I'd figure those motors are still competitive due to incredibly large production run. There were/are millions of Pinto motors. There's also a large number of sporty cars that got the motor. The humble Pinto motor also had an incredible amount of factory development. Over here the Ford T-bird Turbo Coupes and Mustang SVO used them. The awesome Cosworth/AWD Sierras did too. Lots of power in a cheap package!
In the BMW range, the M10 is still commonly raced. The tii and Turbo models are well sought after, but the M10 wasn't as well-loved in the E21 and E30 (among other series). The M42 isn't commonly used as a performance motor either. Try to find some details about the S42 - it's almost like everyone forgot about it. I've heard a lot of talk about the M42 being an overbuilt gas saver/economy motor compared to the M5x and S5x series.