That depends on perspective. The modern day Mustang and Camaro have much more horsepower out of small blocks than their predecessors had, and they match the big blocks—exceeding them in a lot of cases. There were also no six-cylinder engines exceeding 300 horses, as in the base Camaro and Mustang of today.
No, it’s a matter of overall. And it’s not just BHP or 0-60. Simplistic measurements from speed hogs.
Most cars in the old days were natural beasts in every department. Today most are tiny wimps which even slouch! Look at them, they don’t stand up straight! Every nose points to the ground. They themselves won’t last many impacts. They can’t carry a load, certainly not up a mountain, and are much less “practical” than these fuel-nuts imply.
There is more to a car than speed or fuel economy.