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 -
Tracker by Deus Ex Machina
Deus are most famous for their motorcycle and clothing lines but what a lot of people don’t know is that they build some of the coolest retro surfboards available south of the equator.
WWII Ford GPW Jeep
The classic World War II Jeep is a car that I’ve always wanted, perhaps not as a daily driver but certainly as a weekend warrior. Having an original WWII vintage, non-modified version with the military paint-markings still in place like the jeep here would be a major bonus and the temptation to smoke a cigar and shout at people whilst driving around in it would be almost too much to resist.
Elsinore Boot by Icon 1000
The Elsinore Boot by Icon is part of their all new Icon 1000 range, the collection is made up of no-nonsense helmets, boots, clothing, gloves and other gear, largely designed to survive and thrive in a post apocalyptic, overrun-with-zombies future-scape from hell. Meaning they’ll be able to handle your regular commute without blinking an eye.
Roland Sands Design – 74 Tee
With the fast approach of summer our attention slowly shifts to sunny days at the beach and long drives down coast roads. This retro tee from Roland Sands Design captures the spirit of a summer well spent
Odd Job SR542 by Deus Ex Machina
Deus chose the 007 moniker for this, their bored out 542cc SR400, and it isn’t hard to see why. This is a very menacing, very big bellied Japanese chap.
Vintage Flight Vest by GRP
I love finding little boutique clothing manufactures that still produce garments the same way they did when Blower Bentleys roared around Brooklands. GRP is a little Italian knitwear maker based in Carmignano, this is their Vintage Flight Vest and I like it a great deal.
1977 DeTomaso Pantera Racer
I am a huge, huge fan of the DeTomaso Pantera. The look and performance of the cars have always been slightly ridiclulous but I don’t care in the slightest, I still think they’re some of the most testosterone fuelled monsters to ever turn a wheel.
F86D Dog Sabre R/C
Building huge remotely controlled planes in your garage is perhaps the poster child of ridiculous hobbies, but as with most insane pastimes, it’s very popular and incredibly fun.
Clark Gable and his Dusenberg
Clark Gable and his Dusenberg reminding us all that we’re just not as cool as we might think.
Norton Commando 961SE
The Norton Commando is easily one of the most famous motorcycles ever made, even people who know nothing about bikes will know the name and will probably mention the words “British”, “Café Racer”, “Vintage” and “Fast” in conjunction with the marque.
Shwood Ashland in Zebrawood
Shwood is a Portland, Oregon based company that hand makes these remarkable sunglasses from sustainably harvested African hardwoods. This pair, called the ‘Ashland in Zebrawood’, has high grade Carl Zeiss lenses with 100% UV protection, stainless steel hinges and a multi-ply wooden frame.
Motorcycle vs Ice Boat Race
Sounding for all the world like something the 3 hosts of Top Gear might dream up for an episode in Lapland this photograph from 1908 shows an iceboat racing a motorcycle across a frozen lake in Canada.