PS: The Part regarding Fiat is interesting, because we have a similar saying in Germany, namely: "Fehler in allen Teilen", which translates to "Errors in every part".
I have really no idea about the statistics about fiat reliability though, so don't take that as a statement from me^^
As a quick self test stand up a C http server using gnu microhttp, hit it with AB or Wrk.
Next stand up a http server in sbcl (e.g. using wookie) and do the same AB or Wrk load test.
If you are expecting common Lisp to come close to C or even JVM you will be quite disappointed.
I know I was.
I love Lisp but it's a unwise to compare it with C on performance.
I do entirely expect SBCL to come within factor of 2 to C (if you instrument your Lisp code with type declarations properly), and definitely to get JVM performance. And even unoptimized CL code I expect to run faster than Ruby, Python or JS.
Modern CL implementations are good, and the language itself gives you plenty of ways to help the program compile down to efficient native code.
It is not. (Common) Lisp can be made as fast as C if you really need it, by using tricks...
By the way, for a while, the fastest HTTP static server was one written in Lisp, "teepeedee2", 2009. Fastest in the world.
> fact many people believe programs in Lisp syntax are hard to read.
It's not a fact; it's just a couple of trolls, plus people just repeating what they have heard. People who reply to "lisp" with "lots of irritating silly parentheses" haven't necessarily even tried to read any examples of Lisp; they are just repeating a joke they heard.
Just like how people who say "fix it again, Tony" when they hear "Fiat", who have never driven a Fiat, and have no idea about the statistics of Fiat reliability relative to other makes of car.