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 -
Belt Knife by The Bowen Knife Company
The idea of having a small blade tucked away somewhere safe seems like a rather good idea to me, especially if you’re planning a trip to one of the less than savoury parts of the world. Or if you’re just a big fan of spur-of-the-moment whittling.
1955 Porsche 356 Pre-A by Reutter
The Porsche 356 is one of the most memorable pre-911 cars from the marque, it’s the car that was tweaked for American tastes by North American importer Max Hoffman – a man who convinced Ferry Porsche that the 356 needed a name as Americans wouldn’t by a car with a number.
Hip Flask by Pick Your Poison
These beautiful, steam-punk hip flasks are each made to order by Pick Your Poison and each one includes the surname of the order in the engraving – which I think is fantastic.
Honda XL350 Grass Tracker
This fantastic looking retro-racer is a Honda XL350 based Grass Tracker built by Phil Little Racing, the frame is an English-style tracker frame and was found hanging in the Minneapolis area shop of Merritt Cody, along with its matching fuel tank.
Unbelievable Pocket Chain Saw
This is the “Unbelievable Pocket Chain Saw”, it’s a fantastic little piece of gear to toss into the rucksack before a weekend out in the mountains.
Triton Featherbed 865 by Lars Lykkegaard
This Triton is a slightly unusual, modern take on the classic hybrid. It’s been built using a 1954 Norton Featherbed frame but instead of a 40 year old Triumph parallel twin, he’s using a 3 year old 865cc twin from the modern Bonneville.
Ceramic Beer Growler
If (like me) you’ve only ever heard the word “growler” used as vernacular for something which shouldn’t really be mentioned…
1964 Porsche 904 GTS by Scuderia Filipinetti
This 1964 Porsche 904 GTS has seen significant international race success in its long life, it was bought new by race outfit Scuderia Filipinetti in 1964 and out straight to work on race tracks around Europe including an impressive 2nd in class at the Nürburgring 1000km, a 2nd in class at Mont Ventoux and wins at the Rallye de la Baule, the Rally de Lorraine and the Rally de I’AGACI.
Boston Tee by Hank
This is the One Fund Boston Hometown Tee by Hank, it’s made in the USA from 100% ringspun cotton, then screen printed in Michigan.
Onboard With Mike Hawthorn – Le Mans 1956
This fantastic footage was shot onboard a Jaguar D-Type being driven by Mike Hawthorn in 1956. It’s an great look at the Le Mans circuit as it was in 1956, it’s strange to see cyclists and civilian motorists out on the road – in fact Mike nearly wipes a couple of them out during the filming of this segment.
Frightened Rabbit – Live on KEXP
Frightened Rabbit is an alt-rock band from Selkirk in Scotland, they formed in 2003 but it wasn’t until their release of the album “The Midnight Organ Fight” that they were really discovered internationally.
Nano 7 Hammock by Grand Trunk
The Nano 7 Hammock by Grand Trunk is a fantastic, 7 ounce piece of kit that rolls up into a little bag that’ll fit in the palm of your hand.