Revving. That's the issue. I really don't want a car that requires a lot of revving to start to show some juice. And, as you say, revving to get power will increase wear, and therefore reduce reliability. That's why i decided to get a stroker. Plus i don't see much point on using 85.5 cylinders, being 90.5 just as reliable.
I understand your point, getting a smaller yet powerful engine. But that means less torque. And torquey engines are by far more fun to drive everyday.
On a final note, not only is the 2007 cheaper to build, but it still leaves room for some improvement in the future, like adding the turbo... If we went the 1600t route, the only thing we could do later (other than fine tuning or adding boost) would be increasing the displacement...
2007cc N/A --> 140hp (guesstimation)
2007 T --->
