a well built 472 can easily get you 600-650hp. well prepped heads is the key. a wide LSA cam (111-113) can give you a nice idle and give you a wide torque band, great for the street. i manage about 12mpg on the highway with mine if i don't lay into it, around town is 7-8, but also depends if i lay into it. tti exhaust with dynomax mufflers flow well and yet are quiet. a centerforce clutch handles it fine, and is not bad in traffic.

what some of the other posters said about turbos is true, but you can build a larger displacement engine with more mild specs and still get great horsepower out of it, and be very streetable.

and of course, if you want a hemi, there is no substitute.

i love mine. scatpk's 542 in his GTX dyno'd 542 at the rear wheels, before major carb adjustments, and it's a kitten to drive, until you lay into it. and it got 14mpg on the highway from san francisco to los angeles.

hard to beat.

if you want a hemi, this is all doable.