And I won't spend long on this.... but that goes back to application. I don't drag race... I rally (well, I drove rally cars...been a while now). Excess torque over a very wide RPM range is important because with 500 turns on a rally stage that are all different, you're gonna hit some gear-speed combo's where a narrow torque band engine is not going work. (BTDT! Young and dumb LOL) You need excess torque in a turn NOW to get the drive wheels spinning/slipping as part of steering the car on loose gravel (think of sprint cars only worse!). You can't wait even a fraction of a second 'til the engine rev's up a few hundred RPM; the brain-to-throttle-to-drive-wheel-spin/slip has to be an instantaneous connection to go fast.
Best flow and HP means very little to nothing if you don't have the necessary excess wheel torque over a wide range in that application. If your torque range reaches down another 500 RPM or more, it is truly golden in that kind of use.
Not criticizing anyone or any use... just trying to explain why the performance emphasis will vary. I see spirited street driving on curvy roads much more like rallying than drag racing. FWIW.....YMMV and all that good stuff, and may not be at all applicable for the OP's use.
