Reality TV star and model Mano Machinek has died in a horrifying car crash while filming a luxury automobile commercial in northern Italy. He was 37.
Machinek was reportedly behind the wheel of a blue Porsche 993 RS when the high-powered sports car suddenly veered off a winding mountain road near Gignese on Thursday, July 30.
The vehicle plunged down a steep embankment on Mottarone Mountain before slamming into a tree, according to reports.
Firefighters, paramedics and an air ambulance rushed to the scene as rescuers desperately worked to pull Machinek from the mangled wreckage.
Emergency crews performed CPR, but the reality personality could not be saved.
The Porsche had reportedly been rented for the commercial and did not belong to Machinek. Investigators believe he lost control while navigating a curve, though the exact cause of the deadly accident remains under investigation.
In a chilling detail, reports claim the production cameras were not recording when the crash occurred.
The shoot had been organized by a Milan-based production company, which reportedly arranged for the mountain road to be closed to regular traffic. Additional scenes were expected to be filmed later that day near Lake Maggiore.
Machinek became known to television audiences after appearing on the Austrian reality series Forsthaus Rampensau with his longtime partner, Maria Maksimovic, in 2022.
The German model lived in Switzerland with Maksimovic and had a well-known passion for automobiles. His social media pages frequently featured photographs from car shows, racing events and other automotive gatherings.
Austrian broadcaster ATV confirmed his death in an emotional Instagram statement.
“We mourn Mano, who died in a car accident,” the network wrote. “Our sincere condolences to the bereaved. Maria, we wish you every strength and are thinking of you.”
Maksimovic later shared a heartbreaking tribute, revealing that her partner died while doing one of the things he loved most.
“My beloved Mano has died in a tragic car accident — while doing something he loved more than almost anything else in this world: driving a car,” she wrote.
“He was at the wheel of a Porsche, a car that meant so much more to him than just a vehicle. Everyone who knew Mano knew how much he loved cars, the road and the feeling of freedom behind the wheel.”
The couple had reportedly been together since January 2019.
“It breaks my heart that exactly what he loved so much became the moment I had to say goodbye to him,” Maksimovic added.
Fans, friends and fellow reality television personalities have flooded social media with messages of shock and sympathy following the tragedy.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the crash, including the circumstances surrounding the commercial production and what caused Machinek to lose control of the Porsche.
