Porsche Automuseum Helmut Pfeifhofer
Private Porsche museum in Gmünd, where the first Porsche 356 cars were built in 1948–1951, with original Gmünd cars, classics and racing cars.
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About the museum
Gmünd in Carinthia is a special place in automotive history: from 1944 Ferdinand Porsche moved his design office from Stuttgart to the small town in the Lieser Valley. Between 1948 and 1951 the Porsche 356, the first production car under the Porsche name, was built here. Only a little over fifty cars with hand-formed aluminium bodies left the Gmünd works before production returned to Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen.
The Gmünd antiques dealer Helmut Pfeifhofer, who as a schoolchild knew the sons of the Porsche engineers, began collecting and restoring Porsche vehicles in the 1960s. In 1976 he acquired the former stables of the Counts of Lodron and converted them into a museum, which opened in May 1982 as Europe's first private Porsche car museum.
Since 2001 his son Christoph Pfeifhofer has run the museum, which is operated as a family business independent of Porsche AG. The collection includes vehicles, original documents, tools and contemporary testimonies from nine decades of the brand's history – from the rare Gmünd examples through 356s and early 911s to modern sports cars and racing vehicles with genuine racing histories.
Highlights
- Porsche 356 from the Gmünd founding period with handcrafted aluminium body
- Dedicated section on the Porsche family's design period in Gmünd, 1944–1950
- Early 911s and classics from 1950–1980
- Amphibious hunting vehicle from 1956
- Austria's only police Porsche 911
- Racing cars with racing histories, some in original condition
Permanent exhibitions
- Gmünd-Fahrzeuge – The oldest and rarest pieces in the collection from the founding period of the Porsche works in Gmünd, 1948–1951, each with a hand-built aluminium body and unique.
- Klassiker 1950–1980 und Rennfahrzeuge – 356s, early 911s and racing cars from the decades of the brand's rise, some in original condition with genuine racing histories.
- Moderne Sportwagen – The development of the brand up to the present day, from air-cooled to water-cooled models.
- Founded
- 1982
- Operated by
- Pfeifhofer GmbH
- Director
- Christoph Pfeifhofer
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €11 |
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| Children & teens | €5Children aged 6 to 14 pay €5. |
| Groups (20+ people) | €10 per personGroups of up to 50 people without advance booking, payment directly at the museum ticket desk; larger groups by registration. |
| Combined ticket museum + design building (groups of 20 or more) | €28Only on selected days by prior registration, price per person. |
The museum is not a partner of the Kärnten Card.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By car
Parking available · 2-min walk to the entrance
Car and coach parking about a two-minute walk from the museum.
Amenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
Individual offers are available for groups, clubs and events, such as experience trips with culinary elements in cooperation with a regional partner; enquiries by email to event@auto-museum.at.
Inquiries & detailsPlan your visit
| Good to know | Groups of up to 50 people can come without advance booking; the combined programme with the design building is possible only by registration. |
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