In response to the 1957 NASCAR regulations which allowed both fuel injection and supercharging, Ford Division General Manager Robert S. McNamara initiated an engine development program that included supercharged Ford Customs.
McNamara said “the installation on the 312 CI 4V carburetor engine of a new design McColluch supercharger for use on the Ford car and Thunderbird which would provide operational characteristics equal to or better than any fuel injection system at present day development.
The supercharger option would carry a rating of 300 horsepower.” Presented by McNamara as the Ford Motor Company Supercharger Program, it mandated the production of sixty-five Ford Custom Two-Door Sedans, twenty Ford Convertibles and fifteen Thunderbirds.
