Ford's updated Super Duty pickups gained a gasoline-burning, naturally-aspirated 7.3-liter V8 for the 2020 model year. The supercharger experts at Whipple saw it as a blank canvas, and it didn't take long for them to paint on it.

The firm designed a 3.0-liter twin-screw supercharger that bumps the V8's output from 430 to 700 horsepower, while increasing peak torque from 475 to 750 pound-feet. There's no word yet on the effect the blower has on the truck's towing capacity, fuel economy, or straight-line performance, but motorists are certain to feel the difference.

There's no need to cut off, grind away, or modify any part of the 7.3-liter to install the supercharger, according to California-based Whipple, and its kit includes a gigantic air-to-water intercooler. It also calibrates the powertrain control module (PCM) to help the fuel delivery, spark, torque management, transmission control, and electronic throttle control systems cope with the extra power. The software monitors a wide array of parameters in real time, and it lowers the boost if it detects a problem to ensure the V8 doesn't become an external-combustion engine.

Clearly, supercharging a truck is no longer a nuts-and-bolts job. Whipple also needs to recalibrate the 10-speed automatic transmission to keep the engine in its peak torque range at all times. The end result is that the off-road, tow, eco, and sport modes programmed into the F-250 and F-350 remain available with no major changes, with the evident exception of additional power regardless of terrain.

Whipple's supercharger kit will cost $7,895 when it goes on sale in the third quarter of 2020, according to Road & Track, though pricing and availability are both subject to change due to the on-going coronavirus pandemic still keeping millions of Americans indoors. On the bright side, this rather vague and unpredictable time frame gives you plenty of time to save up, or to find a donor V8 and a cheap Crown Victoria shell with an empty engine bay.

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