French car tuner Machine Revival builds some of the finest bespoke Porsche restomods in the world, entirely by hand, in a workshop tucked into the back country south of Lyon. We paid a visit to the place where the magic happens, and it turns out to be exactly what you would expect from a team that once produced an air-cooled Porsche restomod with over 1,000 horsepower: an ordinary-looking building hiding very extraordinary things.
Who Is Machine Revival?
Machine Revival is a collective of enthusiasts and craftsmen who started with a shared obsession with air-cooled Porsches, particularly the 964, which the team regards as the ideal foundation for a modern 911 restomod. Every project is conceived as a bespoke creation: the mechanical soul and driving character of the original car are preserved and amplified, while everything from the flat-six setup to the interior saddlery is rebuilt or remade in-house. The workshop has now produced 18 custom builds and marked its tenth anniversary, with a satellite location opened in California. The Petrolicious feature on Machine Revival's Porsche 911 builds in France gives the fullest account of the team's philosophy, and the Machine Revival official restomod page covers their current build programme.
Inside the Workshop
The day we visited, the workshop had some great treasures lying around. A Puch Pinzgauer was doing service as the company car for moving parts around the yard and fetching croissants on Sunday mornings. Under a cover sat a BMW E28 art car project in progress. A California-roasted Porsche 914 was waiting for its turn. The attention to detail that defines the finished cars is evident in the raw materials and mid-build projects around every corner. Every modification is executed in-house by hand, from the air-cooled flat-six setup to the bespoke saddlery in premium leather.
The gallery below documents the visit.
Machine Revival at TheArsenale
If you are looking for Machine Revival components and accessories, explore the curated Machine Revival collection at TheArsenale, which includes bespoke parts from the workshop including their signature Porsche 911 engine grill and aluminium footrest sets. For the broader world of custom and coachbuilt cars, the luxury hypercars and custom builds collection covers everything from one-off restomods to track machines.
