Where do I start?

I've completed the V5 registration document to transfer the car from Dad to me, the next job is to get the chassis to my house and into its new home (the garage) for the foreseeable future. This will probably happen within the next couple of weeks but before then I have some decisions to make.

Firstly where do I start once I get the car here? It's mainly in pieces at the moment so I'm going to take the body off and leave it in Dad's garage for now and just bring the chassis - the engine has already been removed as it's being rebuilt for my Dad's Spit which brings me to my next question - what engine shall I eventually fit into Lonny Lonsdale's Junk (LLJ)?

I want to do this car with a modern twist - I want it to be quick and to handle as well as it can. I'm not after 148mph and 0-60 in 4.1 seconds (I want a Lotus Exige for that) but I would like it to surprise the odd chav in his Mum's Saxo as he sits revving up at the traffic lights next to me!

My initial thought was to put a 2.0/2.5L Vitesse or GT6 engine in it but after a bit of research that wont really give me any increase in power as it is a much heavier lump. I've seen a word or two about using a K Series engine the likes of which can be found in Rovers, MG Metros etc. But to be honest - at the moment I'm just reading bits and pieces, asking questions on forums, and generally soaking up information in the hope that the way forward will become clear...