Now that is the key... My dad always lectured me on it that a fast car will be built around 3 principals:

1- Balance
2- Weight
3- Power

If those 3 things arent juggled properly, it wont turn, handle or go as fast as it should. Its this simple formula from 1-3 (1 being the most important) that i have always modded my cars around. :)

Too much power is usually a disadvantage in most motorsports. I know that wen i used to rally my old torana that i had MORE horsepower with the quad downdraught webbers with trumpets than i did with the 4 barrel holley i ended up using. But the difference was i had more torque with a holley and it was more TRACTABLE.

But yes the loss is minimal in a datsun but it is also relative to the power output of the engine.