The deal is that with lots of cubes you can have big power with a mild build, run crap gas and simply let the torque move you down the trackĀ
. Think of an engine that yawns and scratches its self as it cranks out low ETs.
To do the same with a small block, you are talking more compression, more aggressive cam, more rpm all at the cost of longevity and reliability.
Now for a street car I do prefer a hot small block for the overall improved balance of the car.