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 -
Renard GT
I count filmmaking amongst my unmanageably long list of interests, this short film by Kaimar Kukk about the Renard GT is a great example of what a talented film maker can achieve in 2 minutes.
Autodromo Vallelunga
This watch by Autodromo is named after the circuit and has a clear automotive design influence with the front dial resembling an RPM gauge, the overall minimalism in the design appeals to me as does the price, $425 is a lot less than I excepted this to retail for when I first saw it.
Cooper Wool Cap by Esemplare
The humble woolen cap is one of those things a man should never leave at home between November and March, this great example by Esemplare looks like ti’d be suitable for an Arctic expedition.
Hans Herrmann, the Porsche 550 Spyder and the Railway Crossing
The Porsche 550 Spyder is so low that during the 1954 Mille Miglia, former Formula 1 driver Hans Herrmann drove it at high speed under closed railroad crossing gates a few seconds before a passenger train flew by.
Le Side-Car
It seems a shame that side cars have fallen from grace in the modern age, this French example built by Simard is a work of art. Hell even the advertising is a work of art.
Honda CB350 by Ellaspede
I love nothing more than coming across a bike that makes me stop and re-evaluate my own notions of what a specific style of bike should look like. This Honda CB350 built by the guys at Ellaspede is a genuinely innovative, modern interpretation of the café racer genre, and we really like it.
Too Fast To Race – Group B Rally Documentary
Group B Rally was introduced by the FIA in 1982 and quickly resulted in cars that blew the lid off anything that had ever raced on gravel in the past. The cars were the most technologically advanced vehicles the world had ever seen, they were lightweight, exceedingly powerful and staggeringly unsafe machines that performed, essentially, like a rally version of a Formula 1 car.
Vintage BMW Advertisement
If you want to be happy for a day, drink.
If you want to be happy for a year, marry.
If you want to be happy for a lifetime, ride a BMW.
Seeley Norton
This stunning Seeley Norton was built by Kenny Cummings and Dan Rose for the latest season of Cafe Racer TV. Amazingly the total weight of the bike is just 136 kgs (300lbs), that beautiful Norton Combat engine is race tuned and turns out 70+hp making this a highly capable track day bike.
Speedy London Tee
This retro Speedy Bike Club Tee is 100% made in the USA and cut from super-soft cotton, the price is a wallet friendly $24 and they have a whole selection of different cities to choose from.
Classic Wool Naval Pea Coat by Schott
The Pea Coat is a staple item for any self-respecting man’s wardrobe. The timeless appeal hasn’t waned in over a hundred years and there’s still nothing quite like the feeling of buttoning up a double breasted jacket before heading out into inclement weather.
Wrecked Metals
Wrecked Metals is a hot rod and chopper shop based in Boise Idaho run by Matt Whitlock, I like them because they aren’t super-blingy like many other garages with a similar MO.