The Art of the Internal Combustion Engine

Built byHand & Fire

Mario Basson is a master motor mechanic. Diagnostics, performance tuning and ground-up restoration — engineered with the precision of a machinist and the obsession of a true enthusiast.

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The Mechanic

Precision is a discipline, not a feature

For Mario Basson, the internal combustion engine is not a machine to be serviced — it is a piece of engineering to be understood, respected and perfected. Every build passes through one pair of hands, governed by a single standard.

The work blends old-world craftsmanship with modern measurement: micrometers and torque plates alongside live data and the dyno. The result is power you can trust, finished to a level you can feel the moment you turn the key.

20+

Years under the bonnet

600+

Engines rebuilt

100%

Hand-finished work

1

Standard — uncompromising

Technical Schematics

Three disciplines, one obsession

Select a discipline to interrogate the schematic. Each is a craft refined over thousands of hours under the bonnet.

schematic / diagnostics

Live data

OBD / CAN bus

Compression

Cylinder leak-down

Timing

Cam & ignition

Featured Builds

Machines worth the wrench

Hover each build — the mechanism responds. A working portfolio of engines brought back to life.

Full forced-induction rebuild

Inline-Six Revival

Forged internals · 480kW

Numbers-matching restoration

Air-Cooled Flat-Four

Concours finish · 1967

Dyno-tuned big displacement

V8 Stroker

7.0L · 620Nm

Ported & track-prepped

Twin-Rotor Bridgeport

Peripheral port · 9000rpm

Inside the Workshop

How every build comes together

01

Strip & Inspect

Every machine begins fully torn down. Each component measured, photographed and logged against factory tolerances.

02

Machine & Refine

Blocks decked, heads ported, cranks balanced. Where a part can be made better than new, it is.

03

Assemble & Calibrate

Torqued to spec, sealed clean and mapped on the dyno until the engine sings exactly as intended.

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Have a build in mind?

Whether it is a stubborn fault, a hunt for more power or a full restoration, tell Mario about the machine. Every enquiry is read and answered personally.