Articles that Ben Branch 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 -
Japan’s War in Colour
“Japan’s War in Colour” is a fascinating look at World War II from the Japanese perspective, the film picks up just before the war begins and shows the build up to war, the invasion of China, followed by Pearl Harbour and the escalation of violence between Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the USA.
Classic Car Bottle Openers
These muscle car bottle openers are amongst the best beer-opening solutions we’ve come across, the company behind them is called “Racetrack Style” and they do a series of racetrack keyrings, car keyrings and muscle car bottle openers.
Canvas & Leather Tool Roll by Niyona
The humble tool-roll, often used buy artisans and engineers in days gone by have been making a resurgence of late. They’ve been rediscovered by amateur mechanics and custom bike builders, as well as owners of the kind of vintage motorcycles that require wrenching every few hundred miles (usually by the side of the road, in the rain, at night).
Submariner Sunglasses by Randolph Engineering
Submariner-style frames were first created for the US Navy, they were used as prescription frames for personnel aboard submarines and are still being worn by crews on submarines today.
Bullet 500 “Fox” by Old Empire Motorcycles
Old Empire Motorcycles is a British custom motorcycle garage that have been rapidly developing a reputation as one of the pre-eminent European builders.
Pursuit Glove by Icon
Summertime can tend to make it tough to dress properly when on your motorcycle, protective gear is often hot and bulky which leaves you sweating like an American whistleblower in a Russian airport terminal.
John Lennon’s First Car – 1965 Ferrari 330GT
This beautifully preserved 1965 Ferrari 330GT was the car selected by John Lennon in February 1965, luxury car dealerships across London heard that Lennon had just passed his driving exam, so they rushed their most glamorous cars to his home in Weybridge, Surrey – in the hopes that he’d take a fancy to one of them.
Bear Super Kodiak Bow
The Bear Super Kodiak Bow was first released in 1967 as an upgraded replacement for the Bear Kodiak line of bows – Fred Bear was so impressed with the new design that he took one for himself and used it on hunting trips around the world until he retired.
Walt Siegl’s Leggero
Walt Siegl is a highly influential motorcycle builder based in New Hampshire – he’s been based in the Granite State since 2007 and he’s been directly responsible for some of the most technologically advanced custom motorcycles anywhere in the USA, or anywhere else for that matter.
Ron Jon 7′ Quad Fish Surfboard
The Ron Jon 7′ Quad Fish is one of those surfboard designs that’ll suit both a new surfer and the guy who used to surf but had to give it up due to things like fatherhood, career advancement or that first wife who just wouldn’t stop nagging.
Yamaha XS360
This Yamaha XS360 is one of those bikes that was brought back from the dead – when it was found by Shamus Mathers it was in such poor condition that even the individual nuts and bolts had to be replaced.
Burroughs Beard Oil
Beard Oil is a form of moisturising oil-based cologne that can be worn by both bearded and non-bearded men alike. The scent of this particular beard oil is described as “The smell of freshly chopped forest woods move into a dusty carpenter’s workshop, leaving behind the deep leathered richness of a cobbler’s apron” – Which sounds to me like a fancy way of saying “manly”.