Torque vs. HP Revisted

[AL427SBF]

This topic has been debated extensively on CC. I've read many posts on the subject, still looking for the "golden rule" on how one would try to tune/build their powerplant for best performance regarding torque and HP. We know both are tied at the hip: HP = TORQUE X RPM / 5252 and their respective curves will ALWAYS intersect at 5252 RPM. If we agree that torque is what moves you (acceleration), and HP is what keeps you there (speed) then it seems to me Torque is king and all efforts go to giving you the most torque relatively early in the RPM range (say @ 3K) and holding strong (flat or better) for as long as possible past the RPM range of 5252 where HP passes torque in terms of raw numbers. I figure, if you have maximized your torque curve in that way, who cares about peak HP in a practical sense. Not withstanding bragging rights, I see no reason to give a damn about HP if you have nailed the torque curve. If this hypothesis is wrong, please share why. Otherwise, I would be curious on what the tuning or engine building tricks are to get that strong torque curve from say 3-6.5K?