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 -
The Art Of Fixing Things
The Art Of Fixing Things is the kind of book we all need sitting on our bookshelves, it covers everything from repairing cars, household appliances, garden machines, farm equipment and doing home improvements and it’s described as “a resource for smart people who have never had the opportunity to learn the basics of tool use, maintenance and repairs”.
BMW R100RS Scrambler “Sarge”
This 1980 BMW R100RS Scrambler nicknamed “Sarge” was built by the talented BMW motorcycle custom house Kevil’s Speed Shop. Kevil’s is run by a friendly Brit named Kevin Hill, he founded the shop and has been an avid lover of motorcycles since his father took him to the Bristol Motorcycle Show in the late-70s.
The Landslide Boot by Delicious Junction
Brogue-styled boots are one of those things that aren’t for everyone, I happen to like them though and this pair from Delicious Junction are amongst the best we’ve seen recently.
The 12.8 Litre Argyll Sleeve Valve Aero Engine
The 12.8 Litre Argyll sleeve-valve aero engine was first prototyped in 1914, this is the first image of the engine on the test-stand before it was sent to London for the Olympia Show held from mid-to-late March of the same year.
1936 Lagonda LG45 4½-Litre
This 1936 Lagonda LG45 4½-Litre is a magnificent motor car, its chassis/engine number was only the second model produced in 1936 and as such the car was used as a factory demonstrator/runabout until it was sold on just before the outbreak of WWII.
Vintage Drag
I’m fairly sure that the image above captures the exact moment that the driver’s foot came off the gas pedal. It looks to me like they’re bicycle tires on the front end but I’m convinced that they can’t be. No one is that crazy.
Krugger Overmile
Fred Krugger is a talented man. We’ve featured his work before with the incredible Krugger Goodwood (seriously, click that link if you haven’t seen it, it’s excellent), Fred’s designs are so iconic you can usually tell a Krugger motorcycle at 30 paces, long before you can read the name on the fuel tank.
The Maven – A Women’s Motorcycle Jacket
This is the Maven, it’s the first women’s motorcycle jacket by the team over at Roland Sands Design and it looks so good I kind of wish they made a men’s version.
Von Braun’s First Lunar Lander
Wernher Von Braun’s first lunar lander design had room for 25 astronauts, the extraordinary behemoth weighed in at 8,739,000 lbs, was 160 ft tall, 108 ft in diameter and could (theoretically) produce 390,043 ft-lbs of power.
Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins
Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins is a legend in the US drag racing scene, he did all his own engineering and liked to drive with a lit cigar in his mouth.
BSA Afternoon
This image comes courtesy of the Museum of Victoria and it shows a couple taking an afternoon ride on their BSA with their Jack Russell.
Custom Kawasaki Zephyr 750
This Custom Kawasaki Zephyr 750 is, sadly, not real. It’s the work of talented art director and designer Joao Alves of somosEstudio, and I have to say, I like it a lot.