@
LSxJunkie
You seem to be more knowledgeable than me, at least with Vettes.
I should have prefaced that my frame of reference is based off of the Honda world and 15+ years of scouring message boards and going to meets, reading dynos and learning about Hondas.
The (cheap) import world did and does things differently.
Heck the Scion tC's TRD doesn't even have an intercooler. JRSC bolt-on kits for Civics didn't have intercoolers.
All these people do, are drag race and street race, and you're maybe lucky if they autocrossed once or twice.
The S2000 had the first group of (a large number...baring the NSX) owners that cared about the longevity of their engine as well as bigger power numbers. The scene moved from roots blowers over to a centrifugal Vortech kit with a "Power Cooler". That was one of the first (at least in the Honda world) that I can remember that was centrifugal especially with an intercooler.
Again, this is my frame of reference and probably the OP's as well. And is why he asked why turbos are so prevalent; it's because at one time, they were. Aftermarket superchargers on things like Civics are a relatively new; the past15-20 years, whereas Chevy and Ford guys have been doing it for way longer.