[olddog]

First, it's the Tim Allen caveman grunting thing. Why did I buy a power washer that I have to be careful not to cut my vinyl siding in two? Why do people buy the top of the line laptop computer to play solitaire?

Now to Cobra's. It depends on the track as to when more Hp wins. A longer straightaway track, where higher speeds can be reached, the 427 Cobra will beat the 289 Cobra, at high speeds, every time. A shorter track with sharper corners and lower speeds would favor the 289 Cobra, but better drivers may change that outcome.

You can make as much power as you like with a small block, but the torque curve starts to look like a mountain shape, and it becomes very difficult to control. Flatter torque curves are much easier to control. Big blocks can make more power with a flatter torque curve than a small block, generally speaking. In the end, it is matching the right engine to the track for the drivers skill level.

If a track required 500 Hp to reach the top speeds, you could build a 289 to get there. You can easily get there with a 427. I would expect the 427 would be much easier for an average driver to use. It would also allow more low end torque and would not need to shift down as much in the corners. If I were a betting man I would bet on the 427, but the right driver in the 289 could win, which is why they race instead of calculating who would win, and why I don't bet.