Having ridden in a flathead V8 powered 30 Ford roadster many years ago I have to say a flathead is definitely cool, but in it's stock form it barely has more grunt than the original 4 cyl. The cost to build these engines with any noticible horsepower improvement is exorbitant so you have to decide which you want....coolness factor or HP. If HP is more important a more modern engine is the way to go!