I don't know about the engine, but the c27 6cyl Accord that generation was a freak. the front was stretched to fit the 6cyl, finding parts to fit is a nightmare. And the HP wasn't spectacular ~170hp?, I think a 5-spd 2.2 4cyl ~148hp? was still faster.

I would much rather have the 96-99 CL, it's still a somewhat stretched 5th gen Accord to fit the J-series I think. But the chassis was at least consistent between the 2.2/2.3 and 3.0 CLs. The CL would be the better 6 to tweak IMO.

My dream 5th gen would still be a sub 25,000mi 1997 2.2 EX Wagon 5-spd though.