Didn't mean to make you all mad, just my opinion. But i agree with you on Weight. the K20 would add a noticeable amount. After thinking it over i think a better candidate for this car would be the B16B. It would be light weight, high revving engine. Perfect for this car.
When you say "Spoon made a great car!" Thats because they were smart and didn't worry about the engine. They added some parts to let it breath better, and then after that... STRICTLY weight reduction and suspension. The car is already light as hell. Making it even lighter, even with 100 HP will make your Power/Weight Ratio sky-rocket.
Would a K20 make this car better? Only in straight lines. The added weight to this vehicle would almost make it unable to drive.
Would a B16 do the job? Heck yeah! I think this would be a unique project! It's not that much bigger/heavier than the stock motor, it's a high revving motor that would sound sweet on this car, and their readily available and tunable.
Even if i move back to Virginia, I don't think i'd have problems with Emissions. All you have to do is know the right people.
