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 -
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.
1965 Amphicar Convertible
It’s a wonder to me that some enterprising automaker hasn’t created an affordable, amphibious roadster for public consumption. Sure we have a few boutique car companies that sell interesting but hugely expensive amphibians but there’s nothing out the for the common Joe.
Tentsile Tree Tents
The Tentsile hammock tents utilise a simple inverted tripod shape to remain steady with people sleeping in the “arms”, the centre section is a communal area and has a rope ladder that reaches down to the ground.
The Grounding of the Princess May
The Grounding of the Princess May is one of the most famous shipwreck photographs in the world, after she ran aground in 1910 the photographs spread around the globe with startling speed and the stories of heroism on board began to emerge from the survivors.
Bell & Ross PW1
This beautiful time piece is called the Bell & Ross PW1 and it’s one of their newer creations, it’s a pocket watch in every sense of the word and may very well be the purist distillation of minimalist watch design I’ve ever seen.
The Old School Icon Alliance Project
Last month we began talking to Icon Motosports and Old School Helmets about a unique new project, we wanted to take steps to solve a dilemma facing safety conscious, vintage motorcycle enthusiasts. Specifically, the fact that it’s currently impossible to buy a retro full face helmet that passes any international helmet certification standard.
XS 650 Street Tracker
I’ll be sending pictures of this brilliant, minimalist Yamaha XS 650 Street Tracker over to Rex at Garage Project Motorcycles, he’s been advising me…
North by Northwest
North by Northwest is one of my favourite films of all time. It has it all, Cary Grant, a pretty woman, baddies, trains, planes, cars and intrigue.
Wunderlich BMW S1000 RR “MadMax”
The Wunderlich S1000 RR “MadMax” is a totally reworked and apocalypse-ified BMW S1000 RR designed by Nicholas Petit and built by world renowned BMW experts, Wunderlich. The build was commissioned by tire manufacturer Continental to show off their new meaty off road tire, the Continental TKC 80.