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 -
Garmin Rino 655t GPS/2-Way Radio
The Garmin Rino 655t is a GPS/2-Way Radio/Camera unit that’s waterproof, drop-proof, mud-proof and child-proof. Although I’m a little doubtful about that last one.
Horex VR6
Historically, Horex was a German assembler of motorcycles founded in 1923 as an offshoot of the Rex glassworks company in Bad Homburg (hence the name, Ho Rex). The company began by building machines around outsourced four-stroke singles supplied by German manufacturer Columbus, eventually merging with Columbus in 1925 to bring engine production in-house.
The Wedge Tent from Heimplanet
The Wedge Tent is a rapidly deployable 2-person tent created by Heimplanet for people who hate screwing around with wires, tent poles and pegs. The tent has an inflatable frame that can absorb significant wind pressure, it can also be inflated/deflated in 120 seconds (or less if you’re good with a foot pump) and it comes as a single, roll-out unit that doesn’t require assembly.
Ford Indy Speedster V8
The Ford Indy Speedster V8 was built by Bill Lindig and the team at SO-CAL, it’s a testament to classic, race-ready hot rod building and we like it a great deal. The chassis was first conceived by Jackie Howerton, an accomplished second-generation race car driver and lover of all things race car related.
Brick Full Grain NYC NATO Watch Strap
Worn & Wound is a NYC based watch strap and accessories maker specialising in classic leather straps that’ll suit almost any watch you throw at them. This strap is called the NYC NATO Brick Full Grain, it’s made from full grain leather and can be ordered in either 20mm or 22mm sizes.
1956 Riva Ariston Cadillac
This is the last surviving Riva Ariston Cadillac, only 19 Cadillac-powered Riva Aristons were ever made and this one has been a resident of its native Italy since it was sold there 57 years ago.
Red Cross Safety Hub by Eton
The Red Cross Safety Hub by Eton has a handcrank on the side that allows you to charge it manually, you can also plug your Apple/Android phone or tablet into it and charge them directly from the crank.
BMW R80 ST
The BMW R80 ST is a fascinating little piece of motorcycling history, it was the street-going version of the iconic dual-sport BMW R80 GS – the first in the long line of world famous BMW GS dual sport bikes of which over 500,000 have been made.
Douglass Automatic Pocket Lighter
This art deco era Douglass Automatic Pocket Lighter is a beautiful throwback to a time when cigarettes were good for you, hydrogen airships were thought of as a good idea and Charlie Chaplin was the only celebrity with a toothbrush moustache.
Ford Capri RS2600 Group 2 Competition Coupe
The 1972 Ford Capri RS2600 Group 2 Competition Coupe was the car that cemented the reputation of the Ford Capri as the ‘European Mustang’, the ’72 RS2600 won the European Touring Car Championship at the hands of Jochen Mass – the ’71 RS2600 had also won the ETCC in the hands of Germany’s Dieter Glemser. These back-to-back wins gave the Capri some much needed racing DNA and led to the car being offered for sale in South Africa, Australia and the USA.
iPhone Stand by Baughb Labs
This laser-cut stainless steel iPhone stand by Baughb Labs has been designed to hold the phone in both landscape and portrait mode, it also angles the base of the phone to bounce sound off the desk which noticeably increases the volume.
1989 West German 500cc Motorcycle Grand Prix
The West German 500cc Motorcycle Grand Prix was to be the last race to be held in West Germany, a year later in 1990 the Berlin Wall had come down and the race was simply titled “The German Grand Prix”.