I think one often overlooked aspect of less cubes turning faster then bigger cu in is the VE go up with rpm on a given motor. In other words, a 500 cu in pro-stocker turning 10,000 rpm will actually ingest more then 500 cu in of air and fuel merely due to the increased velocity in the intake and heads making a ram effect into the cylinder.
So if you took a 377 turning fast enough to get 110% ve, and compare it with a slower turning 400 at 100% ve, the 377 will actually be a bigger motor in terms of flow due to the extra 10% of ve. 377 x 10 % 37.7 or 38 cu in. 377 + 38 = 415 cu in.
Anybody follow that theory of mine? I was following that 427 vs 454 thread and was waiting for someone to point that out but it never was considered in the thread.