We’ve decided to combine the top 11 features of 2011 onto a single page, partially because we have many readers now that we didn’t have at the start of the year, partially because 2011 has an 11 in it, but mostly, because we all love the film This Is Spinal Tap. So without further ado, here are the top 11 coolest features of 2011:
The CP Project One
Easily one of the most beautiful two-wheeled discoveries of 2011, the CP Project One was inspired by Batman’s motorcycle, the Tyrannosaurus Rex and Catwoman’s curves. The phenomenal build garnered huge international attention and made vintage motorcycle enthusiasts around the world sit up and take notice.
The Eagle E-Type Speedster
Almost anything E-Type related is going to look beautiful and this stunning speedster is no exception, hand built by Eagle E-Types in Great Britain, the Speedster has updated suspension, engine and transmission elements as well as an updated body and a new wiring loom. If Jaguar built this car right now, it’d sell more than it could build.
Smoothness by Arlen Ness
Smoothness is a motorcycle that represents a direction that I’d love to see the more traditional OCC style builders divert towards. The bike’s design is flawless and it just looks perfect, almost like a two-wheeled Bugatti.
Steve McQueen and the 450hp Dune Buggy
This is the Baja Boot, a 450hp, 4×4 dune buggy built by Vic Hickey – one of GM’s top automotive engineers in the late 1960s. It was driven by Steve McQueen and now exists as a testament to the capabilities of an auto engineer when you remove all the usual rules and just let them go crazy.
Sith Lord by Hajarbroxx Motorcycles
Hajarbroxx Motorcycles based in Bandung, Indonesia are producing some of the most unique customs out there and the Sith Lord is a great example of their work. It’s an incredibly cool looking bike and I love to see the looks on the faces of Indonesian villagers as it rumbles past.
The Forgotten 1962 Ford Mustang
The 1962 Mustang concept was a far different animal to the final 1964 production model, it represents a direction that Ford could have taken that would have potentially led to American muscle cars being developed in a totally different and far more European style.
Maddox Pulse Jet Bicycle Kits
Having a pulse jet strapped to a bicycle is an insane and highly appealing idea to me, if it’s the sort of lunacy that appeals to you too, check out Maddox’s work.
Before Formula 1 Cars Had Wings, They Used To Fly.
This series of photographs of flying Formula 1 cars is a great reminder of just how mental F1 used to be, back before aerodynamics were really understood or implemented effectively.
The Supercharged – Nitros Injected Koppa Kafe Racer
This is possibly the most insane café racer ever built, the Koppa Café is a supercharged, nitros injected behemoth of a motorcycle. It’s a hell of a feat of engineering and although I’d probably hurt myself, I’d love to take it for a spin.
The Beautiful Baby Bootlegger
The Baby Bootlegger is one of the most beautiful motorised vehicles ever devised by the mind of man. That’s a big claim, but this boat more than deserves the accolade. Hit the link below for the full feature, if you don’t think it’s one of the most beautiful things you’ve ever seen, make an appointment with your optometrist.
The Revatu Pea Shooter
This is one of those “last but not least deals”, the Revatu Pea Shooter is probably my own personal favourite bike of 2011. It’s just spectacular. If the guys at Revatu Customs did a production run on this bike, I’d be sorely tempted to buy one.
In Conclusion
You may agree or disagree with our choices for the top 11 of 2011, hopefully you can agree that 2011 was a hell of a year and 2012 is shaping up to be even better.
Thanks for joining us and we hope to see you on the flip side, after the debauchery of New Years Eve and subsequent hangover that would easily kill a flock of rhinos. Or whatever a group of rhinos is called. It probably isn’t flock now that I think about it.
See you in 2012!
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, 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 well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
