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.
Click that image above for the high-resolution version.
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 the Lillevilla Allwood Cabin Kit for the Getaway, a kit-built cabin with a cost of $18,800 USD and an estimated assembly time of 6 hours for two people with basic tools. The cabin is designed to be as versatile as possible, it has a wide upstairs a loft for sleeping with a window…
The Danner North Fork Rambler Boot was developed in the style of classic hunting and outdoor work boots, but with the benefit of modern materials ensuring that they’re more comfortable than their forebears, and longer lasting. Danner has been building boots since 1932, the company was founded during the early days of the Great Depression and…
This Cushman combination is likely one of a kind – the car originally started life as part of a fairground carousel ride before possibly being repurposed as a Shriner car at some point. Shriners have entertained the public on Memorial Day parades for decades, they often wear a fez and drive miniature motorized cars in…
The Original 1960s Batmobile The original Batmobile from the 1966 TV series was famously built by George Barris with just 3 weeks notice. The contract to build the Batmobile had first been given to well-known car customizer Dean Jeffries, who began the project using a 1959 Cadillac as the starting point. The contract was pulled…
The Roland Sands Design Fresno Riding Shoe is a motorcycle boot designed for everyday use – both on and off your bike. While it’s not recommended to ride a motorcycle in regular shoes, the Fresno is no ordinary shoe. It was designed from a blank slate specifically for motorcyclists, with a reinforced heel cup, ankle…
The First Generation Chevrolet K5 Blazer first appeared in 1969 as a competitor to the already established International Harvester Scout and the Ford Bronco, despite its status as the new kid on the block, it was outselling both of its competitors within a year.
