Magnuson’s New Shelby GT500 Supercharger Is One Sneaky Upgrade
New Magnuson 3100 TVS Shelby GT500 supercharger flows 10% more than stock and looks just like the factory blower.
This year’s virtual SEMA360 show has been a bit different than the in-person spectacle we’re used to, to say the least. But it’s still provided us with an incredible number of cool builds and exciting new performance parts. In the latter category, perhaps the most intriguing we’ve come across is Magnuson’s new 2020 Shelby GT500 supercharger upgrade, which looks exactly like the stock blower, yet adds what promises to be considerable power to Ford’s 5.2-liter Predator V8.
Magnuson teamed up with VMP Performance to develop the new Shelby GT500 supercharger, which is specifically designed to retain the factory appearance. The 3100 TVS blower is an all-new design, based on the Eaton R2650 TVS Ford installs on the GT500 at the factory, yet it’s 15% larger. Eaton says that its upgraded supercharger provides at least 10% more airflow than the stock unit, which should result in significant power gains.
Despite its slightly larger size, Magnuson’s new 3100 Shelby GT500 supercharger fits neatly under the car’s strut tower brace. And in our opinion, that makes it pretty desirable. There will undoubtedly be other options out there in the aftermarket, but many of them won’t fit quite so nicely. That makes this blower rather appealing to us, but that’s only part of the story.
The most appealing thing about this new blower is the fact that it looks exactly like the factory unit. For those of us that want to keep our Shelbys looking original, that’s a big plus. Even better, nobody at the track is going to blink an eye when you pop the hood. As far as they know, you’re running a stock GT500, and that’s a huge advantage in the mental game that is drag racing.
The Magnuson 3100 TVS GT500 supercharger launches in early 2021, but pricing has not yet been announced. We imagine it won’t be cheap, but good things rarely are. Regardless, if you’re serious about upgrading your GT500 while retaining a stock look, whether that be for aesthetics or other nefarious reasons, this looks like the aftermarket blower upgrade to have.
Photos: Magnuson Superchargers