Each of us find what we're looking for in our clown cars. Some want perfect replication, some want a sleeper that will blow the doors off those boyz in their new Camaros, some want a car that puts a smile on the face of bystanders while being comfortable to drive for a few hours. To each his or her own.
My old supercharged Miata did 0-60 in 4.25 seconds but had way too much power for me to EVER bring home a first place trophy in Solo II (couldn't have been the driver so it must have been lighting up the rear tires too much).
My old franken911 turbo did 0-60 in the mid-3 second range and would light up the 10" rear tires at 45mph if you stepped on it. I never raced it or spun it even though it was sitting on the old 1982 SC suspension design. I built the engine to handle up to 700 crank HP, but kept the boost restricted to 425 at the crank. It really didn't need any more. It was simply a beast that you had to respect or it would kill you.
When I built the speedster, I was looking for something different. I didn't want to worry about overtaxing a 50 year old chassis or getting wiggly going around a corner because I was tempted to light them up. I wanted the comfy seats and something that you didn't see everyday. I built what I wanted.
Each of us should buy or build the thing that fits what we want at our time in life. But, we shouldn't take offense that other members of the clown car club don't have the same vision or desire for their cars. Make it your own and appreciate what others have done to do the same.
That being said, I do want to see Hoopty do a wheelie. Maybe @MusbJim can do a video for me???