Look back at some of the most 'sporty' looking cars of the 50's, 60's and 70's what sort of bhp did they produce? The 0-60 time would seem glacial compared even with modern day shopping cars, never mind performance cars!
I used to drive a 5.5ltr super-charged V8 4 door, 4 seater luxo-barge (OK a CLS55AMG) with a 0-60 of 4.5sec, fantastic car but totally unusable 90% of the time. I also used to drive a 2.6ltr HSR with a similar 0-60 but back in the 80's one could actually enjoy that performance. I also drove a 998cc Monte Carlo Imp and to be honest that car gave the most driving satisfaction at less than half the performance.
The look of a car has little to do with performance or driver satisfaction but a lot to do with 'enjoyment' and 'pride' (if that makes any sense!) My RC has attracted more compliments and comment than any other, far more 'capable', car I've owned. That all said I really do love driving it. Quick blasts round the country roads, long 4-5hrs drives across the country and slow trundles across town. It lends itself to the complete spectrum of journeys, allowing the driver to be as 'involved' as he wishes. Or simply conveyed in absolute comfort and safety.
All IMHO obviously..