I wouldn't discount the sbc so easily. The Pont motor, by design, is a more powerful motor, yes, but you really don't hear many Chevy owners bitching about overheating issues. And for the most part they seem to be fairly trouble free. I'm not saying I want one in my bird but they do seem to be engineered pretty well.
I do think the bird is a far superior car on many levels( obviously). I think advertising had every thing to do with why camaros are more desirable to the uneducated masses.