There are many manual espresso machines out there, one of the most iconic in recent years being the Cafelat Robot http://www.cafelat.com/robot.html. There are lever/piston machines going back to the 1940s.
Indeed, the Robot is a wonderful piece of good old engineering, and it makes fantastic espresso without much fuss. Haven't had to do any maintenance since I got it, almost four years ago.
And best of all, shameless plug ahead: It's easy to hack, for example if you want to add much needed electronics, like I did with this scale here: https://youtu.be/awvB3pJCmEo (Oh the irony, but some things just need to be done.)
And best of all, shameless plug ahead: It's easy to hack, for example if you want to add much needed electronics, like I did with this scale here: https://youtu.be/awvB3pJCmEo (Oh the irony, but some things just need to be done.)