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 -
Airborne Evel
This classic shot of Evel Knievel makes me white knuckle my desk slightly, it’s interesting that he doesn’t appear to be looking at the landing ramp, but rather is looking further down-range.
The Roach by Icon 1000
When the Portland based team at Icon set to work on a new motorcycle the results are always fascinating, unusual and sure to upset purists everywhere. Which I think is commendable.
Blaq Landscape Wallet by Jaqet
The Blaq Landscape Wallet is handmade by the team at Jaqet, a California based leather-working company well-known for their 4/5oz leather wallets.
Cafe Tracker by Vintage Racers
This beautiful Triumph cafe racer/dirt tracker is the most recent creation from Vintage Racers, a Paris based motorcycle club, blog and garage. The first impression the bike gives you is that it’s ready to cross the Maginot Line…
Craftsman Figure Eight Wrench
The Craftsman Figure Eight Wrench is one of those all-in-one solutions that actually works, making it perfect for a saddle-bag or glove compartment tool kit that needs to be minimalist and light-weight, but also provide as much functionality as possible.
Bullet-Proof Vest Testing
Many years ago, before the advent of “manscaping” and the resulting loss of a generation of men to the affliction of metrosexualism there existed real men.
Rick Rojatt – The Human Fly
If ever there was a story that needed to be made into a feature film, it’s the story of Rick Rojatt, The Human Fly.
Boker Plus Tactical Pen Cal .45
The somewhat unusual looking Boker Plus Tactical Pen Cal .45 is what happens when you set a team of German knife designers loose with the task of creating as pen that can be used as a self-defence weapon.
Factory 5 GTM
The Factory 5 GTM Supercar is the American answer to the highly-acclaimed, British made Ultima GTR. Both are kit built supercars with a mid-mounted engine, space-frame chassis, fibreglass body shell and a top speed that’ll make your eyes water.
Imogene + Willie – Leather Head Football
This handmade Imogene + Willie leather head football is the sort of ball that’s perfect for casually tossing around in the yard whilst drinking a beer, it also makes a nice mantlepiece feature when it’s not breaking windows and going over the fence.
Harriet Quimby
The men flyers have given out the impression that aeroplaning is very perilous work, something that an ordinary mortal should not dream of attempting. But when I saw how easily the man flyers manipulated their machines I said I could fly.
California 1000 Air Race
The 1970 California 1000 Air Race was a remarkable spectacle, the race was listed as “unlimited” meaning you could fly anything you wanted and modify it in anyway you liked. In short, it was a proper air race.