The reality is most V8 cars made by the big three, in true stock form, were not fast. Look at the slews of V8 cameros, firebirds, mustangs through the 80's and 90's. They were all true high 14 second cars. My mothers supercharged buick regal was faster than my brothers 87 trans am GTA.
Sure, turbos are usually used on high performance 4cyl engines. BUT - they run better, are better on fuel, last a long time, and give you power when you need it, and don't waste fuel when you don't. They are also light weight. V8 pushrod engines that use 100 year old technology only do one thing, they are a one trick pony.
The muscle car era saw HP come easy as can be. Take any old school car, do the rear end gears, high stall converter, shift kit, cam intake and exhaust and high 10's were possible while still being on the edge of streetable. Can you do this with a 4cyl? probably not. We are comparing apples to oranges, the majority of muscle cars in true factory tune were high 14 second cars at best. Anything modded to run faster was terrible on fuel (especially on the highway) and unreliable with constant wrench time needed. As for road handling, forget about it.
New technology allows cars to make HP, still be reliable, still be reasonable on fuel, and light, good handling, good braking, etc...
The V8 is just a thing of the past, a unless you go a ZR1 style route for the ultimate car, if you have the $ go for it. Most of the old school cars were noisy, spun tires, and displacement numbers were bragging rights. Coffee shop ET's were usually 1-2 seconds faster than reality.