| There are a lot of old wives' tales about engine design. In reality, it all boils down to ease/cost of modding. When you look at the privately owned cars, you'll see a lot more Supra's and Skylines putting out the big power because they are simply cheaper and easier to mod. You only need to buy 1 turbo, 1 exhaust, 1 set of cams, etc. So you get more owners driving around on the streets with big power. You'll also notice that they're laggy as hell, since the option to become a dyno queen is more easily attainable they went with a huge single turbo that doesn't spool up nearly quickly enough for that engine. It's easier to put a huge single turbo on a I6 car than huge dual turbos on a Z32, but if you did you'd still run into the same problems with lag and poor powerband. If you really want to see what the engines are capable of, look at what the professionals are able to do with them. There are a couple of Z's in the 7's, putting out more than 1,200 rwhp. Also the highest top speed in our class is held by a Z32- not a Skyline or Supra. JUN tried to break their own record for a decade after the their Z32 claimed the record 1 year after the car came out in 1991. I think they just gave up now. Aerodynamics played a bigger role in that than engine design though. Top fuel dragster engines are the most powerful piston car engines in the world. The V design doesn't hold them back, and you don't see them switching to Inline engines either. If it gave them an edge they'd probably try it. If engine design really limited power, then why did Nissan switch from the Inline-6 design on the 280Z and go with the Vg on the 300ZX? The new GTR will have a V6 also, moving away from the Inline 6 they had previously. It will also put out more HP than it did previously, and have a better powerband. I hear the stroke/bore arguments being argued all over in the domestic V8 crowd. Many old timers swear that long stroke increases torque, while others point out that torque simply stays proportionate with your displacement. Displacement DOES matter. Whether your car is forced induction or NA, having more displacement will increase your torque at the same boost level and give you a better powerband. As you see more VQ35's in 350Z's being turbo'd, you'll see that they'll put out more torque and spool up faster (at the same HP level) due to their increased displacement. To sum it up, I6 engines are a little bit cheaper and much easier to mod, and that's where the big HP difference on street cars come from.
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