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 -
Abernathy Kids on their Indian
In 1913 a pair of young boys bought an Indian motorcycle and set out on a road trip from Oklahoma to New York City, they were aged just 13 and 9 so exactly how they could afford the motorcycle is unclear but I think we can all agree that they had very laid back parents.
The Dynasphere
The Dynasphere was a unique attempt at rethinking the still relatively new concept of personal, motorised transport. And it was insane.
Lancia Abarth #037
The Lancia #037, often referred to as the Lancia Abarth #037, was quite possibly the single most insane 2 wheel drive rally car ever made.
Dresda Triton Otto Valvole
Classic Farm Motorcycles is a brilliant little Italian garage with a habit of turning out some of the best classic British iron you’ll find anywhere. The man behind the wrenches is a chap called Fabrizio Di Bella, though is nickname is the rather English sounding “McDeeb”, he builds everything from cafe racers, to off roaders and everything in between.
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.