The SR-71 Blackbird is a testament to what some men can achieve with a slide rule and a piece of chalk. The Mach 3 long-range reconnaissance aircraft was developed long before CAD software and supercomputers, hell, even the game Pong would have been futuristic back in 1964 when the plane was built by Lockheed Martin’s infamous “Skunkworks” division.
Over 85% of the Blackbird was made from titanium and the top speed was such that when a surface to air missile launch was detected, the SR-71 would simply accelerate and outrun the missile using pure speed. There isn’t a red blooded male alive who doesn’t think that that is the coolest thing they’ve ever heard.
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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.
This is a sheet of original blueprints for the Alfa Romeo Giulia Tubolare Zagato (TZ-2), the car was designed by Ercole Spada at Zagato, and it’s remembered today as one of the most beautiful Alfa Romeos of its time. The styling of the Giulia Tubolare Zagato was pure ’60s Italian sports car, perhaps the most…
Evel’s Exploits is one of the most popular tees sold by the team over at We Went Fast, it’s officially licensed from the managers of the Evel Knievel estate, and it includes the dates and places of Evel Knievel’s highlight reel of famous jumps. The Caesar’s Palace jump very nearly killed Evel, he crashed hard…
This Road Runner was the 1971 NASCAR Grand National championship winning car driven by “The King” Richard Petty, interestingly it was also the last stock car to win a NASCAR Grand National championship using a production-based body and engine. Historically this car is one of the most important American racing cars of its era, not…
This Continental Mark II is a tastefully built custom, incorporating a 642 hp Robert Pond Motorsports aluminum 482 cu. in. V8, fully independent suspension on all four corners, four wheel Wilwood disc brakes, and rack and pinion steering. The car is the work of brothers Calvin and Leon Moore from Nashville, the two men had…
Once Upon A Wheel is Paul Newman’s iconic 1971 racing documentary, it’s a fascinating window into the period and it includes appearances by the likes of James Garner, Kirk Douglas, Mario Andretti, Stirling Moss, John Surtees, Richard Petty, Jackie Stewart, Hugh Downs, Dick Smothers, Dean Martin, Denny Hulme, Cesar Romero, Al Unser, Jackie Oliver, Pedro Rodriguez,…
The Jeep Commando was directly based on the outgoing Jeepster Commando, however it featured a series of modifications designed to allow it to accommodate the AMC 232 and 258 six-cylinder engines and the 304 V8 engine. The Jeep Commando – C104 American Motors Corporation (AMC) bought Kaiser in 1970, they immediately set about ensuring the…
