Ah yes, this seems some good answers, I am not gonna buy anything, now atleast, rather "maximize" what I have, it is not a racecar anyway.
And I Guess you could maybe divide the brands like this:
1. The Hot Rod crowd type brands.
2. The inbetween brands for more Touring/Mild type good handling sporty type. -Who prabably is the smartest Choice.. He..He..
3. And then the more Hardcore type brands for more all-out performance.
Especially maybe if you look at the different brands own Project/demonstration cars.
Heidts has that Heidts Performance Car Challenge, maybe to get more of the "other than Hot Rod crowd"?
And I really agree that the look of the parts also play a role, a car that goes fast but is ugly/boring is not as cool as a car that looks cool AND goes fast, even though I am not the guy who usually sacrifice go-fast for looks..