273, or 318?

agreed and the 289 ford isn't a good comparison anyway as it has the same 4" bore as the 302 and 351 so....

High Performance, in my non racing experience, is most influenced by good machine work, good breathing heads, Induction, and a matched set of components such as cam, valve train, ignition timing, and exhaust for intended usage. Bore size is a not large determinant of power. I also look at what strength of components and relationships available to start with, compared to what rpm I want to limit myself to.