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The Paxton name has been synonymous with automotive performance for nearly five decades. The company produced the original production centrifugal supercharger and has made its mark in every decade as a leader in high performance applications. Paxton Automotive continues to build on that legacy with the highest quality supercharger systems available on the market today. The legend of the Paxton superchargers dates back to the inventor Robert Paxton McCulloch. The original McCulloch supercharger began production in 1937 for flat head Ford engines. Over 5,000 units were sold in the late 30s. The early 1940’s shifted production to wartime endeavors and supercharger production was discontinued. The idea for new supercharger capable of quiet operation, low-end boost and self contained lubrication emerged in the late 1940s. In 1953, McCulloch released an all new supercharger to the public.
In 1956, McCulloch set up a special automotive division, Paxton Superchargers (his middle name), to handle the supercharger division. The same year the company changed the name of the ball drive supercharger to the VS-57 and developed a new variable rate supercharger called the VR-57. The new supercharger incorporated a variable rate internal planetary drive ratio that could alter the step up ratio from 3.5:1 to 5.5:1. The variable rate was achieved by a spring pack that would change the distance between the ball races based on RPM. The supercharger experienced a one-year victory in NASCAR causing officials to ban superchargers in the sport. The supercharger was most notably used as the F-option on the 1957 Ford Thunderbird (211 produced). In 1958, Paxton Superchargers was sold to the Granatelli brothers. The design of the dated VS-57 was updated to a new model that could withstand higher RPM and increased boost. The SN-60 required fewer components and eliminated the variable rate components found in the VS-57 and VR-57. In 1965, Carroll Shelby
By 1986, EFI became the standard on virtually all new vehicles including the Ford Mustang. A centrifugal supercharger became significantly more popular than traditional roots blowers. Several centrifugal supercharger companies started emerging as consumers were screaming for more boost and more power. Paxton Superchargers responded with three revisions to the SN-60: the SN 89, the SN 92 and the SN 93. In 1993, Paxton Superchargers began designs on its new gear driven supercharger. The NOVI-2000 supercharger was officially released as Paxton’s "race" supercharger in 1995. The supercharger featured helical cut gears for quiet operation, a 3.54:1 internal step up ratio and an advanced scroll and impeller design capable of supporting nearly 1,000 hp. In January 1998, a group of private investors purchased Paxton Superchargers. The last three years of operation have focused predominately on new supercharger system development using the NOVI supercharger. Paxton has developed several new superchargers based on the NOVI gear case, including the NOVI-1000, the NOVI-2000 R, the NOVI-2000 RR, the NOVI-1000 RR and the NOVI-3000. Additionally, Paxton Automotive has developed nearly 25 new supercharger systems based on the NOVI platform.
In July 2000, Paxton Automotive moved into its new 20,000 square foot facility in Oxnard California. Included in the new building is Paxton’s performance center. The twenty bay area is used to install supercharger systems, suspension components, brakes, exhaust, body components and electronics. Customers will have the benefit of a factory installation and dyno charts of their vehicle before and after performance upgrades. Complete performance packages are available for the Ford Mustang GT, the Mustang Cobra, the Ford Expedition, the Ford F-150, the Ford V-10 Superduty, the V-10 Ford Excursion, the Lincoln Navigator and the Plymouth Prowler.
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