I never knew that people raced scooters at the Isle of Man. Until last week when I discovered this footage and became an immediately happier person. I like scooters. I know that this makes me less of a man in the eyes of hard-core motorcycle dudes but I don’t care. There’s a lot to be said for a 50cc smoke-spewing two-stroke, with tires the size of doughnuts and a headlight that gets brighter or dimmer based on how much throttle you pull.
The video was shot on an 8mm Super-8 camera and is 41 years old so it’s a little shaky in parts and a little dark in others, stick with it though, it’s an fantastic glimpse back to a simpler, cooler time.
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.
Death Machines Of London is possibly the single greatest name for a London-based custom motorcycle garage that will ever exist, and fortunately they don’t just make bikes. This 330g/m² brushed fabric sweater (or jumper depending on which side of the Atlantic you call home) is made from a blend of 80% cotton and 20% polyester. It has raglan…
The Maserati Eldorado The Maserati Eldorado is one of the most consequential racing cars of its time, despite the fact it never won a race, lead a championship, or landed a podium. There’s little doubt the car had the ability to achieve all three of these things given time and development work, after all Maserati…
The Scott Flying Squirrel is almost certainly the most famous motorcycle made by the revered British marque, though it’s hard to tell if its fame comes from its brilliant name, or from its remarkably advanced engineering (for the time). The motorcycle you see here is a Flying Squirrel racing prototype of sorts, it was one…
Although the cars built by Allard aren’t particularly famous outside of classic car circles, the influence they had on the future of sports car design, particularly the Chevrolet Corvette, Shelby Cobra, and Sunbeam Tiger, are undeniable. The Allard J2 and J2X were the most successful competition cars built by the humble London-based factory, from 313…
The Finke Desert Race is the toughest race in Australia and one of the toughest in the world. It’s an event that’s been held annually since 1976 – when a group of dirt bike riding friends held an impromptu “there and back” challenge from Alice Springs to the Finke River and back. They raced on the service…
The Original Ferrari 312T2 In 1976 Niki Lauda drove the Ferrari 312T2 Formula 1 car to a Constructor’s Championship alongside teammate Clay Regazzoni, Lauda missed out on winning the Driver’s Championship by a single point as a result of his horrific crash at the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. After very nearly dying in the…
