As stated above there are a few tuners that have taken the engines over 1000bhp or very close. Theres a massive difference between a drag engine thats a full throttle for 8 to 10 seconds and a race engine on and off power lap after lap. I must say the engine that really impresses me is the harvey gibbs/ag motorsport one as its just unreal how fast the car is . Its a super all round package and can do drag , track basically everything . I know its a smith and jones alloy block with one of there big ccm heads , big turbo . I think it ran a t72 turbonetics turbo originally as ian howell let harvey borrow his turbo after his duratec engine failed but not 100 % sure on this

I bet you dont get much change from 30k for a harvey engine , which is not to bad as julians godfreys rallycross engines are 60k

I talk to steve westbury and hes a machinist for smith and jones and they have just started making a early 205 cast iron block again upto 2.7 litres with all the added strenghtening areas designed into the block like the alloy block.
price is the same £3900+vat.
He also said they use a very high grade of casting metal and in his words the blocks take some machining.