This is a discussion comparing two vehicles built upon two different principles.
P-51. Low coefficient of friction, adequate power to go fast long range because it is efficient
F4U High power, bigger aircraft, fast but not fuel efficient.
This is alot like my brother's 1966 GTO. Big car, big engine, gobs of speed (up to a point), handling OK.
My Porche. Smaller car, good power, gobs of speed, handling better.
Now for the conclusion.
A Merlin at take off sound good. (we used to have one at my home base).
A huge radial at take off sounds horrible, even when it was running right.
Let me put it another way. A couple of brothers at my home base used to have the following: AT6, T-28 and a P-51.
The AT6 sounded great.
The P-51 sounded better.
The T-28 sounded horrible.
The t=28 had a huge engine (and was a bigger airplane than the P-51. The P-51 is about the same size as my Bonanza (wing span and airplane length only). The T-28 had about 1200 - 1400 HP. It could not do what the P-51 could do because it was not as aerodynamic (I know that it's purpose was not the same either).
My point is, the P-51 could do something with grace and agility while something like the F4U could do the same with 600 or more horses.
If you want a tough aircraft, what about the P-47? That was a Timex of WWII aircraft. IT could take a major licking and keep on ticking.
Still, something like the P-51 has grace and agility and beauty.
But I have stumbled on long enough.
TGP