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 -
Marko Sunglasses by Tom Ford
These are the new Marko sunglasses by Tom Ford, they were worn by 007 in Skyfall, they’re made in Italy, each pair offers 100% UV/UVB protection and they come in your choice of 4 colours.
Drag Facing
I can’t get past the fantastic look on the face of this drag racer, it’s somewhere equidistant between horror and happiness.
Yamaha XS400 by Hold Fast Motors
The Yamaha XS400 is a hell of a motorcycle, it was first released in 1977 and it came pre-fitted with luxuries like adjustable rear shock absorbers, self-cancelling turn signals and an automatic petcock.
Leica III
Leica is widely considered to be one of the greatest camera manufacturers of all time, the fundamental design of the Leica is so famous that it became a pop-culture icon in its own lifetime.
Sonny
Sonny Barger is, not even arguably, the most famous outlaw biker of all time. He was the main character in Hunter S. Thompson’s book “Hell’s Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs”, he also wrote a series of books, he’s been in a number of feature films and more recently appeared in the television series “Sons of Anarchy” (which is based on Hamlet, interestingly).
Mercedes-Benz Ener-G-Force Concept
The world of 4x4s is considerably more staid when it comes to design than their smaller 2×4 road based counterparts. Boxy, solid designs tend to be favoured for serious, non-Soccer Mom off-road duties and when designers get all inspired and create something a little curvy, they can actually send the company out of business (a la Hummer).
The Hell With Work Hip Flask
The team at Izola have a special knack for making stuff that I’d commit an armed felony to own. This “The Hell With Work” hip flask is a great example of their gear, it’s made from stainless steel, has a flat bottom and a screw-on cap to keep that sweet, sweet nectar safe.
Angels From Hell
Angels From Hell is an entertaining film about a former motorcycle gang leader who returns home from the Vietnam War and sets about creating a new gang.
1969 BSA A65 Lightning
The BSA Lightning has always held a place in my heart, the bike just exudes timeless, vintage style. The 1969 model year BSA A65 Lightning was fitted with a fantastic 654cc OHV parallel twin capable of producing 53hp and a total weight of 179kgs.
Retro Suitcase Stereo by Curious Provisions
These incredible suitcase stereos are each made by hand from an authentic vintage suitcase, this case is called “The Lady Bug” and it has 4 individual speakers, a 40W amplifier with volume, bass & treble control, a built in lithium battery good for 8+ hours of music and a jack that connects to any iPhone/iPad/MP3 player.
303 Ground Crew
This undated WWII photograph shows a team of men unboxing some .303 ammunition, almost certainly to load it into the wing-guns of the Hawker Hurricane or Spitfire in the background.
Moto Guzzi V7 Stone
The stock model Moto Guzzi V7 Stone is actually a rather good motorcycle, it weighs in at a fairly light 179kgs and that v-twin produces 50hp and 42.7 ft lbs of torque.