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.
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Iain Sinclair Cardsharp 2 Credit Card Knife
This credit card sized folding knife by Iain Sinclair is one of the cleverest bits of gear we’ve come across in recent memory.
Crookes Radiometer
The Crookes Radiometer is one of those historical curiosities that even today has scientists hotly debating back and forth about how it actually works.
ARCHIMEDE Pilot Chronograph
The ARCHIMEDE Pilot Chronograph is a modern take on the classic pilot’s chronograph, it’s powered by a Swiss automatic movement (Eta 7750 Elaboré) and the 3 piece stainless steel case is rated to a depth of 50 metres. From a design perspective, the watch has that timeless look about it and will remain entirely unaffected by fads in watchmaking over the coming decades.
Norton Model 50 by Heiwa
The Norton Model 50 was originally put into production in 1933, the bike was designed by Edgar Franks – the talented if not a little…
Double Bit Cruiser Axe by Base Camp X
This is the Double Bit Cruiser Axe by Base Camp X, it’s exactly the sort of thing I’d like to have hanging over the fireplace in my log cabin in Montana. Once I get around to owning a log cabin in Montana.
Montague Paratrooper Mountain Bike
The Montague Paratrooper is a mountain bike developed as a joint venture between the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the US Marine Corps and Montague. The mountain bike itself is exceedingly tough and can handle loads of up to 500lbs (one marine plus weapons, gear and supplies), the frame is made of double butted 7005 series aluminium and all of the parts on the bike are serviceable by your local bike shop.
Persol ‘Steve McQueen’ Sunglasses
Persol sunglasses have been seeing a resurgence of late, the Italian eyewear maker was favoured by Steve McQueen and numerous other Hollywood A-listers during the ’60s and ’70s, in fact McQueen owned a pair of 714s just like the ones you see here.
1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible
When it comes to classic cars, the Pontiac GTO is an A-lister, the car’s iconic look is probably second only to the Mustang as the most recognisable muscle car ever made (now that was a sentence that’ll get me some all-caps hate mail).
Bell & Howell TDC Stereo Vivid Camera
This Bell & Howell TDC Stereo Vivid Camera is a fascinating piece of 1950s era photography trivia, long before the recent spate of “3D” cameras stereo-vision equipment like this was being used by enthusiasts in many countries across the western world.
Harley-Davidson Nightster Cafe Racer by CRD
he Harley-Davidson Nightster has been a runaway success for Harley-Davidson since it was released in 2007, the bike offered people a custom look for under $9,000 USD and it was fitted with Harley’s famous 1200cc Sportster v-twin engine.
Love The Beast
Love The Beast is a documentary film directed by Australian actor Eric Bana, it’s the story of his first car, a Ford Falcon XB Coupe. Bana managed to convince his parents to let him buy an XB when he was 15, he spent the next few years with his mates in the garage working on the car, turning it into the vehicle he’d wanted ever since seeing the XB coupes take a 1-2 win at Bathurst.
Ferrari F40
The Ferrari F40 is considered by many to be one of the single best supercars in history, built to commemorate Ferrari’s 40th anniversary, the car was an instant icon when it was released in 1987, it was also the fastest, the most powerful, and the most expensive road car that Ferrari had ever made.