Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more. Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
Ben Branch -
1996 Ferrari 333 SP Evoluzione
The release of the Ferrari 333 SP marked Ferrari’s first foray back into the world of sports car racing after a 20 year absence, the 333 SP was built to Ferrari specification by Michelotto – a company that had been building advanced racing machines for Ferrari since the 1970’s.
Pewter Cocktail Shaker
This beautifully constructed pewter cocktail shaker is reminiscent of the era before, during and just after the Prohibition. It isn’t widely known that pewter is actually an alloy, it’s a mixture of 85% to 99% tin, with added copper, antimony and bismuth.
Steve McQueen’s First Motorcycle
‘But I was going with a girl who began to hate the cycle – just hated riding in the bumpy sidecar. She told me, “Either the cycle goes or I go!” ‘Well, there was no contest. She went.’
Leatherman Style CS Clip-On
This clip-on multi-tool from Leatherman is slightly smaller and more pocket friendly than some of the company’s larger tools, it’s designed to be clipped to a belt loop or rucksack and forgotten about – until you find yourself needing a knife, scissors, a file, tweezers or something to throw at a bear while you run for the hills.
Truth In 24 II – Every Second Counts
“Truth In 24 II – Every Second Counts” is a film by Audi covering their involvement in the iconic Le Mans 24 Hours motor race. The full length film is 1 hour and 22 minutes long and is well worth a watch, it’s narrated by Jason Statham – a man who’s voice is perfect for anything relating to motor sport.
Apollo 17 Wallpaper
This is one of those extraordinary Apollo mission images that I’d never come across till just last week. After a little research I found the official NASA metadata for the image.
Red Wing Heritage #877 Boot
When it comes to boots that are genuinely American, you’ll be hard pressed to find a more authentic pair than the Heritage 877 Boots by Red Wing. Originally released in 1953 as a sporting boot, they became an instant success with hunters, hikers and outdoorsmen.
Morris Minor Poster
The Morris Minor is an instantly recognisable car in many parts of the world, even today, 41 years after its production ceased.
Harley-Davidson Iron 883
The 2013 Harley-Davidson Iron 883 is one of the more interesting modern motorcycles from a customisation-platform perspective. It’s one of the least expensive bikes produced by Harley-Davidson and the catalogue of parts available for it is remarkably long, the Iron 883 has already seen a surge in sales from people for…
Chasing Winter
The concept of strapping a surfboard to the side of a motorcycle is tried and tested, you’ll see bikes with board racks from Sydney to the South of France, usually piloted by a man who hasn’t shaved and doesn’t care. This video shows something that I haven’t seen before, a series of motorcycles with snowboard and ski racks.
Triumph Scrambler
The Triumph Scrambler is rapidly becoming an even more popular target for customisation than it’s brother, the Bonneville. That’s not something I thought I’d ever say just a few short years ago when the Cafe-Racer-Renaissance kicked off, but we’re seeing more and more dual sport customs coming through the Silodrome newsroom and I’m a huge fan of the burgeoning genre.
Suunto Ambit2 Black
The Suunto Ambit2 Black is many things, so many things in fact, that it seems improper to just call it a watch. It has built in GPS and maps, it can monitor you speed, heart-rate, altitude and even the prevailing weather conditions.