The General Motors Aerotrain was an experimental direction taken by GM in the mid-1950’s, it was designed by legendary car-man Chuck Jordan, the classic 50’s American car influence is clearly apparent in its conceptualisation from tip to tail.
The engine was attached to a series of GM built 40-seat intercity bus coach bodies that had been modified to run on an air-suspension system, the ride quality was infamous for being a little on the rough side and sadly the Aerotrain remained a sole unit, destined to be a curiosity in GM’s long and varied history.
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Ben Branch has had his work featured on CNN, Popular Mechanics, the official Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, 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 millions of readers around the world and hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
As Harley-Davidson entered the sixties so did the dominance of the bikes of the Rising Sun. Bob Dylan sang “The times they are a changin’…” but one of the changes he misses in his iconic song was the progressive decline in “Wrench Competency” amongst motorcycle owners and indeed amongst young people generally. Realizing that much…
When you see the Watkins M001 for the first time you spend a good 5 minutes staring, trying to wrap your mind around it. It’s equal parts complex, unusual, and unfamiliar, almost as if a motorcycle from the Blade Runner universe was modified in the Marvel universe, before somehow exiting a wormhole and landing on…
The 1954 Plymouth Belmont was designed as a possible production car, though sadly it never received the green light for a production run. Plymouth Vice President of Design Virgil Exner couldn’t bare to see it scrapped as often happened with these “dream cars”, so he negotiated a special arrangement with the company to let him keep…
The De Tomaso Pantera GT5 was, in some respects, the blue-collar version of the Lamborghini Countach. Both cars featured a sweeping wedge-shaped profile, big wings, flared wheel aches, roaring engines and more horsepower than half a dozen family sedans. When new, the Countach cost over $100,000 (in 1980s money) and required a king’s ransom in…
The iconic Fisher Bullet Space Pen, named for its sleek bullet-shaped rounded ends, has long been celebrated as an icon of mid-century modern design, and you’ll find examples in the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection as a symbol of American industrial design. The Myth Of The Million Dollar NASA Pen vs Soviet Space Pencils The Space Pen…
The Dobbertin HydroCar is an amphibious vehicle that took 10 years to develop with over $1 million USD invested in research, development, and construction. The HydroCar can be driven on land for extended periods thanks to its articulated sponsons (side pontoons) that can be raised or lowered. In the raised position the four wheels are…
