Austrian reality TV personality Mano Machinek, 37, died on July 30 after losing control of a classic Porsche 993 RS on Mount Mottarone in northern Italy, near Lake Maggiore, while in the area ahead of a car commercial shoot.
What Happened
Machinek was driving a blue, air-cooled Porsche 993 RS rented by a Milan-based production company for the upcoming ad campaign when the car veered off a mountain road on a bend, rolled down a steep embankment, and struck a tree. Authorities have said filming had not yet begun for the day and cameras were not rolling at the time of the crash.
The Response
Firefighters, paramedics, and an air ambulance crew responded to the crash site and worked to extract Machinek from the wreckage, performing CPR at the scene, but he could not be revived and was pronounced dead.
Who He Was
Machinek was best known in Austria and Germany for appearing alongside his partner, Maria Maksimovic, in the first season of the Austrian reality series Forsthaus Rampensau on ATV in 2022.
What’s Under Review
Italian authorities are examining the production’s safety protocols, the road permissions obtained for the shoot, and the vehicle’s telemetry data as part of the investigation into how the crash happened.
