Europe”.
At that time, however, there were intractable disagreements in our own Club, which led to the resignation of a large group of members who suddenly were no longer part of a Porsche Club. Fortunately, we got help in this difficult situation. After a careful assessment, the Porsche Community Management in Stuttgart supported us in meeting the high-level set by Porsche for recognition as an official Porsche Club. So my friends and I tackled this demanding task and we finally achieved our goal in 2011 when we were officially recognized as the “Porsche Club Graz” by the Porsche AG. Since 2014, I have been President of our Porsche Club and most of the founding members are still part of it today.
News about the success of the “Porsche Parade Europe 2010” quickly spread and there was something even more special to come soon after that. After input from Dr Wolfgang Porsche, who lives in Zell am See, the Zell am See – Kaprun Tourist Association approached me to develop a Porsche Club event in this region which is very traditional for the brand. The “International Porsche Days Zell am See – Kaprun", a four-day event for the international Porsche Club community, were born.
We were able to welcome 350 guests at the first edition of this event in 2012 and further editions in 2015, 2017 and 2021 followed. With the Community Management of Porsche AG, the tourist association, a collaboration of Austrian Porsche Clubs and the support of my family, we presented the exceptional beauty of this region, impressions of which can be found at www.porschetage.at. The fifth edition is planned for 2024.
I look back on all these Club events with pride. The Porsche Club idea relies on the great passion of its members worldwide, which is also the foundation of my will to continuously contribute to it.
This deep passion of mine seems to have been inheritable, since my two sons, Philipp and Daniel, have recently bought their very own 991 GT3. Carrying on this tradition of our own, we have implemented the occasional friendly, but fierce competitions on racetracks. It is those very moments; I can call myself a proud father who has done everything right …
