This is a WWII era photograph of trainee aircraft mechanics being trained in the finer details of Merlin engine maintenance. The cradle that the engine is sitting in looks to be mobile, allowing the engine to be tilted to more clearly show the inner workings, each of these Rolls-Royce engines were capable of producing 2,600hp from their 27-litre (1,650 cubic inch) capacity.
I’ve often wished that a company would spring up offering kits for people to build Merlin engines at home, they wouldn’t be cheap or even remotely sensible, but I still want one. It’d be the perfect engine for that Baby Bootlegger project I keep telling myself I’ll build one day.
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.
This print by Automobilist showcases one of the most iconic Le Mans winners of all time – an Ecurie Ecosse Jaguar D-Type. This particular car was the winner of the 1957 race, with Ron Flockhart and Ivor Bueb taking turns at the helm. This poster print measures in at 50 x 70 cm (19.7 x…
Background: An Inventive Family Marshall and Milton Reeves were American brothers whose inventions made their mark on agriculture, commercial vehicles, and industry. They were Christians known for their humility and when their company became large and successful, they could be found with their sleeves rolled up working on the factory floor alongside their employees. Both…
The Ford GTB-G622 “Burma Jeep” was developed during World War 2 for carrying up to 1.5 tons of cargo over difficult or unusual terrain. It’s best remembered for its work on the legendary Burma Road, a 717 mile stretch of mostly dirt tracks that extended from Burma (now Myanmar) up into southern China through some…
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…
This series of 12 automobile mascots from the upcoming Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais are from the golden age of motoring, when exposed radiators led to an entire industry popping up to provide unique, aspirational, and often comedic mascots to attach to the top of radiator caps. Most mascots of this era were…
The book MotoGP™ Technology by Neil Spalding is officially licensed by MotoGP™, and it’s widely recognized as an essential book to get your hands on if you want an in-depth working knowledge of modern motorcycle engineering. Neil started racing motorcycles in 1980 and enjoyed a long club career – winning two championships in his competitive…
