Just have a look at the "lycosausus small brother", the Rotax 912.
This engine has water cooled cylinder heads to eliminate the thermal shock/cracking issues, it now also is available with a FADEC, fuel injected, with a computer controlled ignition.
At full power, the carburretor equiped version (which has a lot of issues with the carbutterors, wear, synchronisation...) still performs better.
Electronic fuel injection is great where automotive engines are operated, at low to moderate power. If you go full throttle / high power carburretors are not that bad. Same for ignition, if you go high rpm / high power you are anyway at a fixed timing, no need to do that with a computer.
Looking at the SBs and ADs the Rotax had over its life, our Lycontisaurs are damn reliable machines!
Production quality and price are the only real issues with our traditional engines, which were at times 40 year ahead of the automotive industry... It is just since the mid-80s that they have become much advanced, but mostly with respect to low power efficiency and emmisions. Even now you can still buy cars that not have hydraulic lifters compensating for valve expansion under heat...
The best thing you can do to improve our engines is to learn how to operate, especially how to lean them. That gives you more advantage than the car industry had in 30 years.