V6, Inline 6 or Inline 5??

[Big Vern]

To quote Colin Chapman, on whose lotus 7 our cars attempt to emulate, for increased speed just add lightness.
The lighter it is the better it will handle which means it should go round corners as well as just going quick in a straight line. A 100hp car that weighs half a tonne will be quicker than a 200hp car that weighs a tonne.

Nose heavy cars don't handle - Fact!

It's about power to weight not outright power. If you've power you can't use then its wasted.
My GTM libra has a 160vvc K series engine and to be honest it has too much torque and is not nearly as much fun to drive as my old MX5 was.
The caterham that went round the top gear track is nearly the fastest car they ever had there but by no means the most powerful!