Agreed. I know a today’s large engine mini-van can outperform my ‘68 Mustang 289 resto-rod.
That said, it’s really about the way it makes me feel when I’m cruising down the road, in a piece of industrial art, with the sound of the dual exhaust of the 289 (with cam).
And that’s fine, honestly. It’s the “oooh, cars were so much better and faster and way more awesome back then” rose-tinted-spectacles thing that needs to be taken out back and shot. No, old cars were generally not. I’ve had to check my own calibration on that several times over the years, as cars improve.